Isabella McCormick, 2021

Department Philosophy
Department Philosophy
Contemporary painting is a rich and complex activity.
The Cranbrook Painting Department provides an adaptable support structure for highly ambitious and self-driven artists as they hone their individual practices within a context of rigorous studio work, experimentation, research, and dialogue. As a reflection of the complex field of painting, we are decidedly not typified by any singular approach, overarching methodology, or specific discourse. We provide a distinct and irreducible educational experience, guided by the cross-pollinating interests of a diverse community of artists.
The department esteems a wide range of painting approaches from traditional methods to investigations within the expanded field. Dynamic discussions further conceptual and procedural possibilities, as we collaboratively examine the unique modes, materials, and ideas each artist brings to the department. We engage and inspire one another with an ever-changing multitude of perspectives informed by current and varied understandings of art history, identity, theory, technology, philosophy, and culture. Students energize each other as a community, while independently enacting their own visions of everything painting has yet to be.


Artists-in-Residence
Artists-in-Residence
Martha Mysko & Willie Wayne Smith
Martha Mysko is an artist whose work utilizes the language of painting in the form of large-scale installations which incorporate sculpture, digital media, video, and photography. She has had solo exhibitions at galleries including Belle Isle Viewing Room, Wasserman Projects, Marc Straus Gallery, Good Weather Gallery, and Sadie Halie Projects, as well as collaborative and two-person exhibitions at galleries including Fjord Gallery, Elephant Art Space, and Holiday Forever Gallery. Her work has been featured in Nylon Magazine, Artforum, and included in numerous group exhibitions throughout the US at institutions and galleries including Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Cranbrook Art Museum, Library Street Collective, Essex Flowers, Storefront Ten Eyck, Marc Straus Gallery, and Oakland University Art Gallery. Martha received her MFA in Painting from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2011 and her BA in Fine Art from Towson University in 2004
Willie Wayne Smith employs a wide range of processes in his work, creating layered works that reinterpret personal experiences and societal narratives within a complex array of art languages. His work has been presented at galleries and institutions including Harper’s, East Hampton, NY; Cranbrook Art Museum, Bloomfield Hills, MI; Library Street Collective, Detroit, MI; Ruttkowski; 68, Paris, FR; Essex Flowers, New York, NY; FJORD Gallery, Philadelphia, PA; Sadie Halie Projects, Brooklyn, NY, and Minneapolis, MN; Good Weather Gallery, North Little Rock, AR; Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, Atlanta, GA; Stoveworks in Chattanooga, TN; and Central Park Gallery, Los Angeles, CA. His work has appeared in Artnet, Artspace, and Vice, among others. Willie received a BFA from Maryland Institute College of Art in 2006, and an MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art in 2010.

Natalie Wadlington, 2019
Program
Program
Critique
The painting department is devoted to individual work in the studio. Frequent group and individual critiques allow students to engage in dialogue with peers and the Artists-in-Residence. These encounters challenge students to question their intentions, encourage experimentation, and to press their work further. Visiting artists, critics, and theorists offer lectures, critiques, and seminars that add breadth to the curriculum. A prominent critic or curator is brought in to critique each student’s thesis work at the end of their fourth semester.In weekly group critiques, students and the Artists-in-Residence discuss issues relevant to the work produced in the department. We meet monthly to have comprehensive discussions around readings with a specific focus on painting. Readings are selected based on the conversations
and work happening in the department each semester. Field trips to Detroit-based artist studios and galleries provide opportunities for students to connect with the local art community. Typically once a year, the department travels to New York City to visit museums, galleries, and artists’ studios, further developing the dialogue with recent visiting artists and critics.

Program
Program
Facilities
The studio building was designed by Eliel Saarinen specifically to accommodate painters, with high ceilings, solid walls, good light, and privacy. Studios are accessible seven days a week, 24 hours a day, and are close to the library, Central Media Lab, Art Museum, and deSalle Auditorium. Students have quick access to these facilities to view art, conduct research, or attend events. The department maintains a wide range of basic hand tools and photo documentation equipment. The studios are near the woodshop, where students can build stretcher bars, constructions, and shaped canvases. A skilled technician supervises the woodshop, and instruction is available. The department also houses a “toxic room” with a fully operational ventilation system where airborne and liquid mediums can be employed.

Painting students with Gina Beavers (2019)
Photo: Lindy Shewbridge
Visiting artists, critics, art historians and curators
Visiting artists, critics, art historians and curators
Visiting artists, critics, curators, and theorists offer lectures, critiques, and seminars throughout the academic year that add breadth to the curriculum. Visitors are carefully selected each year to reflect the interests of the students currently within the program. A prominent critic or curator is brought in to critique each student’s thesis show.
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Hein Koh
Artist
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Lamar Peterson
Artist
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Byron Kim
Artist
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Ginny Casey
Artist
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Caitlin Cherry
Artist
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Peter Williams
Artist
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Amir H. Fallah
Artist
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Lucy Kim
Artist
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Gina Beavers
Artist
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Jerry Saltz
Art Critic
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Lane Relyea
Writer & Associate Professor
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Denise Markonish
Curator
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Dana Schutz
Artist
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Meleko Mokgosi
Artist
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Michelle Grabner
Artist, Writer and Curator
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Jose Lerma
Artist
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Josephine Halvorson
Artist
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Aliza Nisenbaum
Artist
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Marilyn Minter
Artist