October's All Media Juried Show

Animalia: The Others Around Us

Opening reception: Sunday October 8th, 2p.m. - 4:30p.m.

Mid-month reception: Sunday October 22nd 2 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

The evolution of humanity has always been linked to all animals. From the prehistoric cave paintings depicting our shared existence to the ancient myths and folklore that emphasize our connection to animals as guides and protectors, the essence of "Animalia" sought to celebrate this bond.

We encouraged artists to draw inspiration from this rich history and personal experiences, to explore the countless ways animals have influenced our development as humans. This all media call for art "Animalia" aimed to ignite conversations about the symbiotic relationship between us and our fellow creatures.

The juror for this exhibit was Lila Kadaj.

Lila Kadaj has been making art for as long as she can remember and credits it with saving her life.   She earned a Master of Fine Arts in oil painting from Wayne State University as a student of Robert Wilbert and John Egner.

Lila  was invited into the Suzanne Hillberry Gallery and became a part of the gallery’s collection as a young MFA student. She has also been included in  the Jim Duffy collection.  She has been invited to exhibit at the Detroit Institute of Arts twice. Additionally she has exhibited at the Cranbrook Academy of Art and at the Arab American National Museum.. She has twice received the Graduate Professional Scholarship, has received the Michigan Council for the Arts Creative Artists Grant, and was named Detroit Public School Art Teacher of the year.

Lila has taught fine art classes at  Wayne State University, Eastern Michigan University, and Macomb Community College. She has taught black & white  design, basic painting, water color, figure drawing, drawing, and basic drawing for non art majors.

Best of Show: Holly Branster "Self Portrait with Grace and Henry"

2nd Place: Jo Powers "Run"

Honorable Mention Awards:

Sue Carman Vian "Silent Was the Flock in Wooly Fold"

Michael Mahoney "Still Life with Robin and Vases"

People's Choice: Margert McGuinness "BooBooRajaRagamuffinSkabootalyButt"

We also had poets visit the gallery from the opening day October 4th to be inspired to create a poem from the work in the show and then had the reading of the poems on the Mid-Month reception day! We have done with for several of our shows this year and there has been a terrific response to the inspiration and the readings.