See you in September at Lake Street Studios

Left-to-right: Christine Deucher, Harry Fried, Allison Stupka

By Katie Dunn

Sun contributor

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) poignantly captured a sentiment that remains deeply resonating, particularly up here in Glen Arbor’s August: “Summer’s lease hath all too short a date.”

While it is difficult to witness the inevitability of yet another summer season passing, there is an upside worth acknowledging—those proverbial “silver linings.”

Suddenly, the self-checkout line at Anderson’s Market is no longer a desperate option; one can actually find a table for four at Funistrada on a Thursday evening; similarly, at the iconic Mill, getting a much-coveted reservation at the bar is now a reality; Inn & Trail Gourmet’s Julie Zapoli and Liz Erdmann are back at stocking their freezer with culinary delights like homemade Beef Bourguignon and Coq au Vin; and happily, tee times are freeing up at River Club.

Still, the end of summer in Glen Arbor is also, and invariably, met with a collective sense of wistfulness. The vibrant, sun-soaked days that once brimmed with activity slowly give way to the quieter, reflective rhythms of autumn.

Nowhere is this shared sense of nostalgia more pronounced than at Lake Street Studios Center Gallery. After nine weeks of consecutive Friday Night Center Gallery Art Shows, the gallery has begun to gently wind down. (Indeed, the very last show was last Friday, Aug. 23.) The artists, patrons, and curators, who throughout the season have infused the gallery with creative energy and anticipation, now find themselves sharing a feeling of sublime melancholy.

Allison Stupka, Center Gallery co-owner, has departed for her hometown of Ann Arbor after another remarkable summer filled with bright, lively exhibits, and an outpouring of community interest. Stupka shared her range of emotions about the season once again drawing to an end.

“I feel a mix of emotions…I’m wistful that summer is ending…In the days running up to departing for the summer, I’m a little in denial…On my last day as a ‘gallerina,’ I feel grateful as I sit in this beautiful old garage turned art gallery,” Stupka said.

Although the summer season of weekly art openings at Center Gallery is rapidly coming to a close, there is hope on the horizon with a new program: a special exhibit that will keep the gallery open through September. Christine Deucher, gallery manager, conceived the idea with Stupka’s input and blessing.

The exhibit is titled “See You in September,” and the format is unique for Center Gallery. This exhibit is comprised of one opening—on Saturday, Aug. 31—and it will remain on display for the succeeding three weeks. Additionally, and most significantly, it will be a group show rather than one featuring a solo creative practitioner. Participating artists are very familiar and well-established ones: Margo Burian, Joe Lombardo, and Claudia Buchmann.

“This is a chance to keep the show season going for a little longer. It’s an experiment having a group show, but I chose the artists carefully because I think their work will speak together on the walls…I imagine the slightly slower pace of the fall will allow people another chance to see and fall in love with art,” Deucher explained.

For years, Stupka and Deucher had deliberated the idea of extending Center Gallery’s exhibition season into the fall, but it was never feasible due to their commitments as educators downstate. Happily, with Deucher’s recent retirement, this long-held vision has come to fruition.

“Allison and I have often talked about some kind of group show at the end of the [summer] season—one idea had been a few pieces from all of our summer artists, a sort of reprise of the season. But obviously, both of us would scamper back downstate to our teaching jobs [at the end of every summer] and so such a show never came to pass. Then this winter when I finalized my plans to retire, it became possible to make this idea happen,” Deucher related.

An art exhibition featuring a group of artists holds particular importance and resonance—offering a richer, layered experience that stands apart from a solo artist’s presentation.

“I picked the three of them because a group show is different than a show by a single person—you’re looking for work that will play well together and look somewhat cohesive…And these three are all accomplished artists with both a similar and different take on this land we love up here,” explained Deucher.

Group exhibitions have played a pivotal role in art history, serving as a platform for artists to engage with each other’s work and fostering an expressive dialogue. From the Impressionist Exhibitions in late 19th century Paris featuring Claude Monet, Edgar Degas and August Renoir to the emergence of the New York School led by Abstract Expressionists Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko, these collaborative endeavors highlight the power of collective creative energy.

While Center Gallery’s upcoming group show may not carry the same weight of those historical movements, it nonetheless is a notable milestone for the local arts community. By uniting Burian, Lombardo and Buchmann, the exhibition creates a dynamic interplay between their individual styles.

Lombardo, who has exhibited annually at Center Gallery since 2011, will be contributing a total of 20 paintings to the show—all landscapes of Leelanau County. He finds this group show to be an invaluable opportunity to showcase his work alongside artists whom he deeply esteems.

“This show is a convergence of three friends and like-minded artists. I met Claudia and Margo on my summer trips up north. We have known each other for over 10 years. I am inspired by their artwork and have learned [from them.] I feel excited and proud to participate in a group show with them,” Lombardo said.

Deucher did not set a specific theme for “See You in September.” However, all three artists–renowned for their landscape painting—will present work that reflects their singular and intimate interpretations of the area.

“We haven’t explicitly discussed a theme [to the exhibition], but we are all artists who pay tribute to the wonder and beauty of Michigan landscapes, each with a different style and approach,” Buchmann said.

The inclusion of Buchmann in this three-person show is especially momentous for her. Buchmann studied under both Lombardo and Burian, and their instruction has been incredibly formative for her.

“It is so gratifying to be in a group show with the two artists whose work I so admire and who have inspired me the most’” Buchmann said.

Burian, who held her 17th solo show at Center Gallery this past July, concurred that the immense beauty of Northern Michigan’s landscape served as the primary wellspring for all three artists. This shared reverence for the natural world both fuels their creativity and weaves a common thread through their work.

“Each of the three exhibiting artists brings a unique perspective to this show which is unified by our collective love of the Leelanau landscape. While we are all painting the regional landscape and potentially some of the same locations, we each bring our own distinctive style, experience, and working methods to this exhibit,” Burian explained.

Deucher envisions this group show as a trial run, with the hope that its success will pave the way for it to become a permanent feature of the gallery’s programming.

“It’s an experiment, and if it works then I believe it will become a part of our season and extend the artistic reach of Center Gallery,” Deucher said.

Additionally, the “See You in September” exhibition provides a solace of sorts for Deucher as she transitions into retirement after 36 years as a school librarian in the Ann Arbor public school system.

“This exhibition gives me a chance to take my mind off the start of the school year and this bittersweet moment of retirement, and it allows me to do what I love—sharing these artists with the community,” Deucher shared.