Tension & Tenderness: The Domestic Surreal
August 19, 2025
Works by Michael Pfleghaar & Lisa Walcott
Show dates Sept. 2 – Nov. 15, 2026
Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University
FLEXgallery, Beaux Arts Federal Building, 17 Pearl NW, Grand Rapids, MI
In Tension & Tenderness, artists Michael Pfleghaar and Lisa Walcott re-imagine the ordinary, using domestic space as a stage for subtle interventions and unexpected narratives. Through vibrant still life compositions and kinetic sculptural gestures, both artists render the familiar strange and the mundane poetic.
Detroit Warehouse Art & Design Fair
August 19, 2025
When: September 19–21, 2025
Where: Boyer Campbell Building
6540 St. Antoine, Detroit, MI 48202, USA
Opening Party: Friday September 19th, 6-9pm
with KESSWA and Darryl DeAngelo Terrell
Open Hours: Saturday September 20th, 12-7pm and Sunday September 21st, 12-5pm
Event is free and open to public. RSVP required.
I will be one of the artists exhibiting a collection of original interior and furniture paintings as part of the ArtClvb Detroit Warehouse Art & Design Fair, during the Detroit Month of Design.
DETROIT WAREHOUSE is a three-day art and design fair spotlighting contemporary, affordable works by emerging to mid-career artists. Held in one of Detroit’s most iconic industrial spaces, the fair offers a unique platform for artists and designers to showcase their work, connect with collectors, buyers, and curators, and engage with the public in a setting that honors both innovation and craft. We can’t wait to see what you bring to DETROIT WAREHOUSE.
RSVP here: https://www.detroitmonthofdesign.org/event-details/detroit-warehouse-art-design-fair
New American Paintings #173
March 11, 2025
The Midwest Review was curated by Rosario Güiraldes, the newly appointed Curator of Visual Arts at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. She selected my work from over 1,000 submissions. Originally scheduled for release in August/September 2024, the issue was delayed due to scheduling and economic factors to keep the magazine afloat, but it will now be available starting March 12.
The issue can be downloaded for free from the NAP website here:
https://www.newamericanpaintings.com/issues/173
Through and Through
January 18, 2025
Paintings of Interior and Exterior Spaces
March 9 – April 27, 2025
Opening Reception: March 9, 2025, noon to 1:30 p.m.
Evening with the Artist: March 27, 5 – 7 p.m.
Keeler Gallery/Lounge, Fountain Street Church
24 Fountain St NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
This fresh body of work invites visitors to explore themes of transition, memory, and the profound interplay of color, light, and form in both the natural landscape and constructed worlds.Through and Through celebrates the idea that spaces—whether inside a home, within a landscape, or between light and shadow—are never static. They shape our emotional and sensory experiences and offer a constantly shifting, layered view of the world around us. Drawing on his fascination with mid-century modern design and organic forms, Pfleghaar’s work evokes the seamless connection between the outside world and the curated interiors that define personal spaces.
Michigan Ceramics Exhibition 2024
August 18, 2024
Proud to have this piece Disco Kisses, 2024, included in the Michigan Ceramics Exhibition 2024 juried by George Rodriguez.
Artist Bio
Born and raised in the border city of El Paso, TX, George Rodriguez creates highly ornamented, figurative ceramic sculptures, often underlined by a connection to the sociopolitical issues the artist explores. Rodriguez holds a BFA from the University of Texas El Paso and an MFA in ceramics from the University of Washington, Seattle. His world curiosity grew as a recipient of a Bonderman Travel Fellowship where he traveled the world through most of 2010. His work has shown at Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, Bainbridge Island, WA; Whatcom Museum, Bellingham, WA; Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento, CA; Canton Art Museum, Canton, OH and others. His sculptures are part of the collections of the National Museum of Mexican Art, Chicago, IL; the University of Washington’s Paul G. Allen College of Computer Science and Engineering, Seattle, WA; the Hallie Ford Museum of Art at Willamette University, Salem, OR; Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington D.C. and the National Museum in Stockholm, Sweden. George was featured on PBS Craft in America “Storytellers” episode and has created a large public sculpture for the new Kansas City Airport which opened March 2023.
Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center
1516 S. Cranbrook Rd.
Birmingham, MI 48009
Exhibition Dates: September 27 – October 31, 2024 Opening Reception and Juror Talk: 5-7 pm, September 27, 2024
West Michigan Area Show
May 31, 2024
My painting Indoor Outdoor (above center) is included in the 2024 West Michigan Area Show at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. I will be speaking at the lunchtime ArtBreak series with artist Vicki Nelson, July 9, 12:00 – 1:00 pm.
The exhibition runs through August 18, 2024 and if you would like to vote for the Peoples Choice Award before July 7 do so here.
Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, 314 S. Park St., Kalamazoo, MI 49007
Celebrating 40 years of Buckham Fine Arts Project: 1984 – 2024
May 31, 2024
This year Buckham Fine Arts Project in Flint, MI celebrates 40 years of contemporary art programing and I am excited to be have the above painting “Linear” in the exhibition.
The exhibition runs through June 8, 2024
121 W. 2nd Street, Flint, MI 48502
Michael Pfleghaar: Mid-Career Showcase
September 30, 2023
Cultivate Gallery, Grand Rapids, MI.
Exhibition Dates: October 27 – December 15, 2023
Cultivate is pleased to present “Michael Pfleghaar: Mid Career Showcase,” an exhibition that surveys the expansive oeuvre of artist Michael Pfleghaar. Please join us for the opening reception on October 27, where attendees will have the opportunity to engage with Pfleghaar’s work and hear remarks from the artist.
About the Exhibition:
This exhibition is a showcase featuring the evolution of Michael’s work and practice. It brings together a range of Pfleghaar’s works—spanning paintings, sculpture, and drawings—that highlight his nuanced approach to form, color, and texture. From his early beginnings to recent works, the exhibition offers an in-depth look at Pfleghaar’s evolving artistry and his lasting impact on contemporary art.
Nature/Nurture
March 26, 2023
“Nature/Nurture” opens at Eastend Gallery & Studio in Marshall, MI. April 7, 20023
The exhibition curated by Warner Ball will feature botanical-themed works on paper, large works on canvas, and a selection of ceramic sculptures.
The show will explore plant groupings as a reference to relationships and the care it takes to make them thrive.
The exhibit runs April 7th – May 31, 2023.
Eastend Gallery & Studio
143 W Michigan Ave, Marshall, MI, 49068
Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Thursday – 10:30 – 5:30 and Friday – Saturday – 11am – 5pm
Hatchback 17
March 26, 2023
Excited to be included in the exhibition Hatchback 17, at Hatch Art, April 1 – April 30, 2023
This painting “Thick and Thin” 2023, Flashe and acrylic on canvas, 36 x 36 is one of 51 pieces selected to be in this annual show juried by Nancy Mitchnick.
Join me at the reception, this Saturday, April 1, 6-9 pm
Hatch Art Gallery
3456 Evaline Street, Hamtramck, MI
https://www.hatchart.org/
Terrazzo Art Installations
February 25, 2023
The Gerald R. Ford International Airport is pleased to announce that four local artists have been selected to install permanent terrazzo floor art designs in the $110 million Concourse A expansion.
Thanks to support from the Frey Foundation, the Ford International Airport will continue to invest in local artists through its public art program. The Concourse A extension – part of Elevate capital expansion program – will feature three art mediums, including custom terrazzo flooring, a suspended art installation and wall art. The four artists selected to feature their terrazzo designs include:
- George Eberhardt III
- Kim Nguyen
- Maureen Nollette
- Michael Pfleghaar
93rd Michigan Contemporary Art Exhibition
September 30, 2022
Two paintings have been accepted into the 93rd Michigan Contemporary Art Exhibition at the Muskegon Museum of Art which opens Thursday, October 6, 2022, at 5 PM
The exhibition runs October 6 through November 30, 2022