January 18th at River’s Edge Gallery will mark the 3rd annual BEACH p-ART-y!

The event started off as an innocent “oops we didn’t have a Christmas party” in 2022 and so the idea of having a celebration with friend & family in January when all the holiday parties have come to a close as well as a little antidote for the winter blues.

Why wait to enjoy the beach when you can come to River’s Edge Gallery for a collective conscious beach of the mind with beachy drinks with a special guest bartender and beachy vibes, a mini beach installation by gallery director & artist Jeremy Hansen and the vinyl will be spinning.

We are especially excited to have some new artists on display as well some new artworks from some of the regions most exceptional artists.

Some people have commented “ BEACH PARTY IN JANUARY?!” And we say yes of course this is the perfect time for a beach party! We provide the Beach flavors and the tunes with a little bit of sand thrown in there but we need your help to make it a quality beach party.

questions asked:

-What should we wear? Whatever you want, beach wear, beach inspired fashion , dress like it’s a public beach party? (but also cold outside)

- Should I bring anything? The gallery will have food and drinks available including a fun beach drink created by a local bartending icon as well as a locally brewed seltser from our friends Wyandotte Beer Company and you can enjoy one of the many restaurants close by. You can BYOB, we have ice!

When is it? Well my friends it’s January 18th and starts at 6pm!!!! We are are excited to be able to throw the 3rd annual BEACH p-ART-Y downtown Wyandotte at the 45 year young art gallery known as River’s Edge.

DETAILS!

WHERE: RIVER’S EDGE GALLERY, 3024 BIDDLE AVE WYANDOTTE,

WHEN: JANUARY 18TH, 6PM

WHAT: THE JANUARY EVENT NOBODY WANTS TO MISS BEACH , p-ART-y 2025

It’s frozen out there in Metro Detroit so it’s about time for an existential beach trip, wouldn’t you say?

On Saturday January 2oth @ 6pm the River’s Edge Gallery becomes the BEACH p-ART-y that we need, we want and more importantly there is no need to make serious travel arrangements as the p-ART-y is taking place in historical downtown Wyandotte inside the world famous River’s Edge Gallery.

FAQ:

Will there be tropical refreshments for the adults and the kiddies? YES, sweet & refreshing

Will there be fun little tropical treats & snacks for all ? YES, V/GF/FUN

Will there be vinyl spinning on wheels of steel? YES, Hello Records has been very helpful!!!

Will there be art? You can’t have a p-ART-Y without art , EH? There will be some new works to explore!

Hold on! Will there be sand? WILL THERE BE SAND??? The 2nd annual BEACH p-ART-y does have a handmade sandbox which is perfect to sit around and dip those toes in.

This is a 100% free event! All we ask is that you help us to make the BEACH p-ART-y everything you need a BEACH p-ART-y to be.

Tropical/beach attire is encouraged but not neccesary. There will NOT be any deep ocean or under currents or gnarly waves or dangerous marine life lthough there will be an alligator.

All are welcome so bring your friends and family AND be sure to bring beach vibes. Surfs UP! Hang loose! Let’s celebrate the fact that for one night, WE are at the Beach, WE ARE THE BEACH! Aloha!

PEACE & LOVE from all of us at River’s Edge Gallery

( Love on the rocks ) is fel's love letter to his 40 year plus career as a well known history making street and graffiti artist.  This show will be opening at River's Edge Gallery in downtown Wyandotte on June 24th at 6 PM.  The show will have a 30 day run and is expected to be a sell out as it is fel's first solo show in many years.

   The " rocks" the title refers to are the concrete walls he painted on most his life having begun at the age of 11 when this traditional Greek American boy became friends with a group of boys who moved here from Brooklyn.  They would go back to Brooklyn now and again and take photos of what was happening there with the graffiti and it just rang fel's bell. Since then he has become well respected as one of the "kings" of graffiti and documented in such books  as "The History of American Graffiti" by Roger Gastman, countless youtube videos, films and articles and video games.  His work is very accessible in the Detroit area like at the Hopcat building and 10 pieces in Ford Field. A new mural has been commissioned by the Detroit Institute of Arts and will be painted in downtown Wyandotte on 2nd and Oak on the side of the Byrd and Wyandotte eye clinic building on Oak this summer.

