More than 190 pieces of artwork by regional artists have been accepted into the Michiana Annual Arts Competition (MAAC) and will be on exhibit in all four of the Box Factory for the Arts galleries, 1101 Broad St., St. Joseph, MI, beginning on May 19 and continuing through July 9th. The galleries are open on Wednesdays-Sundays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with extended hours on Thursdays until 7 p.m. Awards will be presented to artists during a reception on May 19 from 5:30-7 p.m. Music will be provided by Berrien Artist Guild member Jessica Fogle who will be conducting a kid’s summer music C.A.M.M.P. (Create a Mini Musical Play) at the Box. Light refreshments and a cash bar will be available. The event is free and open to the public.
Maggie Bandstra, who served as the MAAC judge, will offer comments about this year’s exhibit. Maggie graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design with an MFA in painting in 2021. She has competed in all Art Prize competitions since the first one in 2009, and taught art for 27 years.
The Best of Show award of $1,500 is sponsored by the Southwestern Michigan Tourist Council continuing a tradition of underwriting the MAAC. This year’s award goes to Lynne Kramer of Benton Harbor for her 3D entry entitled “Mist Over the Mountains.”
Providing the $500 category awards are: Honor Credit Union; John Devries Insurance Agency; Foster Swift Collins and Smith, PC Attorneys; Krasl Art Center; Cooper & Associates CPAs, PLLC; Gast Family Farms; AEP Foundation; and an Anonymous Donor. Second Place awards of $100 will also be presented.
New this year is the “People’s Choice” Award offering the opportunity to vote for your favorite artwork. It’s easy to participate. View all the artwork in the galleries or online at gogophotocontest.com/MAAC and cast your vote. Each vote costs $1 and you can vote as many times as you’d like between May 19th and July 9th. The goal is to raise $1,000 for the Box Factory, and if we do, donors Robert and Joan Judd will match with another $1,000. The People’s Choice winner will receive $100.
The Category winners are: Eliza Sarra, St. Joseph – Drawing – “Birds of Flight” Julie Koch – Benton Harbor – Fiber Arts – “Flower Garden” Matt Payovich – St. Joseph – Oil Painting – “Ellis” Sara Sokol – Stevensville – 3D – “Intuition” Sherry Saenz – South Haven – Black and White Photography – “Natural Abstract” Mary Whalen – Richland, MI – Color Photography – “Summer Garden” David Baker – St. Joseph – Water Media – “Between the Water and the Sky” Mary Whalen – Richland, MI – Pop-Up/Zine/Poster/Illustration – “World of Wonders”
Second Place awards go to: Laurie Rousseau – South Bend, IN – Drawing – “Vanate” T.J. Schwartz – St. Joseph – Fiber Arts – “The Stories I Was Told” Robert Williams – Stevensville – Oil Painting – “Bella in Green Shirt” Michele Corazzo – Chesterton, IN – 3D – “Sextet” Nolan Tackett – St. Joseph, – Black and White Photography – “Tetons” Surekka Ninala – Berrien Springs – Color Photography -“Sandstone Palace” Nathan Margoni – Benton Harbor – Water Media – “Golden Boy” Betsy Gill – St. Joseph – Pop-Up/Zine/Poster/Illustration – “Nevertheless Blooming”
Materials from the natural world surrounding the Northwest Indiana home and studios of Jon Hook and Andrea Peterson find their way into their clay art and works on paper. “stories from the soil” is the theme of the couple’s exhibit opening January 20 in the Robert Williams Gallery at the Box Factory for the Arts, 1101 Broad Street, St. Joseph, MI.
An artists’ reception for exhibits opening in all Box Factory galleries will be held from 5:30-7 p.m. on January 20. Light refreshments and special non-alcoholic mocktails will be available by Box Factory hosts Kate and Joe Ulrey. The exhibits will continue through February 26. Box Factory winter hours are Thursdays-Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. with extended hours until 6 p.m. on Thursdays.
Robert Williams Gallery
Jon Hook has been creating ceramic sculptural work and functional pottery since 1997 using a wood fired kiln with materials for firing as well as glaze making from their property. He is recognized as a forerunner and expert in his field using sustainable and regenerative firing and ceramic studio processes. He has developed a series of ash glazes made from local plants such as hay, cattails, and thistle from farms in the area.
