Past Programs & Events

MW Gallery welcomed celebrated sculptor Chakaia Booker for an Artist Talk on December 6, 2025. In this program, the artist shared an overview of her career: work before rubber, early rubber, and rubber work today. About her art, Booker states, “My intention is to translate materials into imagery that will stimulate people to consider themselves as part of their environment—one piece of it…I believe art should dialogue with viewers.”

This program was presented in conjunction with MW Gallery’s exhibition This Bitter Earth: Living in Harmony with Nature, on view September 12, 2025 through January 24, 2026, which features Booker’s artwork Minor Illusion. This exhibit features artworks from the Mott-Warsh Collection that reflect on humanity’s complex relationship with our natural world, and with one another. Along with Chakaia Booker, featured artists include Ron Adams, Bisa Butler, Nanette Carter, Nick Cave, Emilio Cruz, Maren Hassinger, Pope.L, Howardena Pindell, Angelbert Metoyer, and Bernard Williams.

Photos by PlainAir Photography.

Artist Talk: Bernard Williams

Saturday 11/08/2025
2:00PM

MW Gallery welcomed painter, sculptor, installation artist, and public artist Bernard Williams for an Artist Talk on November 8, 2025. In this program, Williams presented a selection of works from his many years of creativity and discovery, and discussed his experiences as an artist today.

This program was presented in conjunction with MW Gallery’s exhibition This Bitter Earth: Living in Harmony with Nature, on view September 12, 2025 through January 24, 2026, which features Williams’ installation artwork Buffalo Chart. This exhibit features artworks from the Mott-Warsh Collection that reflect on humanity’s complex relationship with our natural world, and with one another. Along with Bernard Williams, featured artists include Ron Adams, Bisa Butler, Nanette Carter, Nick Cave, Emilio Cruz, Maren Hassinger, Pope.L, Howardena Pindell, Angelbert Metoyer.

Photos by PlainAir Photography.

Panel Discussion: Telling Our Stories

Thursday 8/14/2025
6:00PM

Panelists:
Bob Campbell - Author, Writer
Mario Moore - Visual Artist
Tunde Olaniran - Multi-Disciplinary Artist, Musician
Shani Womack - Professional Storyteller and Counselor
Moderated by:
Lisa Ze Winters, Ph.D. - Associate Professor, African American Studies and English;
Associate Chair, English Dept., Wayne State University

About the Panelists

Voices from multiple genres of the arts came together on August 14th at MW Gallery to discuss the empowering effects of telling our stories and the importance of remembering and embracing our narratives.

Every culture has a story to tell, and the arts have long been a means for telling those stories. Whether communicating history and world events or the day-to-day activities of ordinary people, narratives define our existence; they influence society, shaping opinions, imparting values, stirring imagination, and creating communities. The artists appearing on this interdisciplinary panel shared how they utilize narratives in their art practices to connect with and uplift their audiences.

This program was presented in conjunction with MW Gallery's exhibition Figuratively Speaking on view February 14 – August 23, 2025.

Photos by PlainAir Photography.

Artist Talk: Ayana V. Jackson

Saturday 6/28/2025
2:00PM

The Mott-Warsh Collection and MW Gallery welcomed Ayana V. Jackson to Flint, MI for an Artist Talk on June 28, 2025.

In this program, Ayana V. Jackson shared her experiences and inspirations as an artist, as well as the themes and subject matters she explores in her artworks.

Photos by PlainAir Photography.

Searching for Black Dandelions in Art and Ekphrastic Writing

Wednesday 4/09/2025
6:30PM

As a part of Black Dandelion: Convergent Voice™ City of Flint Literacy Week, MW Gallery hosted a special presentation by young scholars showcasing their writings composed in response to art from the Mott-Warsh Collection and the Black Dandelion poem.

About Black Dandelion Convergent Voice™ City of Flint Literacy Week

During National Poetry Month, April 2025, Mayor Sheldon Neeley and Flint City Council President Dr. Ladel Lewis formally announced that April 7, 2025 is the start of The Black Dandelion: Convergent Voice™ City of Flint Literacy Week (BDCVCOFLW) and honor Flint's Poet Laureate and Creator of BDCV Semaj Brown.

This proclamation kicked off a week-long celebration that put the Black Dandelion: Convergent Voice™ (BDCV) integrative-literacy education platform, created by Semaj Brown from her poem Black Dandelion, into effect with a full schedule of arts programs, Open Mics, "Gather and Grow" professional and student presentations, and activities for both the young, and those young at heart, all geared towards uplifting the goal of literacy.

Learn more about Black Dandelion: Convergent Voice™ City of Flint Literacy Week on the BDCV Literacy Week Website.

Flint Handmade Yarn Brigade Meetup

Saturday 3/8/2025
2:00PM - 4:00PM

Working on projects in the company of other creatives! All craft mediums welcome ... knit / crochet, cross stitch, beading, coloring, drawing, hand sewing, etc.

Hosted by Flint Handmade.

Artist Talk: Lula Mae Blocton

Saturday 1/04/2025
2:00PM

From the very beginning of her career, Lula Mae Blocton has been described as a colorist. She has put color, abstraction, and light at the center of her preoccupation as a painter, while also fighting for the acceptance and visibility of Black, feminist, and LGBTQ+ communities.

