Alfred Berkowitz Gallery

Sociology Lecturer Arifa Javed seeks to promote peace through understanding

nlerma — Mon, 23 Apr 2018 14:21:16 +0000

Sociology Lecturer Arifa Javed seeks to promote peace through understanding nlerma Mon, 04/23/2018 - 10:21

Arifa Javed

When Arifa Javed sees hate, she explores ways to educate.

So Javed decided to make a documentary film after noticing an increase in hate crimes starting after Sept. 11, 2001, and continuing today. The sociology lecturer wanted to show common human experience—real people with their families at home, at work, at worship, at play. But she also wanted people to share what makes them culturally unique.

“When people don’t understand, they are more likely to be afraid and react before thinking—that is true of any person around the world,” she said. “I wanted to give people a way to comfortably get an insight about different cultural groups. My overall mission is to promote peace through understanding.”

Javed recently finished her latest film, The Season in the Mist: Sikhs in America. In the 30-minute piece, she meets with several Indian Sikhs in Michigan—male and female, adult and child, immigrant and native—and records their stories and experiences.

She said although Sikhs have established a community in the United States, they often are mistakenly identified as members of other ethnic groups. Serving as writer and producer, Javed made the film with a sociological perspective, discussing Sikhs as a distinct group among Indian immigrants, highlighting their religious and cultural details.

“I noticed more and more Sikh-Americans were hate crime targets. It was confusing to me, as America is the only country in the world that is so welcoming to immigrants in allowing them survive, thrive and gives back to the society,” said Javed, who plans to screen the documentary at a film festival before bringing it to campus. “I didn’t understand how people thought they were avenging Sept. 11 by committing crimes against people because of skin color, beards or turbans.”

She said she kept noticing news stories about Sikhs killed at their places of business, their houses of worship, and an overall increase of hate crimes—which led to the FBI adding them onto their annual report on hate crimes in 2016.

“Not all hate crimes are this extreme, but they all have a negative effect on our society. Taking a step back and thinking as a sociologist, I realized that if a turban is not part of your culture, there might be fear and confusion there. And everyone who wears one might look the same to you. So let’s talk about that.”

This film follows her first documentary, Essential Arrivals-Michigan’s Indian Immigrants in the 21st Century, which she wrote and produced in 2014.

“After my first film Essential Arrival that focused on a new featured player on America's immigration stage—Indian immigrants—I decided to go further in the Indian Immigrant community and highlight some religious and cultural details of the Sikhs immigrants from India,” Javed said. She currently is working on a new film that explores the cultural identity of Indian Muslims.

Social dynamics revolving around cultural issues are the focus of Javed’s research. Javed, who moved from India to the United States in 1995, works extensively with post-1995 immigrants of varied ethnic backgrounds in the U.S., including Arabic, Bosnian, Bangladeshi, Chaldean, Pakistani and Indian immigrant families.

Javed said she’s thankful for the people featured in her work who have given their time to share their experiences. And she’s thankful for audiences who have taken the time to listen. She said both students and community members are genuinely interested in their stories.

“There isn’t much out there that represents the Indian way of life in immigrant literature. So I wanted to create these films to provide information to a broad audience and give a platform to have discussion,” she said. “It is a privilege to be able to take a look into others’ lives and learn from them. It’s also a privilege to teach. I’m putting both of these together to promote understanding and plant seeds of peace.”

Faculty Research

Alfred Berkowitz Gallery

College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters

Behavioral Sciences

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Mon, 04/23/2018 - 14:20

Her new documentary, The Season in the Mist: Sikhs in America, shares the experiences of Indian Sikhs in Michigan.

New art exhibition explores The Art of the Comic Book Cover

nlerma — Mon, 08 Jan 2018 17:40:06 +0000

New art exhibition explores The Art of the Comic Book Cover nlerma Mon, 01/08/2018 - 12:40

Zap! Pow! Bam!