Andrea Peterson explores all types of paper fibers and processes in her work which includes prints, artist books and environmental installation pieces. Her works address human relationships to the environment. She currently teaches in the Fiber and Material Studies Department at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She received her BFA at the Art Institute and her MFA in printmaking from the University of Minnesota/Minneapolis. Her work is in several private and corporate collections.
Heartha Whitlow Gallery
The family of the late Box Factory studio artist K.V. Rathnam will honor their patriarch with an exhibit of his photography and paintings in the Whitlow Gallery. K.V. died in November, the next day after the Members’ Show opening reception when he was so excited to be exhibiting his work. K.V. was one of the first artists to have a studio at the Box Factory where he was loved by all for his gentle sense of humor, his kindness, and his donations of time and materials from his Papachi International Custom Framing studio. The family is continuing his legacy at the Box.
Sky Level Gallery
Orphaned artwork which has been unclaimed by artists and accumulating in various storage spaces at the Box Factory will be offered for sale in the Sky Level Gallery. Unlike other gallery exhibits, the pieces will be available at reduced prices and for immediate pickup.
Riverwalk Gallery
Box Factory studio artists will have the opportunity to showcase their work and bios in the Riverwalk Gallery.
The Series 5 exhibits open September 16 at the Box Factory for the Arts with artists’ work in all four galleries. The five exhibits of distinctly different genres share a common theme of storytelling. An opening reception from 5:30 to 7 p.m. is open to the public with light refreshments and a cash bar. Exhibits will continue through October 30, 2022.
The exhibits include painting narratives by Lea Goldman of South Bend in the Williams Gallery; collage art by Box Factory studio artist Fred Holland in the Whitlow Gallery; small assemblages and a retrospective of her watercolors by Box Factory studio artist Elaine Harju in the Sky Level Gallery; and the paintings of John Moga of Berrien Springs and 3-D mosaics of Chris Stiller of LaPorte, IN in the Riverwalk Gallery.
WILLIAMS GALLERY
Lea Goldman is a full-time painter and printmaker who incorporates multi-cultural traditions, legends and folklore into her images. Born in Romania and raised in Russia and the Middle East, she immigrated to the United States in 1975. She lived in New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago before moving to South Bend.
“My paintings, that look like big story book pages, aim to tap the collective unconscious and speak the language of human struggle without the traditional chronicle,” she says in her artist statement. “In my painted narrative I do not strive to achieve correct academic representation. Instead, I use the images to tell my stories authentically, the best I can.”
Lea, now in her 80s, earned an MA in Arts and Education from Columbia University Teacher’s College in New York City and an MFA in Studio Arts from California State University, Los Angeles.
WHITLOW GALLERY
Fred Holland says he has “worn a number of stylish hats” over his more than 40 plus years of working in different mediums. His current work reflects his interest in collage art which was created between 2019 and August, 2022, in his Box Factory studio.
“It’s been a very productive period of time for me as I have been fully engaged in these investigations, Fred says in his artist statement. “If someone were to ask me what the purpose of this new work is, I would say it’s about getting back to a too often overlooked but essential component of Art, entertainment”
SKY LEVEL GALLERY
Elaine Harju considers her assemblage work a combination of pure imagination and a love of small pieces of junk. She says, “My work begins with a saying, song or quote and ends with a product reflecting that pursuit.” It was a new way of creating during the shutdown of the pandemic
Before the pandemic, Elaine considered herself a watercolor artist and her exhibit will include some of that work. She is a self-taught artist who has learned her craft through books and workshops and is now returning to her first love of painting.
Originally from Chicago, she has lived in St. Joseph since 2000 and has been a studio artist since she discovered the Box Factory.
RIVERWALK GALLERY
John Moga is a practicing artist and curator at the History Center at Courthouse Square. His work is about interesting shapes and colors. In his artist statement, he says “the imagery consists of the lyric elements of time and the illusory sense of space through clouded form and color. The application of color and form is automatic.”
John holds a BFA from the University of Michigan and and an MFA from the University of Windsor. He and his wife, Yehudit Newman, share an interest in theater where he often works as a scenic artist for professional and community theaters, as well as film.
Chris Stiller studied art and art history at Valparaiso University. She is a mixed media artist who uses organic materials such as glass, metal, wood and found objects to incorporate into composed art pieces.
The Box Factory for the Arts Gallery Committee has announced the winners of the “thru the lens” photography exhibit which opened on Saturday, July 23 and runs through September 10. The photography exhibit in the Riverwalk Gallery joins a sculpture exhibit by Foster Willey in the Williams Gallery; and puzzle exhibits in the Whitlow and Sky View galleries. Judging the photography exhibit was Tom Tackett of Stevensville.
