Affirmations in downtown Ferndale will open its latest Pittman/Puckett Art Gallery exhibit, "Four Womyn Only," on Feb. 25.
The exhibit features the unique paintings and photography of four straight female artists: Deborah Marlowe Kashdan, Lynn Jovick, Laura Little and Patricia Duff.
Kashdan, a seasoned Detroit-born artist, is a member of the Birmingham Society of Women Painters and the Michigan Watercolor Society. Her artwork has been featured in many exhibitions throughout the state, such as the Michigan Gallery, Work.Detroit and the Meadowbrook Gallery. Kashdan's art also resides in the Toyota Municipal museum of Art in Toyota, Japan.
Jovick has been fascinated with photography since she was 7. "Each shot emphasizes the congruity between beauty and simplicity," one fan of Jovick's work writes on her MySpace profile, "taking often the most common of specimens and turning them into magnificent art."
Though Laura Little is a Michigan artist as well, during her bountiful education she has studied art in Venice, Italy; Paris, France; and England. Little is expecting to graduate from Wayne State with a Master's in Art Therapy this fall, and works at the Detroit Institute of Art.
Duff's work has recently been featured in numerous exhibitions, including the Scarab Club, NCA Gallery and the Lawrence Street Gallery. A drawer at heart, Duff does most of her work in her studio at the Scarab Club in Detroit. She earned a MFA at the University of Michigan, and has taught at Wayne State, Macomb Community College and Henry Ford Community College.
Although none of the "Four Womyn" identify as LGBT, the decision to bring their exhibits to Affirmations was an easy one to make for Charles Alexander, volunteer curator of the Affirmation Art Gallery space and himself a well-known community artist.
"It's part of the center's bridge-building between communities," he says. "Participation by allies has been outstanding."
The exhibit opens Friday, Feb. 25. A reception with light refreshments will be held 7-9 p.m the evening of the opening.