Guest curator and collector Corey Gross has spent his life amassing a substantial and impressive collection of comic books dating from the 1960s to present day. He proudly owns almost every Iron Man issue ever created.

Zap! Pow! Bam!: The Art of the Comic Book Cover, which runs at the Alfred Berkowitz Gallery Jan. 18 through April 7, features the best of Gross’s remarkable collection and focuses on the idea of the printed comic book cover as an art object. The exhibition displays around 250 comic books that showcase themes prevalent throughout the history of the art form including a large selection of Iron Man comics that illustrate the evolution of comics over the last fifty years.

The exhibition also features several pieces of original artwork, on loan courtesy of Western Michigan University Art Collection, that were used to print comic book covers, and that provide viewers with a greater understanding of how comic books are produced.

Thematic groupings of comics include:

Social issues in comics
Gimmick covers of the 90s
Non-superhero comics
Superhero pose covers
Unusual text integration/title banners
Use of super powers
First issues
Important/first appearances
Death of…

Supplementary pop culture items are presented along with the comics including action figures, collectibles, promotional items, and tchotchkes. These items are primarily for visual diversity and to further expound on comic book culture.

Zap! Pow! Bam!: The Art of the Comic Book Cover will be on view from January 18 to April 7. Gallery hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, 9-5 and Thursday, 9-7.

Related upcoming gallery events:

Opening Reception
Thursday, January 18, 5-7 p.m.
Alfred Berkowitz Gallery, ��-Dearborn

Join guest curator Corey Gross and guest speaker Jerzy Drozd for the opening reception for Zap! Pow! Bam!: The Art of the Comic Book Cover. This free event includes complimentary hors d’oeuvres.

Comic Book Making Workshop
Thursday, March 15, 5:30-7 p.m.
Alfred Berkowitz Gallery, ��-Dearborn

Individual instruction by professional comic book artist Matt Feazell for 6^th grade to college level students. Space is limited. Free to the public.

Dearborn Gallery Rally
Saturday, April 7, 2-5 p.m.
Alfred Berkowitz Gallery, ��-Dearborn

Come view the exhibition again on its closing day and see professional comic book artist Dave Acosta demonstrate comic book superhero drawings! Free to the public.

Alfred Berkowitz Gallery

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Mon, 01/08/2018 - 17:38

Zap! Pow! Bam!: The Art of the Comic Book Cover opens Jan. 18 at the Alfred Berkowitz Gallery.

New exhibit opens: “Forbidden Art: Illegal Works by Concentration Camp Prisoners”

admin — Mon, 19 Sep 2016 19:10:18 +0000

New exhibit opens: “Forbidden Art: Illegal Works by Concentration Camp Prisoners” admin Mon, 09/19/2016 - 15:10

Our imagination of life in Nazi concentration camps is dominated by darkness, delineated by concepts difficult to fully comprehend: slave labor, extreme hunger, roundups, selection, and overwhelming—and after a while normalized—death. The Forbidden Art exhibition brings viewers a new perspective on concentration camp violence. It speaks to us, from the most authentic source, about the power of the human spirit and the ability to endure in the face of abominable conditions.

The exhibition, which is divided into two themes, features high quality reproductions of 20 artworks, many created under the threat of death. The first theme gives viewers a glimpse of daily camp life, and the remaining pieces invite reflection on the role of art as a mental escape. In this sense, art became a survival strategy. It could be a mental respite, a tool for imagining a different world, a gift of appreciation for human kindness that one experienced in a camp, or a way to build or change one’s social position. Art was also a way to document the present world as a testimony and a challenge to the world that would come after. Some of the work exhibited was produced by amateurs and some was created by accomplished artists who continued haunting their audiences with powerful images after the war.

Most of the works reflect the desperate conditions under which they were created, the lack of supplies and the human need for creative expression to sustain one’s spirit. Our understanding of art is challenged while viewing these illegal works; art ceases to be only a reflection of life, but rather becomes life.

