Cut a cross section though Ann Arbor’s artistic conscience and you will find a wonderfully electric kaleidoscope of styles and perspectives. Sure, you could say the about anywhere. But not often with the creativity, diversity and wide range of talent at the Gutman’s “Anything Goes” show. It had its opening reception on January 17 and will run until February 22.
“I like that there is a cross section – it’s isn’t just a gallery just for abstracts or realism,” Marie Parmer, a member of The Guild of Artists and Artisans, not affiliated with this show, said. “They are interested in all kinds of mediums, styles and they’re very inclusive.”
This is the Gutman’s fifth annual ‘all medium exhibition’, the awards of which were made possible by Macon Creek. This is a fairly new arts organization on a 250 acre farm and arts center about half an hour south of Ann Arbor, in Lenawee County, dedicated to an inclusive and innovative production environment for artists across mediums. This is their second show outside the gallery on their campus.
“I have seen in these shows in the last couple of years, and at Macon Creek, is the beautiful landscape of Michigan. That’s a big piece of it … the representation of this part of the country where we live,” Kim Tucker-Gray, the creative lead at Macon Creek, said.
She summed up the eclectic nature of the works this way: “Art is just being human. That’s expressed in every way you can think of.” She added that at Macon Creek “we have culinary artists, farmers that are artists, textile artists, 2D artists, writers, dancers, people who just come to sit and think and want to make community – urban planners – all of that is art. The wide range eclecticism is absolutely intended and encouraged.”
RELATED: 14+14 Show at Washington Street Gallery Brings Fresh Art to Downtown
Anything Goes has no official theme, but there are a lot of landscapes. Five of the artists won cash prizes. Dennis Gordon won third place for his wood block print “Fresh Snow.” Richard Goff won second place for his “gouache, ink and vintage Italian postage stamps” creation “Tuscany Town.” Mary Murphy won first place for her very Ann Arbor watercolor interior of the Nickels Arcade.
“It went from 300 and something entries to 45 or 50 pieces, so you had to narrow it down. I didn’t want it all to be landscapes, but I wanted very technical landscapes. I really enjoy impressionistic landscaping, so there is some of that, and a lot of technical ability that goes into a well [done] impressionistic piece,” Chris Nordin, a well-established artist with his own nearby gallery, who juried the show, explained. “When I make art, I don’t want to be held back by my technical ability. I think there’s a lot of artists limited to what they can produce by their technical ability. I always strive to be a very technically sound workman … anything I can dream up I can make.”
The two honorable mentions were also memorable. Ted Zeller’s “Where’s Toto?” was already sold by the time everyone was applauding the awards. Deborah Wood also won an honorable mention for her soda fired ceramic piece: “Poppy Seed Totem.” It took Wood a whole summer to make her piece.
“It was actually inspired by a friend’s poppy seed garden. The poppy seed is beautiful. I literally spent three months making each piece. I designed this, and a series to go with it, know it would go into a soda kiln … a high fire kiln in which sodium bicarbonate is sprayed into, and it’s going to land anywhere, so you don’t know when your piece comes out if it is going to be good or bad,” Wood said after receiving her accolade. “So, it was a lot of testing, putting different pieces in, and picking the best and playing around with the stacking.”
Drew Saunders is a freelance business and environmental journalist who grew up just outside of Ann Arbor. He covers local business developments, embraces his foodie side with reviews restaurants, obsesses over Michigan's environmental state, loves movies, and feels spoiled by the music he gets to review for Ann Arbor!