Archive for the 'News & Press' Category

We’re gearing up for Artwalk Ann Arbor next Friday.  As a special treat, artist Katherine Larson will be set up with her easel, brushes and paints creating miniature scenes of Ann Arbor right in our hallway!  You may recognize Katherine’s illustrations from her years of being one of the local artists who produced Ann Arbor Observer covers – last year she released a wonderful compilation of those covers in a lovely book called Ann Arbor Observed.  We carry this popular book at FOUND – during Artwalk, Katherine would be happy to autograph a copy for you.

She is also the illustrator behind the “Ann Arbor and the Rest of the World” posters that are always best sellers at graduation time – the poster is based on an iconic New Yorker cover.

Although Katherine will be working on miniature canvases during Artwalk, she’s well known for creating large scale murals.  The latest mural was a series of panels for the new Whole Foods Market in Detroit.  Here’s a link to a short video made during the creation of that mural:  Muralist Katherine Larson. Detroit Whole Foods.  It’s fascinating to watch the progression from single panel to full mural installation on the huge brick wall of the new building.

Katherine is also the graphic designer behind our FOUND ads and a personal friend. It’s been a pleasure to get to know this multi-talented woman – not only has she written and illustrated numerous children’s books, but she is also a trained opera singer, makes custom fairy houses, does fine art portraiture and plein air painting, creates Ann Arbor ornaments, presents school assemblies, builds props and generally just knows how to get things done.  On her website there are photos of other large scale murals and projects she’s done.  On Friday, June 21 from 5-7 p.m., we hope you’ll stop by FOUND to meet Katherine as she creates miniature scenes of Ann Arbor.  She’ll also have limited edition prints of Observer covers for sale – the perfect size to fit in our Urban Ashes frames!

ABOUT ARTWALK 2013: Artwalk Ann Arbor is a one evening event – from Kerrytown to Main Street – sponsored by Art Showcase Magazine and Ann Arbor State Bank.  Friday, June 21 from 5-9 p.m.  Most of the events in Kerrytown will be finished by 8 p.m.  In addition to Katherine’s painting demo, we’ll also sponsor an ArtTalk by Paul M. Hickman at 6:30 in Fustinis Oils & Vinegar Shop and the first ever Urban Ashes frames second sale at FOUND. Great locally made frames at a great discount!  16 Hands and Heavenly Metal will have demos and trunk shows.  There will be live music, refreshments, chalk art by David Zinn, wine tasting and more.  Stop by the Ann Arbor Public Schools art exhibit in the former Hollanders Kitchen space.  Details about this and the Main Street features can be found in the summer issue of Art Showcase.  Flap through this online version with 6 pages of Artwalk 2013 info or pick up a print version at FOUND!

And don’t forget to enter to win a $50 FOUND gift card on the evening of June 21st.  It could be an extra lucky night for you!

The spirit of collaboration and thinking outside the box by the Urban Ashes Picture Frame Company is a Michigan success story!  As one of their first retail partners, we’re pleased to be a small part of that story.

Urban Ashes founder Paul M. Hickman will be presenting a FOUND Art Talk on Friday, June 21st at 6:30 p.m. during Artwalk Ann Arbor.  For this half hour Art Talk, Paul will share stories about working with municipalities, businesses and non-profit groups in an endeavor which creates jobs for transitional workers while keeping felled urban trees from being turned into mulch and firewood (or out of the landfills).  Paul will also talk about the latest collaboration with non-profit groups who are deconstructing Detroit homes scheduled for demolition.  His line of Detroit DeNailed frames are born from that effort. Providing work and sustainable products is what it’s all about!

The art talk will take place across the hall from FOUND at Fustini’s Oils & Vinegars on the second floor of the Kerrytown Market & Shops.  Fusinis will be sampling hor’dourves made from their incredible products during the evening.  If you weren’t already aware,  Artwalk Ann Arbor is a new one night event with about a dozen walkable venues from Kerrytown to Main Street.

CLEARANCE SAle. We have a great selection of made in Michigan Urban Ashes frames to choose from every day.  As a bonus on the weekend of Art Walk, we’ll have even more – at reduced prices! As the company has evolved, Paul has amassed a good sized group of experimental, one-offs and “seconds” that will be available for sale at great discounts. Still pretty wonderful for your favorite photos, but don’t go with what they are doing now, so they are being cleared out of the warehouse.  This special sale will begin at 5:00 June 21 – and end promptly at 5 p.m. Sunday, June 23.  Come Friday evening for the best selection!

Here’s the link if you’d like to follow Urban Ashes on Facebook.

