Collaborative Exhibit Explores Bridge Between Eastern & Western Art Styles
Anton Art Center is presenting a new collaborative exhibit, Dreamscape, opening on Saturday, August 28, 2021, featuring artwork by artists Luzhen Qiu and Cathy Jacobs. The exhibit will be on display in the Main Floor Galleries at the Anton Art Center, as well as virtually on the Anton Art Center’s website (www.theartcenter.org/exhibits), through October 13, 2021. New artwork from each artist in this exhibition will bridge eastern and western art styles. For those looking to learn more about the work, the Anton Art Center is hosting a Virtual Artist Talk with both Luzhen Qiu and Cathy Jacobs on Saturday, August 28th at 2pm via Facebook Live.
A Chinese-American artist born in Hangzhou, China, Luzhen Qiu graduated from Wayne State University in Detroit with a Master of Fine Arts degree and has over 28 years of art teaching experience. Luzhen Qiu has taught art classes at Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center and the Paint Creek Art Center in southeast Michigan, and has also taught art classes at the National Academy of Art School in China.
In Dreamscape, Qui will exhibit artworks inspired by her heritage. “These works are an ongoing pursuit focusing on my Chinese cultural background. I make dreamscapes out of memories. By juxtaposing different elements, such as childhood memories, Chinese traditional fabric textiles, old legends, or the fragments from a vas, I tell stories of childhood fantasies and wonderlands.” Qiu adds, “My drawings are visual poems bringing the viewer into an open-ended story. I create images that ignite the imagination and give a sense of delight; using colored pencils on layers of Mylar allow me to work on the sense of depth from the transparency.”
Cathy Jacobs is an artist from Ann Arbor, Michigan, who graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a Master of Fine Arts degree. Cathy Jacobs’ artwork has been shown in several group exhibitions and solo exhibitions, including the Aquarium Gallery in Ann Arbor, the Woods Gallery in Huntington Woods, and the Lindgren Gallery at George Fox University in Newberg, Oregon.
In the Dreamscape exhibition, Jacobs will show artworks with unique visual layers. She shares, “My art practice has transitioned from working with thin layers of oil paint on canvas to hand-weaving and layering large panels of linen. In the process of making, I am always thinking about screens and the act of seeing through many layers.” Jacobs adds, “These screens could be thought of as our layers of past memories and experiences; our pasts affect how we see the world today. Likewise, in the visual world, I have found that what is behind always affects what is in front. Seeing the world through fog, looking through long blades of grass, or seeing the sky through the thatched branches of a forest--I find the beauty in these layers.”
For more information about the Anton Art Center, visit www.theartcenter.orgor call 586-469-8666. The Anton Art Center is a registered nonprofit organization located in Mount Clemens, Michigan, with a mission to enrich and inspire people of all ages through the arts. The Anton Art Center is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11am until 3pm; admission is free and open to the public.
