Cover Art
September 16, 2020
My work illustrates the National Book Award winning author Sigrid Nunez’s new book “What Are You Going Through” A detail of my painting “Chicago Condo” oil on paper, 30 x 22, features prominently on the cover.
Helen Sheridan Memorial Grand Prize
August 17, 2020
Honored to have the painting “Modern Interior with Rubber Plant” chosen as the Grand Prize winner at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts 2020 West Michigan Area Show as selected by juror William J. O’Brien.
Chicago-based artist William J. O’Brien works in drawing, painting, sculpture, and ceramics. His idiosyncratic and exuberant forms are born out of an improvised and intuitive studio practice, rich in material experimentation. He is Assistant Professor of Art in the Department of Ceramics at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Inspired by Modernism and the history of material usage of Outsider Art, O’Brien’s multidisciplinary practice is a search for identity and genuine expression through material and process.
The West Michigan Area Show is sponsored by the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo, and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs. Additional support provided by David Isaacson in memory of his wife, Helen Sheridan.
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts
314 S. Park St., Kalamazoo, MI
91st Michigan Contemporary Art Exhibition
September 4, 2019
91st Michigan Contemporary Art Exhibition
Muskegon Museum of Art
Muskegon, Michigan 49440
296 W. Webster Avenue
Opening Reception
Thursday, September 5
7:00 pm Meet the Artists
6:30 pm Awards Program
5:30 pm Reception
The exhibition presents a look at the issues, themes, and materials inspiring today’s Michigan artists. This year’s juried show features 126 works by 107 artists and includes painting, printmaking, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, jewelry, and installation. The artwork selection is meant to engage, challenge, and inspire conversation. The Muskegon Museum of Art’s 91st Michigan Contemporary Art Exhibition (formerly the annual Regional Exhibition) and runs through November 13, 2019.
About the Juror:
Amy Chaloupka, received her BFA from Western Washington University and MFA in Sculpture from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She has exhibited widely and created several public works, including permanent installations in Santa Fe, Chicago, and Madison, Wisconsin.
58th Greater Michigan Exhibition
September 4, 2019
58th Greater Michigan Exhibition
Midland Center for the Arts
1801 W. St. Andrews Road
Midland, Michigan 48640
Opening Reception
Saturday, September 28, 7-9 pm
The 58th Annual Greater Michigan Art Exhibition is one of the few remaining statewide visual arts competitions in Michigan. Organized by Alden B. Dow Museum of Science & Art at Midland Center for the Arts, this exhibition provides a forum for the most recent developments by Michigan artists. Out of 164 artist that applied, 56 were accepted. The gallery spaces at the Center provide a dramatic stage for the display of contemporary work and are especially suited for the exhibition of large-scale works. The exhibition runs through November 3.
About the Juror:
Valerie Jenkins
Chair of Fine Arts
College for Creative Studies
MFA University of Minnesota
BFA Grand Valley State University
Artist Interview Series: Preserved!
July 2, 2019
Photo by M-Buck Studio, LLC
Michael Pfleghaar’s Out-of-This-World Landscapes
Read the interview here
Light Conversations Podcast
June 28, 2019
We recently got a chance to better get to know Michael Pfleghaar, long time leading artist and Tanglefoot Studios resident in Grand Rapids, MI, and recorded that conversation for you so you could glean wisdom from this creative powerhouse, too. Pfleghaar admits that he’s never been afraid of color, and we dive into his fascination with houseplants—and interiors in general. He’s working to create a reminder for us to slow down and pay closer attention to stillness, in an age when everything is competing for our attention and moving so fast to do so.
We also got a chance to better understand his journey as an artist, how he’s been able to maintain a professional practice for three decades, and what other work he does to sustain himself.
Here is a link to the Podcast page: Getting to Know Michael Pfleghaar