Forbidden Art will be on view from September 18 to December 23 (noon). Gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Additional gallery presentations and installations include:

October 13, 6-8 p.m.: "Memory and Memorialization at Auschwitz," presentation by Jonathan Huener, associate professor of history, University of Vermont
October 25, 6-8 p.m.: "Musical Remembrances of Love and Death from Auschwitz-Birkenau," presentation by Barbara Milewski, associate professor of music, Swarthmore College
Visual artist Wojtek Sawa will present his installation piece The Walls Speak in the Mardigian Library. This powerful work illustrates the stories of Polish children placed in subhuman circumstances during World War II. Sawa will teach a student workshop on the gathering, processing, and interpreting of oral histories. (dates TBD)

--- Anna Muller, Assistant Professor of Social Sciences, ��-Dearborn

Alfred Berkowitz Gallery

College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters

Metropolitan Impact

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Mon, 09/19/2016 - 19:10

Forbidden Art tells the emotional story of the illegal artwork created by concentration camp prisoners during WWII. The Alfred Berkowitz Gallery is honored to bring this powerful exhibition, organized by the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum and The Polish Mission of the Orchard Lake Schools, to the Dearborn community.

Featured art: Untitled work by František Vizner

admin — Mon, 12 Sep 2016 15:48:12 +0000

Featured art: Untitled work by František Vizner admin Mon, 09/12/2016 - 11:48

Vizner, a world renowned, major Czech glass artist, was trained at the famous glassmaking schools in Nový Bor and Železný Brod before completing his studies at the Academy of Applied Arts in Prague. This work is a beautiful illustration of the artist’s passion for creating harmonious, geometric objects instilled with internal tension. His luminous art demonstrates elegance, simplicity, remarkable craftwork, and a deep admiration for the material. Vizner created his works on his own, without assistants, through a lengthy process of casting, sandblasting, acid-etching, and hand-polishing.

Vizner’s work is represented in public and private collections around the world including the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, N.Y., the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris. This piece was generously donated to ��-Dearborn by Robert Loeffler.

---Laura Cotton, Art Curator and Gallery Manager

Alfred Berkowitz Gallery

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Mon, 09/12/2016 - 15:48

This stunning, untitled, cast glass piece from the University of Michigan-Dearborn’s permanent art collection was created by František Vizner (1936 - 2011).

Crossing Borders—Blurring Borders

admin — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 12:55:13 +0000

Crossing Borders—Blurring Borders admin Mon, 03/16/2015 - 08:55

A new exhibition at University of Michigan-Dearborn’s Alfred Berkowitz Gallery will feature a fascinating collection of mixed media works and paintings by Austrian artist Ursula Hübner. The opening reception will be held Friday, March 27, 2015, from 5-7 p.m. This event is free and open to the public. Complimentary hors d’ oeuvres and beverages will be provided.

The exhibition will open as part of the annual Austrian Studies Association Conference with the theme “Crossing Borders—Blurring Borders.” At the opening reception Hübner will present a lecture at 6 p.m. titled “Bodily Obsessions: The History of Austrian Painting via Egon Schiele, Maria Lassnig, Ursula Hübner, and Other Affinities.”

The exhibition consists of collages and paintings from the series “The World of Interiors,” and photographs of her installation the “Art Arch of Triumph,” and select stage designs. Hübner began working on “The World of Interiors” in 1996 after she discovered wood as a painting surface during a trip to Japan and she saw the small wooden paintings of Fr. Angelico at the Vatican Museum. In this series of small collages and paintings, Hübner fragments poses found in familiar works of old masters and in popular fashion and film magazines and presents permeable bodies and identities.

“In my pictures, the space or room is also the ‘psyche’ or inner world of my figures,” Hübner said. “‘The World of Interiors’ points to the ‘interior design’ in a metaphorical sense: The figures in the pictures (as well as the observers) see what they want to and what they can see. Atmospheres arise that reflect possible universes. Fragments are put together in new and puzzling ways; the moods of the light, which elucidate or obscure things for us, soft floors that embrace us or let us sink. Sometimes, however, the room becomes a second body which takes up the figures or brutally isolates them.”

