Just off Michigan Ave, lies a small gray building labeled Schmidt’s Antiques. Next to the store stands a classic red barn, with something much more colorful than farm life inside. The Michigan Art Gallery is in a refurbished barn, turned into an art space a few years ago, the structure is as old as many of the paintings hung on its walls.
On Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, the gallery will be hosting a collector’s sale. Paintings, photographs, and pottery will be displayed and sold at set prices. Although the art spans different styles and periods, one thing unites them, they all come from Michigan artists.
The sale starts on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. with a free guided tour of the gallery. It will be open to visitors until 5:00 p.m. There will be food and drink available. The pieces that remain will be available to view and buy every Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. through March. More artwork will be added to the collection each week.
The gallery boasts three floors of art and canvases placed by biographies about the creators. Although most galleries focus on value, Michigan Art Gallery believes there’s local history that deserves to be celebrated.
The gallery has something for everyone. From impressionist to modern style art, there’s a wide array of textures and color palettes. Susanne Stephenson, a professor emeritus at Eastern Michigan University, has a few pieces for sale. The first floor displays some of her pottery. Moving up the stairs lies a collection of James C. Harrison paintings. A Detroiter born and raised; Harrison created his unique brand of surrealist automatism. On the highest level, a glass case exhibits photographs from Andy Sacks. Sacks took an infamous picture of Robert Kennedy when he came campaigning in Detroit in 1968, the collection features other photographs of famous people visiting Detroit.
Taking up a major portion of the left wall on the topmost floor is a painting being sold by Gordon Mendenhall. Mendenhall is a collector whose been buying art from the Michigan Art Gallery for years. He grew up in Michigan, just minutes away from Schmidt’s property. Mendenhall is a lover of beauty and things with historical value. He was a history major at Eastern Michigan University. The process of picking out art to buy is very simple for him, “I look at it and say that’s a really good piece” he said.
Hung upon the walls is a dizzying display of Michigan history. The art spans a century and a half of art movements. From the 1870s to the 2020s, some of the most influential artists of Michigan are celebrated.
The sale has been running since 2018. The gallery sees a good mix of older and younger clientele. There’s a solid fan base for most of these artists. A lot of buyers have deep personal connections with these people.
If any customer is not sure the art will look good in their space, the gallery allows them to take it home and see if they like the way it looks. The sellers just want the art to be appreciated and live in good homes. They also try to keep prices reasonable so everyone can enjoy some good art in their own homes.