   According to Jeremy Hansen, the gallery director at River's Edge, " Like everything fel does, this show is personal.  The graffiti letters , shapes  and forms are proudly displayed from the heart in almost every single stroke."   Patt Slack, founder of the gallery over 43 years ago added " I could not believe that this artist lived in Wyandotte.  It is a show we had to do.   The work is fresh and contains graffiti images that tell a story, emit a feeling."

   And according to the artist himself,   "This is a combination of everything that I have learned over the last 40 years, I've thrown every single thing that I have in this show. every technique, every style idea,  with no stone unturned, and no boundaries " said  fel. This show would be his first solo show in 10 years.

What- "Judging My Worth By the Seat of My Pants" 

            an interactive art project by artist / activist Brenda Oelbaum featuring dietician Mary Balog

When- March 3rd 5-9pm, March 4th 12-5pm (ON DISPLAY UNTIL MARCH 18TH)

Where- River's Edge Gallery, 3024 Biddle Ave, Wyandotte, MI 48192

River's Edge Gallery is pleased to collaborate with artist / activist Brenda Oelbaum on another great interactive art installation. "It's always such a treat to watch Brenda transform a space with her poignant & enlightening installations. I am especially excited about this particular art happening since Mary has been a long time supporter of the gallery.  " says owner Patt Slack.

 Mary is a non-diet Registered Dietitian and Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, with a background in culinary arts and food systems and curating the hors d'oeuvres. She is also excited to collaborate with Brenda and will be available to talk to people about their relationship with food and help those who are curious about nutrition and food justice solutions.

Brenda is no stranger to "stirring the pot".  Classically trained in painting and drawing at the Ontario College of Art and Design University in Toronto Canada. Brenda Oelbaum is a feminist, multimedia, conceptual artist, working in whatever medium best translates the intended message.  Increasingly her work has become political and ecologically minded, repurposing objects found, donated or bought on the resale market objects in her artwork.  From diet books, to piggy banks and now unwanted seascape paintings, Oelbaum finds inspiration in hunting for the weird and unloved.  Buying antiques and collectibles and repurposing them is an ecologically sound practice.

ABOUT-

Nothing makes you feel more like a winner than looking like a loser? " During National Eating Disorder Awareness Week and the start of Women's History Month Artist and Fat Feminist Activist Brenda Oelbaum invites self identifying Women and Girls into her closet to try on her jeans. 

 "Judging My Worth By the Seat of My Pants" is an interactive installation inviting visitors to the gallery into the madness of the mind of a person with body image issues and the confusion brought on by the fashion industry's use of vanity sizing, and the diet industry's seductive use of the 'before&after' picture." 

Become a Willendorf Model, have your 'after' picture taken in my 'big girl' pants without the need to diet. The photoshoot is part of the preliminary work of the Venus of Willendorf Project's upcoming No Diet 2023 Event. 

Oelbaum is excited to collaborate with Nutritionist Mary Balog, as she brings her scientific and nutritional practice knowledge to the table to address taming the insanity and medicalized misinformation that trigger us and lead to the dysregulation and pathologizing of our natural eating habits.

Light refreshments and hors d'oeuvres will be served. River's Edge is located in the centre of the open container social district.

River’s Edge is pleased to host the 75th Michigan Watercolor Society Annual Exhibit.

The Michigan Water Color Society was founded in 1946 by an enthusiastic group of young artists who envisioned an organization to promote the awareness of watercolor in Michigan. Their aim was to further watercolor education, maintain high standards artistically, while based on the premise of integrity and professionalism, and to be a forum open to all points of view.

This year’s exhibit there were 177 works of art were submitted by MWCS members and juried for the annual tour. Out of the 177 unique entries from 94 different artists were submitted to the society, and 62 paintings were chosen by the 2022 esteemed juror David R. Becker. . These paintings reflect each artist’s unique technique in controlling the watercolor medium.

The reception for this exhibit will be held on September 16th 6-9pm at River’s Edge Gallery , 3024 Biddle Avenue, located in historical downtown Wyandotte. Light hors d’oeuvres and refreshments will be served.

“GREAT SCOTT!”

