A variety of artistic styles and themes will be on exhibit at the Box Factory for the Arts starting July 11. The public is invited to meet the artists at the Opening Reception on Friday, July 18, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Light snacks and a cash bar will be available.
“Compositions of Nature” in the Williams Gallery (main level) is a group show featuring Tom and Denise Tackett, Mary Whalen and Dave Marlatt.
For their shared exhibit “Compositions of Nature,” two married couples highlight elements of nature in words and images. Mary Whalen and Tom Tackett will show their photographs, which use alternative processing and printing techniques. David Marlatt, Mary’s husband, presents poetry inspired by his wife’s photographs. Denise Tackett, a writer and quilter, creates both prose and quilts inspired by Tom’s photographs.
The Whitlow Gallery (main level) features mixed-media and fiber art by Tisha Sandberg and abstract paintings by Di Seely.
Tisha Sandberg works with a variety of materials to create original designs, often using repurposed materials, such as kite fabric, and improvisational stitching in her studio on the third floor of the Box Factory. “Frugalness and a bit of serendipity have led me to save these former castoffs and explore combining them with other materials and techniques: sewing and quilting, printmaking, painting, weaving, embroidery, beading and hand-dying,” she wrote in her artist statement. Tisha is a board member at the Box Factory.
Di Seely traces her artistic life back to 2012 when she took an art class at the Box Factory. Now she can be found in her studio on the third floor painting colorful, abstract designs. Di was an award winner in a previous MAAC (Michiana Annual Art Competition) show.
“Rooted in the Woodland” in the Riverwalk Gallery (ground floor) is a group show that explores the mystery and lure of the woodland. With eco-printed silk and leather streamers creating a wilderness backdrop for paintings, photographs and sculptures, six artists have created an immersive woodland experience for viewers.
Featured artists:
§ Lorma Williams Freestone creates art in assemblage, collage and sculpture using found objects, both natural and human-made;
§ Photorealist painter Thea Grigsby;
§ Award-winning photographer Sherry Saenz;
§ Catherine Rathke presents “eco-printing”, for which she uses tannins found in leaves and flowers to print on silk, wool and leather;
§ Multi-media artist Mary Sundstrom, whose “Magic Realism” depicts the Midwestern forest floor and the woods and bayous in West Michigan;
§ Dorris Akers, known for her creativity, will exhibit photography and more.
The Skyview Gallery on the 3rd floor features art by Jane Cowley and Claudia Squio.
Jane Cowley is a portrait and landscape artist with a studio in Michigan City, IN. She studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and Drisi Academy of Fine Art in Illinois, and has exhibited her artwork throughout the country and in online international shows. Her oil paintings depict Michiana artists and the quiet majesty of the area’s shores, forests, and fields.
Claudia Squio, of Grand Haven, MI, creates books and fabric boxes using a traditional French method known as “cartonnage”, which involves making boxes out of chipboard and covering them with fabric using glue. As a Brazilian American, Claudia introduces a Brazilian variation by incorporating needlework, painting and dying into the fabric. She shares cartonnage techniques and DIY kits through her shop in Grand Haven, her book, “Cartonnage Basics & Beyond: The Complete Guide for Fabric Boxes,” and www.colorwayarts.com.
