One could say that artist Daniel Cascardo is drawn to the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center.
After all, he is a well-known face there, first as a student and later as a lecturer, workshop leader and exhibitor.
And from August 23rd it will be back – this time as part of four free exhibitions that will be open to the public until September 19th.
“The BBAC has been an important part of my life,” said Cascardo, 63, of Huntington Woods. “It’s a gem. There really is no place like it.”
In addition to Cascardo’s acrylic, abstract and sculpture works, exhibition visitors will have the opportunity to view exhibits by the following artists:
• The Birmingham Society of Women Painters with about 50 members chosen through a strictly selective process
• Local artist Hannah Miller, who attended the Cranbrook Academy of Art
• Student of Tim Widener, a BBAC teacher and award-winning artist whose work has been recognised by the Society of Animal Artists and the National Society of Portrait Painters
“It really is a very comprehensive exhibition,” said Annie Van Gelderen, president and CEO of the art center, noting the range of emerging and experienced artists in the exhibition.
Cascardo said the show offers both newcomers and seasoned art lovers a lot to see, enjoy and process. The key to enjoying an art show, he said, is to give your own, personal interpretation to the works that give you pause.
“I hope they will explore it and develop their own interpretations using their own imagination,” he said.
Cascardo himself said that his artworks “reflect my intuitive and expressive nature, in which abstract and fantastic images come to life. …
“My artwork not only allows me to connect with people, but also provides me with a collaborative medium that allows me to transform surfaces into unique works of art.”
He said his inspiration comes from his imagination, spirituality, life experiences, creativity, music and art.
The interest in art runs in his Italian-American family, he said. Cascardo grew up in Dearborn and graduated from Fordson High School in 1979. His father was a clay modeler and truck designer at Ford Motor Co.
Cascardo and his wife Nora have been married for 33 years and have three daughters, one of whom works as a motion graphics designer at Ford.
“Art is perhaps a little hereditary,” he said.
Cascardo attended Henry Ford Community College and the College of Creative Studies, studying business and art. These days, he said, he enjoys opportunities for interactive art experiences where he can collaborate with other artists and students. In September, he said, there is an event planned in Toledo where participants will paint a shipping container.
The goal, he said, was to create a “great piece of energy and color.”
The BBAC was founded in 1957 and five years later moved into its galleries at 1516 S. Cranbrook Road in Birmingham.
The free show is scheduled to open on Friday, August 23rd from 5pm to 7pm. Daily hours will be 9am to 4pm Monday through Saturday through September 8th, and then 9am to 5pm Monday through Saturday until the show closes on September 19th.
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