The celebrated carreer & illustrious works of artist Joe Scott (1927-2020)

On Display July 13th-September 3rd 2022.

Special Reception August 19th 6-9pm at River’s Edge Gallery

River’s Edge Gallery is very pleased to present the multi faceted works by the late great Joe Scott. The gallery was very excited to have the opportunity to work with the Scott family to showcase the works still available to the public.

Please join us as we celebrate a great Downriver spirit in the arts who gave us great artwork and inspired a generation of artists to share the light of the Downriver art community. There will be an open to the public reception August 19th 6-9pm. Light refreshments and hors d’oeuvres will be served. Please contact our director Jeremy Hansen for more info.

Joseph “Joe” Scott was born in Pittsburgh on September 1, 1927 into a family that would grow to 6 boys and 6 girls! A whirlwind of experiences would shape his amazing life – growing up with 11 siblings; ballet, the Pittsburgh Art Institute, an army tour in WW2 as a song and dance man in Japan; a stint as a Jesuit novitiate; time with the Ringling Brothers Circus and the Rodeo Ballet Company in Hollywood; a return to the military for a four year hitch during the Korean war in the Air Force. While Joe was at Wurtsmith AFB in 1952 he met Daisy at a USO dance and in 1953 they began a marriage that would last 67 years. They spent a couple years in Florida as Joe finished his hitch then moved back to the Detroit area, eventually setting up their household in Taylor. Joe went to work as a layout artist for the Michigan Bell Yellow Pages, where he remained until he retired in 1989. Part of his work included designing logos, some of which became famous such as the Little Caesar pizza man. His true calling was creating highly original and provocative art. After work he would retreat to a small basement home studio. His style and technique evolved over the years to facilitate getting his endless stream of ideas into visual form. He produced several thousand works, each instantly recognizable as a “Joe Scott” wit vivid colors and crisp geometric shapes. However each one is unique, expressing a concrete idea that could nonetheless mean different things to each viewer. We celebrated the artist and his art with “The Joe Show!” in 2015, a comprehensive and retrospective exhibit of his art, graciously sponsored by his sister Pat and her late husband George. The opening included over 230 pieces and was attended by several hundred including many family members from around the country. It was a high point for him that he recalled with fondness the rest of his life.

Joe was a scholar and philosopher and could talk to anyone about almost anything. He was a Zen Buddhist and was proud to have his art hanging in temples around the world. He also loved reading and great music, which he called the “true religion”. His unrelenting work ethic and great humility was an admirable model for living life.

Scott’s artistic style began to “blossom” in the early seventies. Music, literature, and the work of other artists, particularly Picasso, and many of his own life experiences help him to set the spontaneous and imaginative mood for which he is searching. His paintings usually begin with a series of thumbnail sketches until he attains the concept he is striving for.

Scott’s use of dramatic color and his intuitive imagination allow the creative process to unfold into art that is full of life. Working in a deliberate and systematic manner, his choice of medium is acrylic on Masonite. Tints and underpainting are used to enhance the piece while a variety of materials is used to build texture and to achieve the desired illusion he seeks to complete each work.

Scott’s artwork allows the viewer’s imagination to adventure in places that have likely not been explored before. Colorful, three-dimensional, whimsical, humorous, and on occasion controversial – each piece invites the viewer to enter a fantasy world.

Scott views his artwork as a “destiny over which he had not control”. He plans to continue producing his work until his eyesight failed, at which point he will pursue his other lover - poetry.

While his eyesight did progressively diminish from macular degeneration, he continued to paint until just weeks before his death on September 19, 2020 from complications due to congestive heart failure. Joe was truly one of a kind who will be greatly missed by his family, friends and acquaintances.

    River's Edge gallery in Historic downtown Wyandotte intends to begin their tradition of bringing new art to every third Friday of every month starting on May 20th. 

   The City of Wyandotte has tagged Third Fridays as a time to highlight the shopping and other happenings in their downtown but the pandemic caused an interruption.  Events have slowly started again.  River's Edge is joining in by including art openings showcasing new works by featured artists.   According to Jeremy Hansen, the gallery director, "We have dipped our toes in having public events again since the pandemic but slowly. We will still be cautious and encourage guests to do the same. We still will serve wine but in plastic glasses and self-serve tap and individual snacks."