The examples of Hübner’s stage design show how she works deftly and creatively within the constraints of a text, a director’s concept, a budget, and defined space to show the characters and the space in a reciprocal relationship.

In her professional life the artist has crossed and blurred many borders. Ursula Hübner studied stage design at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and painting at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. She has been a professor for painting and graphic art at the University of Art and Design Linz since 1998.

Her extensive body of work includes paintings, mixed media works, installations and graphic art. She also has designed stage settings for plays by Wolfgang Bauer, Alan Bennett, Flann O’Brian, and Gustave Flaubert as well as film sets for Kurt Palm. One of Hübner’s most visible installations was the “Art Arch of Triumph” as part of the “Triennale” in Linz in 2010.

She has been awarded numerous prizes, including the “Preis für Bildende Kunst der Stadt Wien” (2008) and the “Internationaler Preis für Kunst und Kultur des Kulturfonds der Stadt Salzburg” (2010).

Gallery information:
The Alfred Berkowitz Gallery at University of Michigan-Dearborn is located on the 3^rd floor of the Mardigian Library at 4901 Evergreen Road, Dearborn, Mich. Gallery hours when shows are running are 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Admission is free and shows are open to the public.

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Mon, 03/16/2015 - 12:55

Upcoming exhibition to feature mixed media by Austrian artist Ursula Hübner

Marks reflects on a lifetime of art for final exhibition

admin — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 13:13:02 +0000

Marks reflects on a lifetime of art for final exhibition admin Fri, 03/28/2014 - 09:13

With each stroke of the paintbrush, Marks grew more enamored with the idea of creating art.

He titled his first oil painting “Bottles.” That was 52 years ago.

This month, “Bottles” will grace the walls inside University of Michigan-Dearborn’s Berkowitz Gallery.

Marks, the gallery’s longtime curator of collections and exhibitions, has organized a personal exhibition that highlights his past and present artwork. The exhibition, which runs April 4 through May 9, jointly serves as Marks’ swan song.

After 36 years of service at ��-Dearborn, Marks plans to retire on August 6.

“I like being able to look back at everything,” he said. “And looking back, I realize that I made the right choice. Even back then, people said, ‘You’re not going to get a job in art.’ But I was determined and my job evolved into a wonderful position.”

When Mardigian Library was built in 1980, Marks volunteered to help decorate the walls with art. Four years later, he took over the university’s art collections.

As curator, Marks has organized about 100 different art exhibitions at ��-Dearborn. And they range from Japanese prints to calligraphy exhibitions, and just about everything in between.

“There’s something for everybody,” he said. “I try to find something that’s not only beautiful, but also is sort of educational and represents the culture of different groups of people.”

The highlight of his work stems from the reactions. Students, faculty, staff and community members often stroll through the Berkowitz Gallery to gaze at the unique artwork or simply to escape from their busy lifestyles for a moment.

“A man came in one day to look at the gallery and told me that he’s traveled the world,” Marks said. “Then he said he’s never seen anything like this in his life after seeing an exhibition of studio glass. I love that. Our gallery is unique because if you go to regular galleries, you’re not going to see studio glass like we have.”

Credit Marks for a majority of the unique pieces of art scattered throughout the library. He’s established close ties with local collectors, in an effort to expand ��-Dearborn’s collection.

“We don’t purchase anything here,” he said. “All of our art is donated by generous collectors.”

Marks retires on his birthday, but he doesn’t plan to abandon his love of art.

“It’s my passion, so I plan to focus more on it after I leave,” he said.

The university will host a reception to honor Marks and celebrate his exhibition from 4 to 7 p.m. on April 4 in the Berkowitz Gallery, located on the third floor of Mardigian Library. The reception is free and open to the public.

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Alfred Berkowitz Gallery

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Fri, 03/28/2014 - 13:13

Joseph Marks was 14 years old when he painted a few bottles on a blank canvas.

