Edition No. 76
Arts and Culture
The Grosse Pointe Artists Association presents Spring Break featuring Birmingham Society of Women Painters (BSWP).
Community and Family
The War Memorial highlights its long-standing partnership with the Grosse Pointe Artists Association!
Spring Break
The Grosse Pointe Artists Association (GPAA) is proud to host Spring Break, a show by the the Birmingham Society of Women Painters (BSWP). The exhibit will highlight art by some of the most talented artists in the Birmingham/Bloomfield, Michigan area.
For more than fifty years, the BSWP has brought together artists of merit to further their shared interests. Founded in 1944 to provide formal instruction and workspace for women painters, the BSWP today is a dynamic organization of 50 artists working in diverse media. The BSWP is proud of its exceptional history of supporting the achievements and leadership of women in the arts.
The show was juried by Kim Fay, a well-known artist, teacher, and journalist.
You can view Spring Break in person at the GPAA gallery at The War Memorial, now through June 18.
Partnership remains vibrant between Grosse Pointe Artists Association and The War Memorial
‘We are here to use art to bring people together’
At The War Memorial, we are continually inspired by our friends and resident partners of the Grosse Pointe Artists Association (GPAA) and its extensive art-based opportunities available to community members and programming for veterans. GPAA provides a diverse offering of art classes lead by high caliber instructors, exhibitions to celebrate local artists and inspire new talent, programming to engage and educate the general public and more.
The Association, which has about 100 members, has had many homes, with its first being at TWM. After years of moving from one commercial space to another, GPAA returned to TWM six years ago.
“We’re very excited because this is very gallery-like and the artists are really thrilled,” GPAA President Karen Pope said in describing the GPAA Gallery at TWM.
GPAA began in 1927 when a group of artists organized a juried exhibition at a local club. Soon after, the Association began offering art classes, and by 1942 the American Federation of the Arts listed GPAA in its American Art Annual.
“We’ve expanded to support The War Memorial in its goal of being a cultural center,” Pope said. “We are here to use art to bring people together.”
It is a nonprofit totally dependent on the talents and generosity of volunteers and donors, who are dedicated to sharing their love for art by merging creativity and community.
Recently, a $10,000 legacy grant was awarded to the Association from the Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation. It will be used to upgrade lighting in the gallery. Additional advancements set to be made in the Avalo Brown Petri Art Studio room utilized by The Association include replacing window shades and the installation of a new sink.
Its next art show runs from June 9 to July 14 inside the GPAA Gallery at TWM. The title is Worlds Collide, also known as the hybrid challenge. For this show, artists are challenged to combine two seemingly discordant ideas into one finished artwork. The goal is to discover the unexpected when opposing forces occupy the same physical space.
“Worlds Collide is totally new work, whereas other exhibitions aren’t,” Pope said. “Artists see a topic, go through their files and see what they can work on. It will probably be the most dynamic and current exhibition we’ve had.”
Each Wednesday, from June 1 to June 22 at the studio, the Association hosts a Crash Course in Collage with Marat Paransky. Classes are from 5 to 8 p.m. Students will learn to cut and paste materials, prepare different surfaces, mounting techniques and finalize and finish projects. Necessary supplies include acrylic matte gel medium, grafix double tack mounting film, archival polyvinyl acetate and more.
Also in June, on the 11th and 18th, the Association presents Drawing Foundations with Donald Cronkhite. It is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. In these two sessions, award-winning artist and experienced instructor Donald Cronkhite gives students the drawing foundations they need to move forward.
From her perspective as president, Pope said the creative process gives Association members and artists the greatest joy.
“The process is a cycle and to complete that cycle, you really need to show your art to someone,” she mentioned. “Exhibitions and getting artists together are essential.”
In the spring, artwork from the Birmingham Society of Women Painters was on display in the Friends of the GPAA gallery, situated in the hallway leading to the GPAA Gallery at TWM. About eight art shows are held a year at TWM.
Additional art classes include Art making for Veterans on the second and fourth Tuesday of the month from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., and A Morning Out for seniors meets from 10:30 a.m. to noon on the first and third Tuesdays of the month.
Learn more about GPAA by visiting its website at grossepointeartcenter.org.
Inspired Thoughts is a collection of highly curated content that embraces the spirit and purpose of The War Memorial: arts and culture, community enrichment, leadership, and patriotism.
Derived from the notion that learning from others is the key to success, Inspired Thoughts is meant to shine a light on those making a difference in the world around them. This collection features artists, poets, writers, architects, and every thought leader in-between. Inspired Thoughts is the strongest reflection of what The War Memorial stands for, and what we aim to be.
The content featured on Inspired Thoughts is curated by War Memorial leadership — we also look forward to featuring special guest curators in the near future. If you are interested in providing content for Inspired Thoughts, please email our Communications team at dmurphy@warmemorial.org.