This month's features include:
Photo courtesy of Ron Schimon 
Park West Gallery cruise art auctions were featured on CNBC's new documentary "Cruise Inc. Big Money on the High Seas"!Show Summary: It's the ultimate getaway... an exclusive look inside the $30-billion cruise industry. Correspondent Peter Greenberg spends seven days aboard the Norwegian Pearl, one of the newest in Norwegian Cruise Line's fleet.
The 15-story floating city is a destination of its own. It's a hotel, a shopping mall, a casino and full-service Spa - sailing the oceans of the world.
"Dear Park West Gallery:
Recently we were invited to a VIP cruise event aboard Freedom of the Seas. We had an excellent week and very much appreciated the invitation. The Park West personnel were outstanding and very professional in seeing that all their guests had a great art experience (in addition to a very nice vacation week).
Meeting Noah Elias, Tim Yanke, and Marcus Glenn was really a great privilege. Watching Noah and Tim paint was a true honor. Thank you for that experience.
As expected, Royal Caribbean was great and the ship is a real beauty. We had a wonderful time – and are now on diets!
The Park West staff was superb. We can’t say enough. You have excellent people doing the job! Keep up the good work.
Thank you again."
Marla & Spencer
Cicero, Indiana
March 22, 2009
Celebration honors Detroit peace leader's life
Before he died, Olusola said he didn't want hope to be lost
BY AMBER HUNT and NICK MEYER, FREE PRESS STAFF WRITERS
Weusi Olusola made a request of those who loved him before he died: Do not mourn my passing, but celebrate my life.
And so, instead of a funeral Saturday, friends and family gathered to share stories about the antigun and community activist who died March 13 of Stage 4 bladder cancer.
"Five days before he died, he told us he did not want people to lose hope," said Saba Gebrai, program director of the Park West Foundation, which earlier this month gave Olusola a lifetime achievement award.
Olusola was 38. He died six days after receiving the award during a gathering attended by hundreds of metro Detroiters and entertainer Bill Cosby.
Born Willie Brown Jr., Olusola survived a drive-by shooting at 16. Then an All-State basketball star and marching band member at Murray Wright High, he was left paralyzed from the waist down.
He changed his name and became one of Detroit's foremost antigang activists.
Ten years after he got shot, Olusola cofounded Pioneers for Peace, a group of shooting survivors who speak to children and young adults about violence.
The hundreds who paid their respects began by walking along Rosa Parks Boulevard near West Grand, accompanied by a marching band. Then they stopped at the community center, where Pioneer members, family, friends and city leaders gathered and spoke of the need to further Olusola's work.
"That's all he wanted," said his 24-year-old sister, Christine Hall.
"He did more than most people on two feet," said Kali Sichen, who heads a youth program near Atlanta. "He stood for self-determination, love, commitment. Those are the things that put the community in a positive light." Full Article
Contact AMBER HUNT at 313-223-4526 or alhunt@freepress.com.
Fine art and jewelry treasures make perfect
birthday, Mother's Day and graduation gifts
SOUTHFIELD, MI, March 19, 2009 -- Plan a spring outing to the elegant Park West Gallery. Tour 3-1/2 acres of beautiful galleries and gardens while shopping for unique birthday, Mother's Day and graduation gifts.
From now through May 15th, more than 250 works will be on display from some of the world's greatest artists including Rembrandt, Picasso, Linda Le Kinff, Marcel Mouly, Goya, Simon Bull, Dali, Marcus Glenn, and Itzchak Tarkay. Customers can find the perfect gift in Park West's outstanding collection, which features paintings, jewelry and even autographed sports memorabilia. In honor of Park West's 40th anniversary, some prices will be reduced by as much as 40 percent.
Sale hours: Monday-Wednesday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. / Thursday, Friday 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. / Saturday 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sale items are also featured on the web at the Park West Seasonal Sale.
Park West Gallery is located at 29469 Northwestern Highway, Southfield.
Thank you to all who participated in Park West Gallery's Blog Poll #4!
Question: I typically collect artwork from...?
Here are the results:
Article and Image courtesy of the Detroit Free Press
We just wanted to drop you this quick note to say how thoroughly pleased we were with the Park West Gallery - Freedom of the Seas VIP Cruise. Throughout the week, we were completely pampered, entertained, and educated well beyond our expectations. We collected art from artists we got to know and appreciate. And we even made new art collecting friends. Everyone, without exception, from Park West Gallery contributed to making this a successful event. Thank you so much for including us in this program.
Lesley & David N.
