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Art Collab Project seeks artist participantsFree Access


To combat the disconnect forced by the COVID-19 pandemic among members of the art community, Grosse Pointe Woods artist Michelle Boggess-Nunley has created a project with the goal of sharing ideas, creating artwork and bringing people closer together.

Angelo Sherman and Michelle Boggess-Nunley hold up a painting on which they collaborated.

“During COVID, a lot of us in the art community were separated,” she said. “There were not as many outlets, like live shows, to bring us all together.”

After partnering with fellow artists Will Shippert and Angelo Sherman to create art, Boggess-Nunley decided she could offer a similar collaboration on a bigger scale.

“I wanted to do something that would bring us all together,” she said. 

Boggess-Nunley then came up with the Art Collab Project, which pairs two artists who have one month to put their talents together and create a work of art.

“In an nutshell, the mission of the project is to reconnect with other local artists again after the pandemic,” she said. “… This is a way to break out of creative solitude and try something new; hopefully build new friendships and learn from each other along the way.

“The first week is introductions. It’s when they decide if they fit together.”

The second through fourth weeks are for collaboration, which may be done in person or digitally.

“In the end, they’ll come up with a piece that’s something symbolic of their collaboration.”

Artists who work in any medium may sign up for the project. Partners will be selected randomly, so perhaps a painter will be paired with a photographer, or a sculptor with a pastel artist, or a painter with a painter.

“These will be completely random pairings, so it will be fun and exciting,” she said.

The Art Collab Project is free for participants. Boggess-Nunley is donating her time to facilitate the effort. At the end of the project, she plans to create a digital book of everyone’s work.

Artists Will Shippert and Michelle Boggess-Nunley collaborated on this piece. Courtesy photos

“I’ll create a professional quality digital book of the collabs that can be downloaded for free, where each team can share their experiences and artwork — what they’ve learned, the challenges, etc.,” she said. “All artist’s keep the rights to their work and the book will be shared by all.”

An in-person exhibition also will take place this fall, at a location to be determined.

With 50 participants already signed up, Boggess-Nunley hopes to get plenty more before the July 31 registration deadline. Artists will be paired the first week of August.

“I want to get as many artists involved as possible,” she added. “If it goes well, this could be something I do every year.”

Registration is simple. Those interested are asked to visit boggessart.com and click on the Art Collab Project link. Artists are asked to fill out a form that includes their preferred medium, as well as submit samples of their work.

The Art Collab Project is open to all emerging and established artists who live in the metro Detroit area and are older than age 18.

Boggess-Nunley said she hopes artists who participate learn from each other, as well as build much-needed connections.

“I really feel like we need this,” she added, “not just on a personal level, but on a creative level.”