Filling a house with art, from scratch, is a tall order.
Satisfying the governor and the first gentleman at their own home jumps it to another level.
Thirty artists from around the state completed the mission under the lead of the Dennos Museum Center and its director, Eugene Jenneman, who turned Governor Jennifer Granholm's home into a showcase of painting, sculpture, beadwork and Native American art.
Celebrating the Governor's Residence Michigan Artists Program at a reception last Thursday in Lansing, the artists met with the governor, talked about their works and viewed the art selected from among 400 entries. Put up in August, the 64-piece show will be exhibited through the end of July.
"My impression is that they were very pleased with this installation, she really did very much like the show,” said Jenneman.
The third in a series of the Governor's Residence Michigan Artists Program, the Dennos Museum Center hosted the call for works, arranged for jurying and handled installation. Two years ago, the Detroit Artists Market took the lead and last year was the Urban Institute in Grand Rapids.
"The idea is that the artists come from all over the state but the hope is that obviously by moving it to different parts of the state to organize the exhibit you're going to get a stronger representation from that region,” noted Jenneman, who in April received the call inviting him to take the lead.
Just over half the artists were from northern Michigan towns ranging from Frankfort to Harbor Springs, Cadillac to Northport. Seven artists were from Traverse City, including Charles Brackett, Doug Hoagg and Lawrence Skendzel.
Dorothy Anderson Grow was one of the local artists included when her whimsical political art piece was selected.
"I had five brown cows and two red cows and I called it 'Affirmative Action on the Farm,'” said the fine artist, noting that she submitted five pieces for consideration. "I have been an educator all my life, and an artist. The main thing is I don't do my artwork for people's walls but that fact that this is more of a political fun statement, it was nice that it was selected.”
Hanging the show in a home provided some challenging moments for Jenneman and assistant, Todd McMillen of McMillen's Frame Shop. In addition to making do without museum quality lighting and display areas, occasionally several alternative pieces could work in the same spot in the 50s-era home.
"It was very different hanging a show in a residence than in a gallery, the selection process was not always finding the best works but the best works that fit in an area,” said Jenneman of the winnowing process. "That meant there were a lot of really good things we would have liked to show but we couldn't.”
The first couple was allowed to make the final choice in those cases, choosing what they liked best. Traverse City resident Glenn Wolff's piece, "Blue Loon,” took the place of honor over the fireplace mantle after Granholm and her husband, Daniel Mulhern, selected it from among a few other pieces under consideration for that spot.
Wolff, sliding into the reception barely on time after a day immersed in the State Theater mural project, was immediately introduced by Jenneman to the Governor.
"She hugged me and thanked me for the painting,” he recalled. "I was almost speechless but managed to tell her how grateful I was to be included in the project and I thanked her for all the great things that she has done as governor.”
"There were great pieces from all over the state but it was really nice to know I was in the company of so many friends from the Traverse area: Dewey Blocksma, Richard Sutton, and Ron Gianola, to name just a few,” Wolff added of the Governor's Residence Michigan Artists Program.