The Northville Art House will present the 14th annual West of Center: Art That Pushes Boundaries all-media exhibition through Sept. 24. The exhibition, juried by Detroit sculptor and instructor Sergio de Giusti, features 52 works created by 40 artists from Michigan and around the country. The theme this year centers on pushing beyond what is comfortable to create the unexpected. Artists were encouraged to use tools, processes, and skills in unconventional ways; to take risks with style by experimenting with color, media, detail, and technique; to consider scale, materials, ideas, and subject matter; and to release expectations, be playful, and have fun, explained Creative Director Ryan Kaltenbach.
"For the artist, West of Center is about thinking outside of the box and striving to push past boundaries of personal comfort and formulaic creativity to produce compelling works of art. For the viewer, the exhibition is about finding the unexpected in each work," Kaltenbach said.
Visitors to the exhibition will find, among other intriguing observations, how Novi artist Peggy Kerwan combined an original photograph with digital elements to create her photograph of asphalt titled Pear; Roseville artist Brenda Beene Shackleford applied found natural and man-made objects to create her assemblage, Gen 7 Sorrow aka Eco Baby; and Detroit figurative painter Zoe Beaudry merged acrylic paint with artificial light to produce the mixed media work, Looking the Void in the Eye.
