The Fine Art of Contemporary Children’s Book Illustration
September 14 – October 15, 1999 - This exhibition was a collaboration between Art and Design Department Professors William Charland, Lorelle Thomas and Ed Wong-Ligda and Elizabeth Stone, founder of Elizabeth Stone Gallery in Birmingham, Michigan.  Their selection of work reflected the great diversity of artistic styles used in book illustration today and a wide range of mediums.   The exhibit had 33 original illustrations by 26 award winning children’s book illustrators on display.  Visits by professional artists and publishers were scheduled during the run of the exhibit.

A reading area was provided in order to enjoy the children’s printed books that featured original works of art in the exhibit.  Visitors were encouraged to draw their own illustration and learn more about each participating artist/illustrator in the files provided at the work station.

A Three-in-One Reception was held on September 14,1999 from 5-7 p.m. celebrating the opening of the newly renovated gallery, the opening of “The Fine Art of Contemporary Children’s Book Illustration” and the opening for the Word and Image Conference with David Ihrman . . . a picture is worth a thousand words.

 

The Meaningful Object:  A Visual Dialogue on Cultural Transformation, Urban Decay, and Renewal
October 26 – December 2, 1999 - This exhibit provided a look at urban Detroit through the eyes of four Detroit artists.  Included in the exhibit were Homage to Heidelberg:  Art That Re-Invented A Neighborhood by Robert Martin, Industrial Pipeline Connections and the Teapot by Jiro J. Masuda, Midwestern Urban Cloudscape by Tom Paul Fitgerald, and An Imperfect Present by John J. Richard. The traveling exhibition was supported by GVSU as well as the Wayne State University of Art and Art History which hosted from September 9 – October 22, and by the WSU Humanities Center.