I’ll be adding more info about what FOUND is doing for Art Walk in the next few days, but here are a couple tidbits – muralist Katherine Larson will be painting little scenes of Ann Arbor right in the shop from 5:00-7:00.  Our neighbors 16 Hands, Heavenly Metal and Metal, plus galleries on Main Street will have trunk shows or demos as well.  Food, wine, art, friends, good conversation all on a Friday night.  With time to head to Top of the Park afterwards.  Ann Arbor in the summertime, ahhh….

I can’t take my mind off fairies lately. There are many kinds of fairies, including woodland fairies, flower fairies and tree fairies.  Probably the most famous fairy is Tinkerbell. What has intrigued me lately are Urban Fairies. I’ve been checking out the Urban Fairies website and consulting with Jonathan Wright, an expert fairyologist (located in Ann Arbor, but consulted by the media worldwide) hoping to understand some odd additions to the bay window at my shop. We’re both puzzled.  It appears that fairies are creating what will be a workshop or garage or headquarters or something…. What is strange is that while there is a little door in front, this project is HUGE and has what look like BIG barn or garage doors on the end. Fairies usually don’t like big or exposed areas, preferring to protect their privacy…

I’ve been aware of the presence of fairies in Kerrytown since I opened seven years ago. Some live in the clock bell tower and can be seen  flittering around the clock face if I leave the building late at night. I’ve seen evidence that they like to explore  at FOUND when no one is there – so sometimes I leave little trinkets for them in a jar by my desk.

Here are a few photos. Who knows what’s next???

Above: looks like a fairy door.   Below: does NOT look like a fairy door…   Below below: some stuff they left in the window.

So, what’s going on???  I’ll keep you posted, but in the meantime, let me know if you have any ideas.

p.s. there is one vehicle associated with an urban fairy that uses an alternative fuel – Vernors

FOUND is celebrating Earth Day weekend with an art show that features artists who do their part by using vintage and recycled materials to create eco-funky art!  For 3 days, April 20-22, FOUND will be filled with things that we don’t normally carry at the shop, but that appeal to our sense of creative reuse of materials. 

Here’s an introduction to the 6 artists in our  first annual Eco-funky Art Show.

 Cre Fuller is the Ypsilanti artist behind Tin Angry Men Industries.  I’ve admired Cre’s incredible robot lamps and sculptures for years and am thrilled that he’s agreed to bring a collection of tin men to FOUND for this show.

 Rena Hopkins is a Detroit area artist who will be bringing “steampunk” jewelry created from such found objects as watch parts, old keys and game pieces, but as you can see on her website, the Divine Iguana wears many other artistic hats as well.  We think you’ll love her jewelry as much as we do.

Many of you know and wear the  jewelry we carry by Ann Arborite  Sarah Stanton.  For this show Sarah is doing wall art with an industrial flair for us!  Sarah is inspired by unusual materials, textures and patterns and loves to work in metal.  We’re looking forward to seeing the larger pieces she’ll bring to this show. 

Hailing from Royal Oak, Marsha Filipiak has been a stained glass artist for a few decades, but recently became facinated by digital minipulation – her use of vintage photos and ephemera as source material is what we like.   Made by Marsha digital collages are mounted on salvaged wood blocks and embellished with found objects for a whimsical effect.

Seamstress and artist Celibeth Donnelly is a jack-o-all-trades and master of many!  She’s the inspiration behind this show and friend of many of our favorite artistic people.  For this show, we’ll feature her new line of bags made from vintage men’s ties, as well as her delightful collage prints and notecards.

Last, but not least, we’re thrilled that John Gutoskey has agreed to participate.  I’ve long admired his creative process and attention to minute details.  We know that he’s bringing the mandala created from salvaged game parts, and look forward to seeing what other mixed media assemblages he’ll have at FOUND for this special weekend show.

Dates and times for Eco-funky Art Show.  April 20-22 at FOUND.

Opening Reception.  Friday April 20  7:00-9:00 p.m.

Saturday April 21  9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.

Sunday April 22   11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Hope to see you there!

Earth Day 2012 is April 22nd.  FOUND has a special eco-funky art show planned for that entire weekend.  We believe artists who use recycled materials are doin’ their part to save the earth.  Here’s a quick preview of our poster!

I’m really excited to be featuring these 6 artists – all of them use recycled, found or vintage materials in ways that make me very happy!  Watch this space for details about the artists and what they’re bringing.

Here’s a selection from a Michigan TV show that did a feature on Kerrytown.  Here’s the link:

Under the Radar Michigan in Kerrytown

There are just a couple images of our windows…the main businesses featured are our neighbors Spice Merchants and Monahan’s Fish Market.  And the Kerrytown bells.  They did a great job!

Our summer workshop series continues next weekend when Chris Roberts-Antieau comes to FOUND to teach a two-day fabric arts workshop called “Textile Wit & Wonder”. Saturday night we’re hosting a trunk show and you’re invited! 

Chris Roberts-Antieau Trunk Show

Saturday, August 6. 6:00-9:00 p.m.