'Studio Glass: The 50th Year Celebration' begins next month

admin — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:21:20 +0000

'Studio Glass: The 50th Year Celebration' begins next month admin Mon, 04/23/2012 - 08:21

The exhibition spotlights studio glass art from the University’s permanent collection, by the major artists working in the medium, including William Carlson, Dale Chihuly, Václav Cigler, Michael Glancy, Dominick Labino, Marvin Lipofsky, Harvey Littleton and Richard Ritter.

The curation of the exhibition was also a learning experience for ��-Dearborn students who participated in a seminar given by Bonita Fike, lecturer, College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters. Students went on five fieldtrips, supported by a grant from ��’s James and Maybell Loeb Creative Teaching Fund, and learned the history of glass and information on glass techniques. Internationally known flameworking artist Frederick Birkhill, who also gave the students a tour of his collection, demonstrated one technique, called flameworking. Students visited the collection at the Detroit Institute of Arts and glass students at the College for Creative Studies (CCS) where, as one CCS student blew a glass vase another used hot glass to cast an object as professor Herbert Babcock described the processes. The students also visited with Ferd Hampson, owner of the Habatat Glass Gallery in Royal Oak, Mich., which is the oldest and largest contemporary glass gallery in the country.

Not only did the seminar students study glass history, visit historical and contemporary glass collections and see demonstrations of glass making, but they were also required to research a studio glass object of their choice from ��-Dearborn’s permanent collection, write the accompanying exhibition catalogue, and be involved in all aspects of the development of the exhibition.

Studio Glass: The 50th Year Celebration, which is free and open to the public, will launch with a reception on Friday, May 11 at 5 p.m. in The Alfred Berkowitz Gallery. The Gallery is open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is located on the third floor of ��-Dearborn’s Mardigian Library, 4901 Evergreen Road, Dearborn, MI 48128-2406. Studio Glass: The 50th Year Celebration is funded by ��-Dearborn to encourage educational excellence and cultural enrichment for students and the public. For more information call the curator, Joseph Marks, at 313-593-5087.

The exhibition is part of a national celebration featuring 168 glass demonstrations, lectures, and exhibitions throughout the year in museums and galleries nationwide. The American studio glass movement started with two glass workshops held at the Toledo Museum of Art in 1962. The workshops, taught by Harvey Littleton along with scientist Dominick Labino, introduced a small furnace built for working glass that made it possible for individual artists to work in independent studios. The movement quickly spread north to Michigan, and in 1982, a decision was made that studio glass would be the focus of ��-Dearborn’s permanent art collection. Today the collection contains 306 pieces of studio glass.

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Alfred Berkowitz Gallery

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Mon, 04/23/2012 - 12:21

��-Dearborn’s Alfred Berkowitz Gallery will host Studio Glass: The 50th Year Celebration, from May 11 through June 29, 2012.

You've gotta have art: New gallery exhibition begins Sept. 23 with reception, awards ceremony

admin — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 07:21:12 +0000

You've gotta have art: New gallery exhibition begins Sept. 23 with reception, awards ceremony admin Mon, 09/12/2011 - 03:21

University of Michigan-Dearborn student Timothy Aaron Ammons (left) helped Joseph Marks, curator of collections and exhibitions at ��-Dearborn, hang artwork by the late Electra Stamelos in one of the conference rooms within the CASL dean's suite of offices recently. The works by Stamelos, who retired after many years as a lecturer in fine and applied arts at ��-Dearborn and director of art exhibitions and collections for the campus, were among 44 pieces hung throughout the dean's office suite in anticipation of the fall semester beginning.

For those seeking more art on campus, the Alfred Berkowitz Gallery on the third floor of the Mardigian Library will present “Open Competition 2011” Sept. 23 through Oct. 27, an exhibition that showcases and celebrates Michigan artists and promotes the resources of ��-Dearborn to diverse audiences.

