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Tour of the Department of Art and Art History

November 24 2009 at 10:00 AM

Art Building

The Department of Art and Art History is pleased to offer tours of our facilities to all students interested in pursuing studies in ceramics, drawing, fibers, graphic design, industrial design, interior design, interdisciplinary electronic arts, metalsmithing, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, fibers, art history or fashion design and merchandising. Tours of the department are given at least once per month by the academic advisor. Tours expose potential Wayne students to any and all areas within the Department of Art and Art History. These are walking tours and can range from 1 to 2 ½ hours in length. Therefore, comfortable shoes are encouraged and dressing for outdoor weather is advised. Parking in Wayne State University parking structures is often the best solution. Please see the campus map for more information on guest parking locations and fees. Tours are not generally offered on Fridays. High school students are encouraged to talk to their high school guidance counselors with regard to missing school due to college or university campus visits.

Works by Peter Gilleran

November 24 2009 at 10:00 AM

Art Building

This exhibition features approximately 35 paintings and drawings by Peter J. Gilleran (1921 - 2007), who was an art professor at Wayne State University from 1954 to 1989, when he retired. Gilleran attended Cass Tech High School (1939) in Detroit, received his BA (1948) from the Colorado College in Colorado Springs and earned his MFA (1950) from Cranbrook Academy of Art, where he studied with Zoltan Sepeshy and also taught for nearly a decade. During World War II, Gilleran served in the Army Signal Corps as a draftsman while being stationed in India and China. The influential teacher and prolific artist participated in one of the first Ann Arbor Art Fairs and was the official portrait artist in its fourth year. Gilleran exhibited up until the time of his death, with one-person shows at the Scarab Club, the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center, West Virginia State College and the Detroit Artists Market. Throughout his career, Gilleran received a number of prestigious awards, including a Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation fellowship. Gilleran's work illustrates his deep exploration of a wide variety of modern artistic styles, including Cubism, Pointillism, Abstract Expressionism and Fauvism, which he synthesized and used often to depict local subject matter. There is an energy created through Gilleran's unique color palette and adept draftsmanship, and a deep empathy in his sensitive portrayal of his subjects. Witty and optimistic, Gilleran's passion for art was the driving force behind his talent and love for teaching. Richard Bilaitis, professor emeritus and former chair of WSU's James Pearson Duffy Department of Art and Art History said, "He lived, ate and slept painting and drawing and inspired many students to choose careers in the field." "His artwork and teaching were a continual source of enjoyment, satisfaction and pride; it was his life," Gilleran's wife, Anne Crow Gilleran, said. Two of his children followed in their father's footsteps -- daughter Breon Gilleran is a sculptor and an assistant professor of art at Goucher College in Towson, Maryland, while son Peter Gilleran is a painter and has taught high school art in the Detroit Public School system. The exhibition serves as a special tribute to a prolific and accomplished Michigan artist who taught painting, drawing and graphic design at Wayne State University for 35 years. The Art Department Gallery is located in the Art Building on the campus of Wayne State University, near the intersection of Cass Avenue and Kirby Street. Metered street parking is available and is free after 6:00 PM.

Detroit Collects, Part I: The Nature of Art

November 24 2009 at 10:00 AM

Elaine L. Jacob Gallery

Wayne State University is proud to present the exhibition Detroit Collects, Part 1: The Nature of Art at its Elaine L. Jacob Gallery from September 25 through December 18, 2009. With forty works, most of which were created after 1980, this exhibition illustrates the diversity of abstract and representational artwork still being created by artists inspired by the natural world – a realm that has fascinated and influenced artists throughout the ages and across the globe. The artworks included, many on view for the first time, have been culled from the private collections of Detroit metropolitan area collectors Burt Aaron, Gayle and Andrew Camden, and Marian and Stephan Loginsky. The Elaine L. Jacob Gallery strives to present thought provoking and diverse exhibitions comprised of art of the highest artistic merit. The Elaine L. Jacob Gallery is located at 480 W. Hancock, between Cass and Second, in Detroit, on the campus of Wayne State University. Metered street parking is available, and is free after 6:00 PM.

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