The grand prize goes to “Untitled” by Ethan Jones. Others receiving awards in the four categories include:
Animals: 1st place – “It isn’t Easy Being Green” by Sherry Saenz 2nd place – “Ruby Throated Rescue: Water Street, Benton Harbor” by John Gatto
Still Life: 1st place – “Lilly Pads and Koi” by Dee Thornton 2nd place – “Town City Center” by Dennis Hafer
People : 1st place – “South Pier, South Haven, Michigan” by Martin Burch 2nd place – “I Spy …” by Sarah Lund
Landscape: 1st place – “Sintra House” by James Genellie 2nd place – “Summer Nights” by Keith Sawyer
Thank you to all of the artists who are exhibiting in the “thru the lens” exhibit. The exhibition is part of the Series 4 show at the Box Factory for the Arts. Learn more at https://boxfactoryforthearts.org.
Grand Prize/Best Overall: Ethan Jones1st Place Animals, Sherry L. Saenz2nd Place Animals, John Gatto1st Place People, Martin Burch2nd Place People, Sarah Lund1st Place, Still Life, Dee Thornton2nd Place Still Life, Dennis Hafer1st Place Landscape, James Genellie2nd Place Landscape, Keith Sawyer
Sculpture, photography, and puzzles (yes, puzzles) will be featured in all four Box Factory for the Arts galleries beginning July 22. An opening reception on Saturday, July 23rd, will have a cash bar with special cocktails and light snacks by Kate and Joe Ulrey as well as live music by Hickory Creek Revival, musician members of the Willey family. The reception which is free and open to the public will be from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Exhibits close on September 10.
Foster Willey
IN THE WILLIAMS GALLERY On exhibit in the Williams Gallery is the artwork of Detroit sculptor Foster. Willey. The exhibit represents an overview of the past twenty years of Public Art and Commission work including documentation, models and drawings. Also on display are a series of small sculptures reflecting the artist’s interest in the figurative, architectural ornament, and the early modernists.
“Utilizing negative space to create forms that express both mass and transparency have been the focus of many of my sculptural investigations,” said Willey in his artist statement. “These formal concerns inform the symbolic content of my work, which often involves the search for something archetypal, innate, and universal. As a sculptor I am very interested in the built environment. Public Art and large-scale sculptures are exciting fields because of their range of expression and impact on our surroundings and the experience of daily life.” Foster has participated in numerous design settings including large-scale projects throughout the State of Minnesota where he worked for more many years. Since moving to Detroit with his wife Valerie, he has completed commissions for the City of Oak Park, MI and Pincanna in East Lansing MI.
Originally from St. Joseph, Foster is the son of Barbara Willey and the late Foster Willey. He received a B.F.A. from Grand Valley State University and expanded his education at Andrews University where his mentor was British sculptor Allan Collins. He also attended the Naguib School of Sculpture in Chicago where he worked with Egyptian sculptor Mustafa Naguib.
IN THE WHITLOW GALLERY The jigsaw puzzlers at the Whitcomb Senior Living Community Center have prepared a one-man show of about 45 framed puzzles based on the artwork of Detroit folk art painter Charles Wysocki. “American Folk Art painting is in a class of its own and in these unusual works of art, Wysocki has given the common man visions of a new country bursting with immigrant energy to build a new nation,” said Lou Deshantz, who coordinated the Whitcomb puzzle exhibit.
Lou will speak at the opening reception about the Whitcomb puzzle group and their quest to update the Whitcomb’s aging collection of jigsaw puzzles by purchasing puzzles of several renown American Folk Art painters. He also will announce how those who love puzzles will have the opportunity to obtain one of the framed puzzles on exhibit at no cost at the close of the exhibit.
IN THE RIVERWALK GALLERY “thru the lens,” an exhibit by photographers of all ages will be in the Riverwalk Gallery. Photographers entered their work in the categories of people, still life, animals or landscape. The exhibit will be judged by local photographer Tom Tackett.
SKY LEVEL GALLERY “This is Puzzling,” an exhibit by Berrien Artist Guild members, will be in the Sky Level Gallery. This fun exhibit using puzzles as the theme for individual and/or collaborative work was inspired by the puzzlers’ group from the Whitcomb Senior Center. A prize will be awarded to the best use of media done as a collaboration.