   The May opening will feature the work of established and well respected Greater Detroit artists, Julie Fournier and Barbara Melnick Carson. 

Julie Fournier is showing newly conceived Fantasy Kreature series.  These are various colored shapes with either human, animal, alien or inanimate features.  It is not the AI (Artificial Intelligence) robots seen in SCI-FI but more cuddly versions.  In Julie's varied and versatile career, she has depicted and danced in themes from whimsy to passion to the torment of loss.  You see these themes in her “Kreatures”.  Her painting ability to display emotions from love to outrage has made her paintings sought after.  This series is different from anything she has ever done but shows that passion and whimsy. 

   "I feel what I have developed through my career is trust with my collectors.  They know I am authentic."  stated Julie.

   Julie has also tackled jobs inside and outside a regular art career.  She did a very detailed restoration of the 1913 Herschell-Spillman Carousel on display at the Henry Ford and has been sought after for her ability to apply pinstriping to vintage cars across North America.  

     Barbara was raised in an ethnically diverse area of southwest Detroit. The people of her neighborhood came from countries considered irrelevant to mainstream America: Ukraine, Malta, Cuba, Mexico and many others. These countries were rich in culture, and the streets around her home reflected these cultures. The sights, the sounds, the smells, and the stories of her childhood became the well she drew her art from.

"I am a narrative sculptor working to create art that starts a conversation. Primarily interested in making work that exists in all three dimensions, I weave a story to connect it to my viewer's existence.”

Carson’s passion for creating began in childhood growing up in Southwest Detroit. With limited supplies, the artist learned to make art through improvising with found objects in my neighborhood reflecting the religious and ethnic themes grown naturally from  a rich diverse Detroit cultural environment.

After a career working as an occupational therapist, Barbara continued to emerge as an artist. Working with intuitive and outsider artists during my career in mental health provided a creative surge.

For this show the pieces have been released from the vault  that she calls her "orphans" , Pieces that never fit into other shows.  Hansen commented, "Her orphans have found a home".

Opening of “Fantasy Kreatures and Other Delusions” will open on May 20th at 6:00 pm at River's Edge Gallery second floor in downtown Wyandotte. Artists will be present with light drinks and snacks.

When you mention works in clay mugs, bowls and tea pots may come

to mind, but Corey Scillian breaks that mold.  River's Edge Gallery is 

opening a show of Corey's new figurative works of clay this month on           

at its downtown Wyandotte location at 3024 Biddle.  The display will be 

available for viewing August 21st until  October 13th.       .

Corey’s long standing relationship with the gallery began seven years ago when she met Gallery Director Jeremy Hansen at a "pop up" version of the gallery in Detroit.  Corey was one of three women who collaborated with Jeremy on the Fire, Water, Breathe show at River’s Edge. With support and encouragement from Patt Slack(gallery founder) and Jeremy, She then led a team on a large installation for the Wyandotte Art Fair in 2015.  The piece, titled Wish Rocket, is now in the permanent collection of the City of Wyandotte.   

Corey’s new show at River’s Edge is a much more personal one according Patt Slack.  "I had talked to Corey several times while she was contemplating and executing pieces for this exhibit.  Like many times when an artist is really putting it out there, intertwining the work with their feelings, their ups and downs, their life, it was not easy.  I remember at one moment when she was going to give up and just not do it." Patt also added that not only was this personal, it was challenging, using this medium in such a large and realistic way.

The figure has become prime interest for Corey and it is reflected in the nearly 20 works that comprise the show. Most recently she explored the figure further during a residency last year at Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts in Maine, and live studio sculpting with the Detroit Figure Club. 

 The process of creating this show, And then, it Becomes, is described by the artist as ”Experiences, observations, relationships, and a call to action,  intended for viewing, but created in solitude. The path, the pilgrimage, the continuum, the sum, the culmination, a body of work. It begins with a thought, a feeling, an inclination, an instinct, and then, it becomes.”

  Corey goes on to explain pieces in the show.  "They are an examination of the human animal experience explored in a soft palette but asking harder questions about topics from the personal to the political, like the act of forgiving yourself in Relinquish, or examining the hotly debated topics of today in Tea Party I & II.” Hansen adds, "This newer series by Corey Scillian has been such a joy to see as each new piece sprouts from the last, whether a sweet mystical bunny creature or a large bust of her husband Devin. There is something magical about Corey when you meet her and the same goes with her work and sincere magical imagination."  He also talked about the difficulty of executing this show. 