Blocton, who now lives and works in Connecticut, is a Michigan native and a graduate of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. In this program, Lula Mae Blocton discussed the evolution of her career and her art-making process with the Mott-Warsh Collection’s Director, Curator, and Collection Educator, Stephanie James.

This program was presented in conjunction with MW Gallery’s exhibition Beyond the Physical World: Abstraction from the Mott-Warsh Collection, on view September 13, 2024 through January 25, 2025.

Photos by PlainAir Photography.

Artist Talk: Allie McGhee

Saturday 12/14/2024
2:00PM

Allie McGhee has been a pillar of the Detroit art community since the 1960s. A prolific artist, McGhee’s work is ever-changing and evolving like nature itself. Allie McGhee joined MW Gallery’s manager Michaela Mosher in a conversation about his journey into abstraction, his life as an artist, and what’s next.

This program was presented in conjunction with MW Gallery’s exhibition Beyond the Physical World: Abstraction from the Mott-Warsh Collection, on view September 13, 2024 through January 25, 2025.

Photos by PlainAir Photography.

Melodic Inspirations: An Evening of Jazz and Art with Roger Jones and Trioisms

Friday 11/01/2024
7:00PM - 9:00PM

In celebration of the longstanding affinity many visual artists have for jazz music, MW Gallery welcomed Roger Jones and Trioisms performing in concert surrounded by abstract art.

This event was free and open to the public, no registration required.

Check out the program video on our YouTube Channel!

Presented in conjunction with the exhibition “Beyond the Physical World: Abstraction from the Mott-Warsh Collection”, on view at MW Gallery September 13, 2024 through January 25, 2025.

Artist Talk:
Bradley McCallum & Jacqueline Tarry

Saturday 7/27/2024
2:00PM
A presentation by the artist duo Bradley McCallum and Jacqueline Tarry, July 27.

In their art, McCallum & Tarry bring underrepresented communities to the forefront, using photography, video, performative sculpture, and self-portraiture to create works that are often confrontational, emotional, and personal. The artists discussed their works which are featured in MW Gallery’s current exhibition From Her Perspective: Intersections of Gender and Race, and the evolution of their artistic practices as a collaborative team and as individuals. Each hailing from New York City, NY, McCallum & Tarry have both worked and exhibited extensively throughout the United States, Europe and Asia.

Presented in conjunction with the exhibition From Her Perspective: Intersections of Gender and Race at MW Gallery February 9 - August 24, 2024.

Photos by PlainAir Photography.

Creative Summer Series

6/1/2024 - 8/24/2024
Exploring your artistic side and spending some time with art during MW Gallery’s “Creative Summer” workshops in the gallery June 1 - August 24, 2024. Adding creativity to your summer with activities centered around creative expression, exploration, and fun! Free guided projects provided one Saturday every month featuring hands-on crafts and art-related learning. Exploring artist's stories, themes of self-discovery, and a variety of art materials to inspire your creative spirit!

Power Up! Create Your Own Alter Ego

Activity Station: 8/1/2024 - 8/24/2024
Designing and drawing out your own persona, superpowers, and outfit to celebrate the inner Hero and Shero in all of us. Actualizing your powers by creating a wearable mask, self-portrait, and comic book page to take with you!

"Power Up!" was inspired by artist Renee Cox's series "Raje."—named for the Black superhero alter ego of the artist. Raje is the granddaughter of Nubia, the long-lost twin sister of Wonder Woman. Renee Cox's artwork The Liberation of Aunt Jemima and Uncle Ben, 1998, is part of this series and was on view at MW Gallery at the time of this project, as part of the exhibition From Her Perspective: Intersections of Gender and Race, February 9 - August 24, 2024.

Raffia Coiled Baskets

Workshop: Saturday 6/29/2024
2:00PM - 3:00PM
A guided drop-in workshop which included special demonstrations and presentations on the techniques and world history of handwoven baskets.

Activity Station: 6/29 - 7/27/2024
Creating colorful baskets, bowls, placemats, or wall decor in the style of handwoven African baskets from Senegal and the winnowing "fanner" baskets of the American South. Learning about the history of coiled basketry and its use in rice farming, contemporary art, and global trade.

Flint Handmade Yarn Brigade

Saturday 1/20/2024
2:00PM

Flint Handmade hosted a Saturday Afternoon Yarn Brigade Meetup in partnership with MW Gallery. Participants could bring a project to work on in the company of other creatives. All craft mediums welcome...knit/crochet, cross stitch, beading, coloring, drawing, hand sewing, etc.

Presented in conjunction with the exhibition "Hand in Hand: Fine Art + Craft" at MW Gallery September 8, 2023 - January 20, 2024.

Artist Talk: Nate Young

Saturday 1/06/2024
2:00PM

MW Gallery proudly presented a talk by Chicago artist Nate Young in Flint, MI.

In this talk Nate Young discussed recent work including drawings, sculptures, installations, video and sound. The project revolves around an investigation of his great grandfathers migration from the American rural south to the Northern city of Philadelphia during the early 1900s. Though much of the objects seem to use narrative as a way of telling a personal familial history, Young's primary interest in the work is ontological and questions systems that have the ability to produce ways of believing.

Presented in conjunction with the exhibition "Hand in Hand: Fine Art + Craft" at MW Gallery September 8, 2023 - January 20, 2024.