Metro Detroit is home to many talented artists, working in a variety of media. From colorful murals to edgy abstracts, these creators may be viewed at local galleries, at art fairs during the summer, or on their online accounts. Here are four memorable artists to watch in 2024.
Calvin Waterman
Instagram: @calvinwaterman
Media: Acrylic, charcoal, collage
Waterman is a Ypsilanti self-taught figurative painter who grew up in Ann Arbor. Since 2018, his mostly acrylic art, which deconstructs the subconscious identity of self, has appeared in multiple galleries throughout the area. Waterman has always had a passion for art since high school but took an extended hiatus until he mingled with a group of other creators.
“In 2011, I was surrounded by several peers while viewing their work and we were having discussions about the creative processes of art, and this started the process of me getting back into art more seriously.”
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His work pushes the boundaries of art and shares another reality pulled from his experiences. “I really love dissecting imagery such as painted figures. It allows me to see things outside the realm of everyday life. I find comfort in finding meaning in the distorted reality of visual experiences and sharing that with people to give them a different perspective.”
Waterman feels that a major challenge artists face is getting their work exhibited in local galleries since the pandemic closed many of them. To get around this, creators have generated different opportunities to gain exposure, such as displaying their work at pop-up art spaces, cafes, restaurants, and other local businesses.
He feels that art is continuously evolving. “I feel that everything in art is so much more accessible in recent years. Also, the materials have gotten so much better for pushing the boundaries.”
Waterman’s latest painting will be on exhibit at the Lawrence Street Gallery in Ferndale for the "Summer Invitational 2024 Exhibition.” The opening reception is Sunday August 4 from 2 to 4:30 p.m. and his work will continue to be on display until August 30.
Renee Willoughby
Instagram: @
_renalien
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Media: Video art, projections, collage, performance
Renee is an interdisciplinary artist who works within the themes of collage, ghosts, and telematics. Her recent projects include "Her Shape is Light" a tape using lo-fi ghost-hunting technology exploring the grief around her mother, and "Prism Not a Prison", an immersive art installation in a disused jail cell inviting people to contemplate their mortality with death.
Also, her commissioned video artwork is in Cranbrook Art Museum’s exhibition “Homebody. Renee works as an Art Advisor at the Progressive Art Studio Collective, a Wayne County studio collective supporting artist with developmental disabilities to advance independent artistic practices.
Her works’ inspiration comes from her family members. “I drew my inspiration from my grandpa and my dad, who are forever blue-collar tinkerers and makers, and are the most creative people I've ever known even though neither of them ever called themselves artists. My mom also who was an endless dreamer.”
Willoughby’s creations oscillate between wandering and experimentation and are about ideas that transform pieces around her into something else.
“I'm drawn to the cracks and corners we overlook, the beautiful strangeness of everyday. How can I change the frame of something ordinary, so it transforms into something special?”
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Her major challenge is one that is happening across the country, lack of support and recognition for artists. “All creators I know are asked to make work for nothing, for the mere “joy of doing it.”
She feels STEM is overemphasized and creativity which also which fosters critical thinking is overlooked. This causes limited funding for the arts and creators scramble for a handful of grants.
Willoughby feels that the tools of the trade are changing with more programming and AI. But she does not consider AI a threat. “There can feel like a pressure to keep changing with everything but there is also a grounding reminder in changing within our own growth. Sometimes there can be a sense of, 'I don't have the right tools', but often what we do have access to is exactly the right things, we just need to give ourselves time to try.”
To see Renee’s work, head to her website at:
reneewilloughby.com. Or check out the first episode of her Public Access style TV show called Technicolor Variety Show that she made with fellow Hamtramck Disneyland resident Ari Bardallis that features artwork she made with her colleagues. The second episode comes out in November. She ais lso working on a new project with The Hinterlands called “Sunset,” a performance project using grief, ritual, and AI, premiering in 2025.
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Dustin Hunt
Instagram: @muralmatics
Media: Mixed media, spray paint
Dustin Hunt is a Michigan-based creative specializing in large-scale murals across the area. Before earning his Bachelor of Fine Arts, Dustin's experiences as a hip-hop DJ and graffiti artist significantly shaped his creative and educational practices. In 2017, Dustin founded Muralmatics, a platform offering community-based mural camps for middle and high school students, commissioned murals for various clients, and paid apprenticeships for emerging artists. Some of his more notable murals can be found in Lansing, Detroit, and Grand Rapids.
After leaving high school, Hunt considered going into fashion or graphic design but loved graffiti art too much. “I loved painting graffiti and knew the risk could negatively affect my life's outcome. So, I pursued art education and received a teaching certificate.”
After working in alternative high schools teaching art, he found the field too unstable with its fluctuating budgets and decided to leave and open Muralmatics.
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He believes that art is transformative, and that public art strengthens the community’s fabric. “I model art-making practices that prioritize community wellness, emphasizing the magic of public art where everyone is included, considered, and respected in the process. I focus on fostering belonging and pride and involve the community throughout, hosting discussions to weave diverse perspectives into the mural's design and reflecting a tapestry of history.”
Hunt considers metro Detroit a hub for exceptional artists which can make it challenging to get noticed. “Staying sharp, standing out, maintaining creative composure, and securing gigs take time, energy, and discipline.”
He feels graffiti is declining due to Detroit taking a stand to eliminate it but the public, with the help of social media, has warmed up to city-sanctioned street art and murals.
Dustin’s work can be seen
www.muralmatics.com. He also has a multi-site, interactive mural project called “Lansing Shaped,” which will launch in October 2024 and depicts three generations of city residents.
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Brook Banham
Instagram: @brookbanham
Media: Sketching with ballpoint and Sharpies, digital sketching
Banham was born in Texas but grew up in Great Britain where he worked in transport and fashion design. He moved to the Detroit area in 2010 where he obtained a master’s from the Creative Center of Studies. He then opened Middlecott Design in 2012 with his wife, Judith, specializing in industrial design.
His art is conceptualized from the automotive culture, from music, and from pop art, drawing inspiration from such greats as Andy Warhol, Sheefy McFly, and Camilo Pardo. Banham feels his work is unique as it takes the established, conservative genre of automotive design and turns it into contemporary pop-art.
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“My recurring themes include vehicles from the past, present, and future, reflecting Detroit’s unique vibe. Through a meticulous digital process, I transform my loose sketches into large-scale artworks.”
His work invites the viewers to explore the intersection of art and design.
He envisions metro Detroit becoming the next hot spot for art and feels art is becoming more important in people’s lives, accelerated by Covid and self-exploration in isolation.
“The area will become an art capital for the USA. I think art will partly replace manufacturing as the region’s economic industry.”
To view Banham’s current work, Detroit TechnoMotors, go to
https://brookbanham-art.com/.
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