Every Portrait is a Portrait of the Artist

Participating Artists: Ronald Griggs, Keisha Miller, Alsendoe Owens, Randy Rodriguez and Thomas Saunders

Curated by PASC Staff

Opening: Saturday, July 8, 2023, 5-8pm
July 8 - September 3, 2023

PASC at The Belt
1234 The Belt, Detroit, MI 48226

Hours:
Friday 3-6pm,
Saturday 3-6pm
or by appointment

Every Portrait is a Portrait of the Artist is PASC’s second exhibition at PASC at the Belt, our pop up gallery in The Belt Alleyway. This exhibition will feature the artwork of Ronald Griggs, Keisha Miller, Alsendoe Owens, Randy Rodriguez and Thomas Saunders. Showcasing artists whose preferred subject matter is portraiture. Each of these artists presents a unique way of rending the human form, from hyperrealistic to mannerist or expressive. Yet within each representation of others the artwork is also a mirror, presenting the artists individuality and personal experience of the world back to us.

Ronald is a representational artist with Renaissance era like precision. He presents formal drawings featuring heavily charged and often sexually suggestive images of people in solo, in pairs or in groups. The figures in his drawings are often androgynous or intersex, displaying characteristics of both male and female genders. Alsendoe’s artwork is often focused on portrait busts, rendered in a confident gestural style, with quickly drawn lines and sharp features. Keisha makes hyper-detailed mixed-media drawings based on reference images. In this exhibition we are featuring a series of exacting drawings in pen, colored pencil and watercolor, referencing vintage Ebony magazine covers. Randy is a very prolific artist, producing up to 20 pieces in a day. He creates simple iconographic artworks which represent the essential character of his subjects, rendered quickly with confident flourish. And Thomas creates fetching portraits of his favorite musicians and celebrities, bringing each star down to earth in his intimate style. 

Each of these artists are participants in PASC (Progressive Art Studio Collective), an exhibition and studio program dedicated to supporting artists with developmental disabilities and mental health differences in Southeast Michigan. The goal of the PASC program is to support disabled artists to advance independent artistic practices and build individual career paths in the art and design fields. This exhibition is our second exhibition in the PASC at the Belt, a temporary gallery space located in the Belt Alleyway in downtown Detroit, which we will run through September 2023. Every Portrait is a Portrait of the Artist will run from July 8-September 3. 

PASC at the Belt is made possible through a partnership between PASC, Library Street Collective and the Skip, and a grant from MACC. PASC is a program of the disability service provider Services to Enhance Potential.