Photo courtesy of the Dearborn Community Arts Council
“One Tulip” by ASD photographer Theresa Deeter.
Photo courtesy of the Dearborn Community Arts Council
“Saturday Mornings” by AANM SURA student photographer Mila Bass.
DEARBORN — The Padzieski Art Gallery’s annual “Highlights” exhibition, which runs through June 30, will be spotlighted with a free Gallery Art Talk from 5 to 7 p.m. June 27.
The exhibit, hosted by the Dearborn Community Arts Council, is comprised of recent works by the Artists’ Society of Dearborn, which this year also includes work from the Arab American National Museum’s award winning SURA Arts Academy, a student photography program. Featured artists will speak at the event, titled “Art & Appetizers.”
The exhibition features a wide range of artwork in 2D and 3D formats, including oil- and water-based paintings as well as pastels, mixed media and photography.
The AANM, dedicated to nurturing the next generation of artists, is sharing eight works from its SURA Arts Academy, an after-school program providing professional photography lessons to middle and high schoolers in Dearborn and metropolitan Detroit through ACCESS since 2000.
Equipped with cameras supplied by the AANM, students from different cultural backgrounds develop an understanding of the mechanics of photography and career opportunities in the field. Professional photographers and educators, including the DCAC’s own Bruce Harkness, have led these discussions and explorations, helping students gain insight into issues of identity, ethnicity, diversity, and community history.
The eight images included in the exhibit – of the students’ families, friends and communities – represent a portion of the creative output of the SURA Arts Academy.
Photo courtesy of the Dearborn Community Arts Council
“The Gleaner” oil painting by ASD artist Jan Dale.
The next SURA program is a summer camp, taking place July 29 to Aug. 2. Students will embark on daily field trips, exploring, documenting, and photographing their surroundings. This semester, students will focus on issues of home, community and culture, telling their story and capturing experiences through their photographs. For more information, go to www.arabamericanmuseum.org/sura.
The student’s work is shown side by side with some of the best from the ASD and its most recent exhibitions. The ASD (www.dearbornart.com) includes theme challenges – such as an exploration of “texture” which encourages their group to explore creativity within specific guidelines. These theme challenges also will be on display.
The quality of the student work often presents its own fun challenges as viewers enjoy trying to distinguish between the art shown by the local youngsters and the more experienced members of the ASD.
Admission to the exhibit is free.
Padzieski Art Gallery is located in the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center, 15801 Michigan Ave. It is open from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and also select weekends. The gallery can be reached by phone during hours of operation at 313-943-5377; the DCAC website provides more information at www.dcacarts.org.