Northville Art House opens with international collage exhibit
Metal over wood. Paint on fabric. Letters woven into photographs.
Northville Art House’s first exhibit of 2021 features collages with a wide array of elements, emotion and experimentation.
“Artists are testing new possibilities in this medium,” Juror Edee Joppich says. “New materials, all kinds of materials along with paint.”
Out of the 160 collage entries coming from the U.S., she narrowed the selection down to 60 pieces for “Shear Madness,” a show going on from Jan. 13 to Feb. 6.
“Regardless of what materials were used, it all gets down to having a dynamic composition,” Joppich says. “I thought the technical skills were impressive. Some of the paintings stopped me in my tracks.”
She says the works she selected had an improvised, exploratory feel and were “very, very good.”
“I was extremely impressed with the qual
ity of the work,” Joppich says. “Choosing the prize winners was daunting. There were many, many paintings that I felt were exceptional, so I want to commend all of the artists that entered.”
62 works by 60 artists from Canada, Switzerland and 15 states in the U.S. — New York to Illinois — have artworks in the exhibit.
A long-time juror, artist, instructor and mentor, Joppich says she has never seen such a large scope of works from around the world entered at a local gallery. She adds that despite being more isolated at times, the pandemic has brought artists together from near and far.
“It was very exciting to see,” Joppich says. “I have juried internationally in the past, but to see it happen in Northville is very amazing. I was very happy to see that happen there.”
With what she described as a “wow factor,” the works Joppich chose express “mood and feeling.”
“Many were very personal and had a lot of mood and elicited a lot of feeling,” Joppich says. “Some of them had stories that could be interpreted personally by the viewer. There’s really a great diversity in ideas — it’s very impressive.”
While there will be a small, socially distanced opening reception, Joppich will share her commentary and thoughts about the works ahead of the show’s first night through a pre-recorded walkthrough. The video will be played that evening, and posted online as well.
“I hope people will go in with an open mind and take their time looking at each piece,” Joppich says.