Canvas Pontiac - Sponsored by the DIA and Main Street Pontiac Preview

1

Mistaken Identity - Leyah McCoy

Who's the real one?

2

Make Yourself Free - John Gutoskey

This mixed-media monoprint (with collage, maculature, pochoir, and alcohol gel transfers) from the series, ‚ Liminal Landscapes‚ is based on the concepts of liminality from both anthropology and queer theory. They are an exploration of what makes a space liminal or queer, and how queer space is different from heteronormative space. These monoprints are visualizations of the mental and emotional landscapes of liminality (or queerness). They also explore what it feels like as a queer person to inhabit a largely heterosexual world, and why queer (liminal) space is so important to the LGBTQ community.Liminal (or liminality) is defined as being in-between, and queerness is a form of this in-betweenness. If you identify as queer, you are neither male nor female. You are ambiguous and figured as somewhere in-between masculine and feminine or figured as existing outside the norms of society. In the same way that a queer person is a type of liminal persona, a queer space is a form of liminal space; a queer space, like liminal space, can be a space that is disorienting and out of ordinary time and place.

3

The Love of a Black Mother - Trinity Akins

I created this piece for my mother because she is the strongest woman I know. Several people assume that black women are weak and unresourceful. But my mother survived Death and came back to life to take care of us. Through our trials and tribulations, she has always supported my siblings and me. Every morning around 4 am, she wakes up and prays. She prays that my siblings and I will find our way in the world and praises God for blessing her with children. Each butterfly represents each child she had; the smallest butterfly in the right-hand corner died in a tragic accident at the hospital shortly after birth; his name is Gabriel.

4

Work Beyond Measure ~ Nathan Foster

This mural is located within the unfinished cooling tower of reactor 5 within the Chernobyl exclusion zone. The image speaks to the horror within the medical establishment in the days following the Chernobyl disaster. The exasperation in his eyes is especially poignant in light of the medical profession's recent trials with the covid-19 outbreak.

5

Her Beauty Gained Her Everything She had ever Dreamt of. . .and Much More ~ Matt Schellenberg

Full scale human figure (7 feet tall including headdress) made of several species of wood.

6

The Beauty of Empowerment ~ Kate MacInnis

This watercolor piece is inspired by women empowerment and the beauty that it holds. The flowers on the women's head represent the blooming or blossoming of the expressive, powerful, and independent women in today's society.

7

The Kiss of Life ~ Luciano Mancuso

The work reproduces the historic photo taken in 1967 by the American Rocco Morabito, reinterpreted in a personal and current key by the artist.

8

Rings Of Saturn ~ Collin Preston

Collin Preston is a Pontiac Resident.

9

The Drummer of Eastern Market - Sharlene Welton

Detroit is home to Music, the Market and People. People make it all happen....the music on the streets, the buzz of the market, and the resilience of the people. http://www.artbysharlene.com/

10

Rab Hamilton - Alex Gilford

I have been utilizing the current Stay Home. Stay Safe. Save Lives. Executive Order to spend some uninterrupted hours on this oil painting of my relative Rab Hamilton. He is a prawn fisherman and mountaineer living in Cuil Bay, Scotland. On my last visit to him in 2018 he took my fiancé, brother, and I out in his boat onto Loch Linnhe and Loch Leven and showed us how to pull-up the creels, gather the prawns, bait the creels with salted herring, and shoot them back out into the water without losing any fingers.

11

Tamarindo - Katherine Sirvio

Sunset on Tamarindo Beach - the clouds reflecting off the water and sand were irresistible.

12

The Beautiful Journey - Matthew Harrington

Through times of struggle one may feel the loss of one's true self. Like a once flawless piano, now lost and forgotten. Those who now enter it's presence to see its new appearance and meaning, truly understand both its glorious past and its triumphant present. We do not lose ourselves, we are simply scripting the pages of our beautiful journey.

13

A Fairy Tail that Never Was - Nathan Foster

This photograph was taken within the Chernobyl 10KM exclusion zone. The town of Pripyat was preparing for a Mayday celebration complete with rides and games when the Chernobyl disaster occurred. As dutiful Soviets, the citizens complied when commanded to evacuate despite little explanation as to why or where they may be going. The May Day rides were left behind with they rest of the city for nature to slowly reclaim.

14

Broken Melody - Anke Sturhan

Broken piano in abandoned church, Detroit

15

Soweto Braai Shop - Dwight Morgan

Street photo in South Africa

17

I am Yemenity 1 - Michele Sider

Inspired by the stories of Yemenite and other Arab and African Jews who fled their countries, I created ‚ I am Yemenite 1. This glass mosaic is part of a series depicting the rich and painful history of the people from this region. The eyes of this woman from the South Eastern region of Haban reveal years of hardship combined with strength, resilience and faith. My goal is to teach and honor those whose story I wish to tell. This body of work is both personally meaningful and relevant today as we struggle with the plight of refugees from many regions.

18

Sunset Beach - Chris Ahrern

Wilderness State Park, Michigan

19

Byond These Windows be Treasure - Augustin Foster

Augustin values his time outdoors but is drawn to the artifacts of urban life. Here he frames a stand of Belle Isle forest within a bridge window thus capturing his favorite things within one image.

20

Untitled (Beams) - Pauly M. Everett

Mixed media painting on framed canvas.

21

Sitting up - Todd Gilleland

A young man sits in an alley looking at his phone.

22

Where the Grass is Greener - Sky Chandler

In a time when a pandemic is challenging humanity, we must come together to help each other grow and persevere. For this piece, I used colored pencils and hard burnishing to create a background full of color and life. The figure is seen lying among the plants, relaxed with the sun on her face. When we push through and navigate the hard times, we will be rewarded with greener grass. Succulents are diverse, and full of different heights, shapes, sizes, and colors. We are too. All of them are resilient, and prosper, thrive, and grow towards the light. We will too.

23

Alley Fog - Tim Travis

This is a capture of the Downtown Pontiac ally during a dense fog that naturally filtered and muted the reflective city lights

24

Dog Fighter - Patrick Slatin

Dog Fighter. Acrylic on Canvas 96"X72" Painted in the evenings during the carona virus lockdown to keep me from going insane. Not sure it worked.

25

The Man in the Grey Flannel Shirt - Tim Gralewski

Screen-print on paper 16" x 20"

20

Untitled (Beams) - Pauly M. Everett

Mixed media painting on framed canvas.