The competition was open to the Michigan artists in both two and three dimensional artworks. Bruce B. Winslow, artist and the director of the Alden B. Dow Museum of Science and Art of the Michigan Center for the Arts, was the juror for this competition, Marks said. Winslow selected 59 works of art by 50 artists for inclusion in the exhibition.

An opening reception for the exhibition will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 23, with an awards ceremony at 6 p.m. The reception and awards ceremony are free and open to the public.

The Alfred Berkowitz Gallery is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call Marks at 313-593-5087, or email him at marksj@umich.edu.

Alfred Berkowitz Gallery

College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters

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Mon, 09/12/2011 - 07:21

Berkowitz Gallery to host Toledo Studio Art Glass exhibition

admin — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 08:03:55 +0000

Berkowitz Gallery to host Toledo Studio Art Glass exhibition admin Mon, 03/28/2011 - 04:03

The Alfred Berkowitz Gallery will host "Toledo Studio Art Glass: New Generations" April 1 through May 12, with an opening reception scheduled for 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 1 in the Gallery.

Guest Curator Mary Ellen Graham organized this exhibition, which celebrates new generations of contemporary studio glass artists from Toledo. It is part of Michigan Glass Month, 2011.

Toledo's finest glass artists are brought together at the Alfred Berkowitz Gallery for a special exhibit of current works. They represent the studio art glass movement in Toledo where they work from private glass studios, the Toledo Museum's Glass Pavilion and the Toledo Area Glass Guild.

Toledo's rich history in glass goes back to the turn of the century where industrial glass earned Toledo the title of the "Glass Capital of the World." Toledo also was the city where the studio art glass movement began in 1962 where a workshop was held to melt glass in a small furnace so an individual artist could use glass as an art medium in a non-industrial setting.

This exhibit showcases new generations of Toledo glass artists, including Annette Baron, Patrick Dubreuil, Sharon Frankel, Mary Ellen Graham, Judith Konesni, Steve Kemmerley, Randy Kuntz, Thomas Lingeman, Jeff Mack, Leonard Marty, Matthew J. Paskiet, Robin Schultes, John Sutton, Marvin Thorp, Michael J. Wallace, and Homer J. Yarrito

The Alfred Berkowitz Gallery is located on the third floor of the Mardigian Library at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, 4901 Evergreen Rd in Dearborn. Call 313-593-3592 for further information.

Alfred Berkowitz Gallery

Mardigian Library

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Mon, 03/28/2011 - 08:03

Are you 'wild' about Laura Ingalls Wilder?

admin — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 09:12:38 +0000

Are you 'wild' about Laura Ingalls Wilder? admin Mon, 10/11/2010 - 05:12

Exhibition displays will focus on Laura Ingalls Wilder, the series, her family and the times in which they lived. The Detroit Public Library, the Wilder Home Association, The Henry Ford and various Wilder museums all contributed materials for the exhibition.

An opening reception will be held at 5 p.m. on Oct. 29 in the gallery, located on the third floor of the campus's Mardigian Library. During the reception, William T. Anderson, a noted Wilder biographer, will give a presentation on the writing of the classic children's book.

In addition, a special children's program will be held on Saturday, Oct. 30, 2010 from 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. in the gallery. Activities will include trivia games related to the books, storytelling and a contest for the best prairie costume.

Register online for the reception and children's program at http://library.umd.umich.edu/events/. Both events are free and open to the public.

The gallery will extend its hours for this exhibition, staying open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays, and from noon to 5 p.m. weekends. Note: The gallery will be closed on Thanksgiving Day but open on Friday, Nov. 26 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call Susan Flannery at 313-593-5236.

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Alfred Berkowitz Gallery

Mardigian Library

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Mon, 10/11/2010 - 09:12

The Alfred Berkowitz Gallery will host an exhibition called "Laura's Enduring Tale: Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of "Little House on the Prairie" from Friday, Oct. 29 through Friday, Dec. 10.