7:00 p.m. Short Artist Talk by Chris

Free Event @ FOUND

Chris is best-known for her “fabric paintings,” which find humor and irony in everyday life and pop culture. Her colorful booth at the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair is always amazing with huge scale applique work. For the FOUND trunk show, Chris will also be bringing some smaller scale pieces, framed prints and cards. She’ll be happy to sign copies of her book. At 7:00 Chris will give a short artist talk, followed by a Q & A about her work and the creative process. We’ll have the documentary film, “The Life of Chris Roberts-Antieau: A Love Letter to Tom Waits”, by Angela Kline running throughout the evening. We hope you can join us in this celebration of creativity!

P.S. We measured the workshop space at the Kerrytown Concert House a couple days ago and decided that there is plenty of room to fit 18 participants, so we added 2 more spots! If you are interested in taking the Sat/Sunday class, register at foundgallery.com.

.

FOUND is hosting two mixed media workshops and a trunk show the weekend before Art Fairs with the Whipples.  This is the second year that Lynn and John have agreed to teach. Registration is at FOUND or www.foundgallery.com. They are a couple of our favorite artists from the Ann Arbor Street Art Fair and we’re thrilled to have them back again! 

The Whipples started exhibiting at The Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, the Original in 2005, the same year that FOUND opened.  My friend and shop assistant, Sylvia Lang brought them to FOUND the day after that fair ended, knowing that the odd vintage hardware and paper we carry would appeal to them.  It’s been interesting over the years to find “rust”, antique epehemera, unusual surfaces and odd dodads for them - and the cadre of mixed media artists - that come to FOUND around Art Fair time. 

If you’ve been to the fair, you probably recognize their work.  Lynn is a mixed media collage and assemblage artist.  John specializes in mixed media sculpture and painting.  Their booths sit side by side near Burton Tower – and you’ll often see Lynn playing the guitar in the grass near her booth.

Below are some links and photos.  What the photos don’t capture is what great instructors they are – you’ll have to come to the workshops to see for yourself!

Here’s John’s website.  A couple images doesn’t begin to tell the story of his diverse ways of getting surfaces to have a look unlike any other artist.  I’m facinated by the way he alters metal – especially rusty metal – to achieve unusual backgrounds for his paintings.  Look closely at his 3-D piece  for bits of old toys and bobbles.  I love the surprise element in his work.

Here’s Lynn’s website.  She is one of the nicest, most encouraging, creative, fun people you could ever take a class from.  Her playfulness and sense of fun just spills out into her art.  Many people know her for her “Ninny” series, but her creativity is alway reaching out in new directions. 

I just love her large multi-layered collage birds.  The Starling collage/painting was gigantic – I missed out on getting it for my living room last summer….

Here’s a short version of our 3 days with Lynn & John Whipple at FOUND:

Friday, July 15th from 6:00-9:00 p.m.  Trunk Show &  Welcome Party at FOUND.  You’ll get a preview of their new art before the official start of Art Fair – enjoy refreshments (we love cheese and the market downstairs has the best) – and maybe Lynn will play a little banjo music…or bring some other surprises.

Saturday, July 16.  10:00-4:00.  Collage! Collage! Collage! day long mixed media collage workshop at the Kerrytown Concert House. 

Sunday, July 17.  10:00-4:00.  Assemblage in a Found Box workshop at the Kerrytown Concert House.

The trunk show and welcome party is free and open to the public.  The workshops are $150/class.  BONUS:  If you refer a friend to come and have fun with you at the class, you’ll both get a $10 FOUND gift card.  If you already signed up and refer a friend, you’ll also get a $10 gift card.  Limit 5 friend bonus.

Register today on this website or by calling or stopping by the shop.  734.302.3060.

.

I flipped the calendar yesterday and realized that it’s only 6 weeks until our Summer Workshop Series begins!  

July 16 and 17.  Collage and assemblage artists John & Lynn Whipple will return to teach two separate workshops, both focused on exploring a variety of art making techniques.

Collage! Paper, Picture-making & Play on Saturday.   And Assemblage! In the Found Box on Sunday.

August 6 and 7.  Chris Roberts-Antieau will teach a 2 day textile applique workshop, inspired by wit and wonder!  As she guides you through the process of design, cutting and stitching, her infectious spirit is sure to make this a memorable experience. 

Registration for all these classes is now open!   click on the link on the left or go to www.foundgallery.com for details and registration.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Here are a few photos from last year’s Whipple workshops.

Recognize anyone yet? Artists like to learn from other artists!

Last summer’s sessions were filled with messy, creative energy!  Look for more of that in Lynn & John’s workshops this summer.  And look for irons and sewing machines and fabric scraps in Chris’ classes!

I’m looking forward to learning something new this summer!

Hope you’ll join us.

Mary

:::