Ypsilanti is a city of rich creativity and stunning artistic variety. From high-end galleries (Riverside Arts Center, Nelson Amos studio) to citywide yarn bombing, the city is bursting with art and beauty if you simply keep your eyes open. Whether you prefer a gallery setting or a casual perusal of work hanging locally, take time to check out some of the local visual art offerings available in our fair city.

 

The Riverside Arts Center (RAC)

The Riverside Arts Center frequently features lively new works from the students (K-12) of Ypsilanti Community Schools. These inspiring exhibits will introduce you to artists from a wide variety of ages, all sharing the experience of childhood in Ypsilanti. As a collected work, the exhibits weave a tapestry of diverse perspectives unified around their placement in the community, and gives insight into the Ypsilanti of the coming generation, the shape of our community as it stretches into its future. The next exhibit of this kind opens in the North Gallery with a reception on April 5, 2019 from 6 - 10 p.m., and closes on April 26, 2019.

Return in May 2019 for Glyph, a visual exploration of the intersections and overlaps connecting art and language (Opening May 3).

 

B-24 Espresso Bar, Eats & Entertainment 

Stop by on April 12, 2019 from 3 - 6 p.m. to enjoy the opening reception for Gwen Joy, the Detroit-based artist who specializes in colorful folk paintings in a modern brutalist style. The result is moody and playful, marked by earthy greens and browns, with a use of negative space that makes her characteristic, Barbie™-like figures feel isolated in the frame. Gwen Joy's collection causes the viewer to question the interplay between connection and social performativity, and the resulting cultural ambivalence.

 

734 Brewing

No, the beer flight isn’t going to your head. It’s just the mesmerizing, labyrinthine style of local artist Daniel Stine. Known for intricacy, detail, and texture, Stine’s work will invite you to approach, to look closely, and ultimately to lose yourself in the ebb and flow of the line work and pattern. Connoisseurs will note moments of homage to Van Gogh and Dali, as well as modern impressionistic moments, and exuberant explorations of color and texture. 734 Brewing is committed to hanging local art, and maximizing exposure and sales for local artists through focused and well-thought-out exhibits. Daniel Stine’s work will be hung on April 1, 2019.

 

Cross Street Coffee 

Order a Killer Bagel at Cross Street Coffee, and, while it’s being prepared, enjoy the work of Erika Ventura, who works across a variety of media including oil paint, graphite, charcoal, and acrylic paint. (Find her on Facebook as BioArtsy) Though her work covers a wide range of topics and styles, her recent work explores humanity and the potential constraints of our bodies upon our identities and our connectivity.  Her work will be hung at Cross Street beginning April 5, 2019 in conjunction with First Fridays, and will stay up throughout the month.

 

Many of Ypsilanti's visual art offerings in the community occur in conjunction with First Fridays, which kicks off for 2019 on April 5. However, if you don’t make it to First Fridays, the art listed here can be seen and enjoyed all month long. Follow First Fridays on social media for ongoing updates about all the wonderful art events offered month by month, and follow the Riverside Arts Center to stay up to date on their exhibit offerings year-round. Furthermore, the RAC offers plenty of opportunities to create art, not just view it. Information can be found about those opportunities on the RAC website.

 

 

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