"If you know anything about working with kiln and ceramics there is not only the amount of hours and work involved in the sculpting of the clay but then firing in the kiln where many things can go wrong. When it does it is a devastating blow. However this is the life of a ceramicist and Corey handles her lumps and has stood the test and created a dynamic series!"

Due to COVID19 the gallery has limited hours. Only 10 people at a time will be allowed in the gallery and masks and social distancing will be required.  Reservations for individuals and small groups to view privately are available.  

River’s Edge Gallery is pleased to present “Artattheedge On The Avenue” (working title)

With the quarantine and social distancing in effect, the gallery is pleased to bring our artists from the inside to the outdoors by collaborating with Local Wyandotte businesses to create an on the street walkable gallery.

Participating businesses include:

Salon Mischa, 3136 Biddle Avenue

River’s Edge Gallery, 3024 Biddle Avenue

Willow Tree, 3000 Biddle Avenue

Empty Store Front, 2958 Biddle Avenue

Total Health Foods, 2948 Biddle Avenue

Chelsea Menswear, 2944 Biddle Avenue

MORE TO COME….

The study of the nude form is both the beginning and the end for an artist, it is the ultimate teacher, and aspiration to mastery in an age old tradition. When successful, it creates a unique and private relationship with the model, artist, and viewer. Richard Seaman and Brian Skol are classical realists showcasing select nudes for a month of Innuendo.

Inuendo runs Saturday Feb 7th through Saturday March 7th in the third floor Drawing room.

Please join us for a special open model session on Saturday February 15th from 12:30 - 3:30

Join us for an after brunch reception with the artists on March 7th 3-6pm for brunch inspired refreshments and afternoon treats. Meet artists Richard Seaman & Brian Skol of Detroit Realists of Art.

Greg Carr’s “Paintings From Life” opens Saturday 3-6pm as part of new series of art reception events called Art After Brunch.

Greg Carr is a CCS (College for Creative Studies) grad with a background in advertising. Carr is now a full time artist cultivating his “Paintings From Life “ series inspired by the everyday “goings” on, producing numerous commissions from portraits to still lifes of personal artifacts and creating new works for up coming shows.

About the artist and his work

Within the tradition of painting from life, the artist becomes a journalist leaving a trail of imagery. Photographs flatten a subject into a frame; but paint offers a sensitivity to value & color not often achieved otherwise.

Greg Carr strives to illustrate a dialogue between brush strokes of realism and shapes of abstract thought.

Difficult Treasures :An art exhibit of new works by Laura Atkins, Amy Chenier and Con Lustig presented by River’s Edge Gallery in Downtown Wyandotte

Where: River’s Edge Gallery 3024 Biddle downtown Wyandotte

When; Opening October 18th with a meet the artist 7-9 pm. The show will continued to be displayed until November 6th.

Gallery Shows History Through 3 Artists

As River’s Edge Gallery (REG) gets ready to celebrate 40 years representing mainly Michigan artists the Gallery Director, Jeremy Hansen, and founder, Patt Slack, wanted to present a show that would represent a time flow. The flow of the gallery itself as it shows three artists who are from different time periods in the growth of the gallery but who, when showing together, seem connected and timeless.

The three women artists chosen use traditional painting techniques and style and would be referred to as realistic surrealist. All three use difficult techniques and execute them in the most difficult of ways, using layering and shadowing on canvas or board. Subject matter is deeply ingrained in the use of figurative gestures and simple objects used to convey symbolic messages. The intent behind each work is thoughtful, personal, even secretive…..

Hansen explains the title of the show as “Art is a difficult treasure in many ways. Historically it has been revered by the rich, celebrated by the poor and driven with passions and cravings by the artists and collectors. Paintings have been fought over, lost in disputes and hidden from public view. Paintings have shamed politicians, promoted ideas and represented movements.”

The three artists chosen to reflect these time periods are:

Con Lustig: New to River’s Edge she is an artist with a background in Art History.

