A Conversation between Monet and Sochi: Video Art by Lee nam Lee projects the image of an iconic painting from the western tradition by Claude Monet (1840-1926) and an ink wash painting from the eastern tradition by noted Korean artist Sochi (whose real name is Huh Ryun 1803-1893) side by side showing their different styles. Then using digital technology Lee nam brings the paintings to life in a video format where the paintings begin to interact. The seasons change and day becomes night. The fisherman in the Monet sails into the Sochi and the island in the Sochi emerges in the Monet, while the imagination of Lee nam introduces into these 19th century landscapes his own modern city skyline of lighted buildings and a gentle snow fall. The result is visual poetry.

In addition to A Conversation between Monet and Sochi, several other digital works will be shown.

Born in 1969 at Damyang, Lee nam Lee holds a B.F.A. and MFA, from Chosun University, Gwangju, Korea and a D. F. A. from Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea. He has exhibited in over 200 solo and group exhibitions in Korea as well as New York, Beijing, Germany, and Washington, DC. His work is in numerous public and private collections worldwide.

Jim Hay: Go Where You Are features the textile work of NMC and MSU Alum Jim Hay, an international artist living in Japan and Michigan. Hay received eight major art awards from recent international competitions and has exhibited widely in Japan, America, and throughout Asia. In 2011, Hay's work will be featured in two international traveling exhibitions and a one-person exhibition in Japan.

Hay says of his work:

I live in rural Japan. My studio view of toiling farmers bent over simple tools is more reminiscent of the Limbourg Brothers' "Book of Hours" than the 21st century. Life in such a different country helps cultural concepts focus into high contrast: individuality, conformity, dating, sexuality, happiness, sadness, freedom, frustration, even myth. I cannot know all of the world so I seek within me that which mirrors all.

I usually avoid preliminary drawings and specific expectations. Too conscious a concept for a piece can make that initial time period the only creative part followed by a long period of work. I keep the doors open for continual creative discovery. If I need a bird, I pick up scissors and start cutting. No sketches. I trust. This will be my bird on this day. If I need a red bird, I grab some red cloth, sew it down with blue thread, switch to green. I choose as I go.

Jim Hay will lead a two-day quilting workshop on Friday, October 7th and Saturday October 8th, 2011. Open to artists of all skill levels. Hay frames quilting as a journey of improvisation and personal discovery. Contact tpyrzewski@wayne.edu for workshop and registration information.

This exhibition was organized by the Dennos Museum Center in cooperation with the artists.

The exhibition's opening reception is on Friday, September 9, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. It is free and open to the general public. The Elaine L. Jacob Gallery is located in the Old Main Annex on the campus of Wayne State University, near the intersection of Hancock and Second Street.

The James Pearson Duffy Department of Art and Art History is a division of Wayne State's College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts, educating the next generation of visual artists, designers and art historians. Wayne State University, located in the heart of Detroit's midtown cultural center, is a premier urban research university offering more than 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 31,000 students.

For more information, contact Tom Pyrzewski at tpyrzewski@wayne.edu or 313-577-0770