Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/582088
October 8 • 2015 41 Our Town Art Show and Sale runs 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 15-17, at the Community House in Birmingham. There is no admission charge, but there is a fee for attending Art in Vogue, an opening-night party 5:30-9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, when there will be hors d'oeuvres, music and a fashion/ art presentation. $75-$200. (248) 644-5832; tchserves.org. arts & life B arbara Heller surrounds herself with art. The director and con- servator of special projects for the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), for whom she recently traveled to Italy on courier responsibili- ties, Heller also agreed to serve as one of two jurors for the upcom- ing Our Town Art Show and Sale at the Community House in Birmingham — while remaining open to possible finds for her own home. "I was part of selecting all of the art that was accepted into this year's exhibition," says Heller, who has served as a volunteer juror for the Young Jewish Artist Showcase at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield, where she is a mem- ber. For Our Town, artists could submit three slides of work; each jeweler and sculptor could enter up to five slides because the work is three-dimensional and requires more slides to see what is done in the round. "The artwork we chose had to be aesthetically pleasing, techni- cally good and hold together com- positionally," she says. "We looked at 700 slides on one August day but never looked at the names of the artists." Heller made judging decisions with Robert Dempster, owner of Birmingham's Studio D, which combines a gallery with concert space. Entrants were notified in August whether they were select- ed for the event, which runs Oct. 15-17. The jurors whittled down submissions to 345 selections and will award $10,000 in prize money. Our Town, in its 30th year, showcases all media from tra- ditional to contemporary and provides a forum for Michigan artists to show and sell their work. Thirty-five percent of the pro- ceeds from sales are used to fund Community House outreach pro- grams for children and families in need. In between carrying out judging responsibilities, Heller accompa- nied DIA-owned works to the site of a temporary exhibit, unpacked the pieces to check that they were in good condition and planned some detours to visit friends from earlier stints in Italy, possibly looking for items to add to her private holdings. "On Oct. 13, Robert and I will look at the installed art to give out the award money," says Heller, who grew up in Michigan, attend- ed Cass Technical High School to study commercial art and had hoped to be an artist herself. One of her teachers was the late artist Irving Berg, who taught at Camp Tamarack and whose sculptural pieces are placed on Camp Maas grounds. Heller majored in studio art, art history and French at Olivet College, in Olivet, Mich., where a professor encouraged her to become a conservator because she was so meticulous. "Being Jewish, I found that Christian iconography was the key to my studies," she says. "Art history opened up a different way of looking at things. In Judaism, we wrote things down. Christians used symbols to identify subject matter. "Until the printing press was invented, only the wealthy could learn how to read and have books. Christians turned to art and iden- tified saints by what was depicted, such as what they were wearing or holding in their hands. Viewers would understand the meanings." Before working at the DIA, Heller applied her knowledge of icons while participating in an Etruscan dig and during an apprenticeship to restore art dam- aged during the 1966 flood in Florence, Italy. Although she has had many fulfilling projects, one of the most significant was being involved with the reinstallation of the DIA collection in 2009, after the building underwent a major reno- vation. In planning for the pres- ervation of the art as structural changes were being made, she had to account for climate control, packing, moving and storing. A significant singular restora- tion project had her working on The Wedding Dance, the 1566 oil painting by Pieter Bruegel. While there will not be work with Jewish content in Our Town, there will be works by Jewish artists, including Bruce Finsilver, Deborah Friedman, Julie Langensiepen and Steven Tapper. The price range of all the art is very wide. "I've always tried to give back to the community by volunteering," says Heller, close to 60, the mother of two and the grandmother of four. "If a work of art is juried, it has reached a certain level of quality. "I judge art for my home the same way I judge art for a show. I like different styles. I just like beautiful things." * a r t Meet Barbara Heller: local art historian, conservator, collector — and art-show juror. Our Town Barbara Heller Among pieces included in this year's Our Town: TOP LEFT: Kaye Weinberger, 3 Ladies TOP RIGHT: Deborah Friedman, Wired 1 CENTER LEFT: David Roth, Cobo Station CENTER RIGHT: Nancy Kulish, Hug BOTTOM: David Roth, Marble Staircase Suzanne Chessler | Contributing Writer