“My work often draws from many styles but most often Late Renaissance and Dutch Old Masters in conjunction with modern digital art.” Since Con only recently began to paint in ernest and is primarily self-taught her style is in a constant state of evolution and growth but Con states her paintings “always tend toward the illustrative and symbolic.”

She says that her inspiration comes from “unnamable feelings that perplex us and concepts like fate and faith that have existed for millennia but still fascinate us. My art draws on figures, symbols and archetypes from myth, the occult, fairytales and our daily lives. Each piece is meant to be an act of communication between the concept, the viewer, and myself.” Jeremy Hansen added that “even though she has only recently come into the public eye, she has been discovered by several top collectors.”

Laura Atkins: Laura has been with River’s Edge for about seven years. Laura works primarily in oils on canvas or panel. According to Hansen, “ Laura’s paintings are often described as haunting and addictive. Her atmospheric vignettes are filled with metaphors and her subjects could be said to have a timelessness.” Laura also is mostly self-taught but seeks the training in the old atelier style of seeking out artists that she admires. She has recently attended Portrait Artist Paul McCormack's portrait oil painting workshop. She has also been a studio assistant for Portrait Artist Leslie Adams and continues to study the Art of the Old Masters in the Detroit Institute of Art and the Toledo Museum of Art.

Laura has often stated that she feels she is living in a modern-day Renaissance as there are some very wonderful living Artists that she admires.

Amy Chenier: Amy has been with the gallery for about 25 years. She originally came from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and now resides in Detroit.

Patt Slack and her late husband Jim Slack spied her work at a local art show and knew that this was a young artist already showing a mature potential. At this time she had made her reputation as a sports artist, a male dominated area. She was in the top sports museums and on the cover of prestigious sports magazines.

This continued with the gallery as her agent as she was commissioned to do pieces for the new Comerica Park

Presenting ANRA at River’s Edge Gallery will be their first American Exhibition

German Twins Transform Trash to Treasure in Detroit This Summer

 Meet The Artist Reception July 19th 6pm-10pm at River’s Edge Gallery

Brothers will transform trash to art, blending ecology and social commentary throughout Detroit and Downriver

Wyndotte, Mich. - Andreas and Ralph Hilbert, twins from the German-Swiss border region did not set out to be artists.  One was a baker and the other an electrical engineer when they went to see a Salvador Dali art exhibit.  What they saw changed their lives.  They were so moved by Dali’s art that they abandoned their careers and became artists under the single name ANRA.

Jeremy Hansen, co-owner of River’s Edge Gallery, in Wyandotte, met the Hilbert brothers while visiting Berlin several years ago, and was struck not only by their work but their sensibility. 

"ANRA’s art, which they refer to as 'Eco-Trash', utilizes the detritus of consumer society to fashion new objects and installations," Hansen said.  "They re-contextualize and transform materials that have been discarded and devalued, while commenting upon the inevitable waste and destruction that accompanies a consumerist society." 

Hansen is bringing ANRA to Southeast Michigan for a month-long residency this summer. The Hilbert brothers will explore and salvage materials to incorporate into their art objects and collaborate with local partners such as Friends of the Rouge and Downriver Delta CDC to create site-specific installations.

ANRA's mentality is perfectly suited to the Motor City, where middle class consumerism was arguably born in the mid-20th century, and where today’s rivers, fields and alleys are often choked with trash. 

Paul Draus, a professor of sociology at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, who also sits on the board of directors for Friends of Rouge, remarks that our river banks reflect all the stuff we consume and how much of it we throw away. 

“The Rouge River is like the drainpipe in your house that reveals all your secrets.  It all ends up in there.”  The banks of the Rouge River will be a key scavenging location for the artists.

“The Hilberts come from a very clean town where trash is actually scarce.  Having access to all our primo garbage will be a real revelation for them,” Hansen laughs. 

A meet the artist reception is scheduled for July 19th 6pm -10pm Click here

Here is our link to the Fox 2 segment with Amy Lange http://www.fox2detroit.com/news/local-news/twin-bothers-from-germany-collected-trash-from-detroit-rivers-they-re-displaying-it-as-art

For more information about ANRA's residency and work contact River's Edge Gallery – info@artattheedge.com  

734-246-9880