Miami, Florida
------------------------------
THANK YOU PARK WEST!!! We had a wonderful time on the cruise - you were all so helpful and such gracious hosts. The artists were fun, down to earth people we could really communicate with which helped to open our eyes into their "painting" world. Thank you again for a spectacular time. Hope to see you again soon.
Mike & Janette W.
Tampa, Florida
------------------------------
I felt compelled to write and thank you for making this cruise a very memorable one. I would think many individuals don’t understand what exactly has to happen to pull something like this off. From coordinating the artwork presentation/education, reserving multiple meeting areas, as well as being receptive and cognizant to all the various individual needs of each client, I felt every single detail was orchestrated and managed with the utmost proficiency and professionalism.
Having the ability to meet, talk with, and spend quality time with the artists is a remarkable and memorable experience. This is a great concept and opportunity by having the artists interact with the buyers, it makes the artwork become more meaningful to the new owner. This is certainly a noteworthy idea.
I would again like to thank you for making this experience a fantastic one. You did a GREAT JOB!
Patrick & Nathalie R.
Fort Myers, Florida
------------------------------
I want to thank you for the beautiful cruise (Norwegian Jewel to S. Caribbean) in January and the wonderful art extravaganza. You all made it a memorable trip I just received my first Fanch seriolithograph which is hanging in my living room and reminds me of many happy memories.
Winter is still hanging on in Wisconsin, you are so fortunate to enjoy the sunshine in your many ports of call. I send my warm greetings to all of you and again thank you for a wonderful cruise.
Lauren P.
Delavan, Wisconsin
------------------------------
If you're reading this while with Marko [Mavrovich], please thank him again for the wonderful time we had with him. I still can't believe that we now have met the artist we "fell in love with first" as we began our art collecting adventure in April 2002. When we got that piece -- Field of Dreams -- we never imagined that we would meet him one day.
We look forward to seeing you again.
Tim & Roberta G.
Commerce City, Colorado
|
Thank you to all who participated in Park West Gallery's Blog Poll #3!
Question: If you were renowned as a “master artist”, in which medium would your skills be recognized?
Here are the results:
Article & Images courtesy of The Detroit Jewish News Online
PLATINUM: Decor - Art & Soul
Peek inside the personal collection of Park West Gallery’s director.
A large work by Marc Chagall hangs in the front hall of Morris and MaryAnn Shapiro's Novi home. 
Working directly with artists is one of the best parts of the job, he says, and a dream since he was a child. Shapiro grew up in Chicago in the 1950s and '60s. His mother, he says, decorated the house with gaudy French Provincial furniture and accessories. "It was really hideous," he remembers. "There was no art on the walls, so I made my own. I drew and painted in part to rebel against my parents."
The winner will receive Linda Le Kinff: The Graphic Work, a 278-page hard cover book featuring a chronology and a beautiful, full-color retrospective of the artist's work. The book also contains a foreword written by Anthony F. Janson, co-author of History of Art - the most widely used textbook on fine art ever written; and a biographical essay contributed by Joseph Jacobs - art historian, author, critic, and former Curator at the Newark Museum. GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!
Purtan gears up for Radiothon
COMPILED BY B.J. HAMMERSTEIN • DETROIT.METROMIX.COM EDITOR
[Excerpt from The Detroit Free Press, February 27, 2009]
Kicking off at 6 a.m. today and concluding at 10 tonight is Dick Purtan’s 22nd annual Radiothon. It benefits the Salvation Army’s Bed and Bread Club, a program that targets Detroit’s homeless and hungry people through shelters, feeding centers, after-school programs and mobile services.
On Friday, Feb 27 Park West Gallery received a fantastic comment from one of our VIP customers on our Customer Corner blog posting. The message was so heartfelt and appreciated that we are reposting it in full as follows. Thank you Patrick & Diane!
"To whom it may concern,
My wife and I recently returned from our first VIP Cruise/auction at sea on the Carnival Miracle out of Port Everglades on 2 /1–9 /09. We have to admit, when Samantha first contacted us, we were very skeptical about the invitation. We had been to a VIP land auction at your Miami Lakes Gallery before but this invitation was very different with its offer of an 8-day cruise. After many question filled e-mails and phone calls to Samantha (sorry about that), we accepted the invitation.
Of course our first thought was of our past “time share” sales horror experiences. Boy were we ever wrong in thinking that. We ended up having the time of our lives meeting other people who shared our love for art and cruising to exotic places. But I think most of all we enjoyed the company of your fine Park West staff, seeing works of art we had never seen before, and meeting the special artists who sailed with us.
Getting to meet Simon Bull, Dominic Pangborn and Tim Rogerson was one of the coolest and most special things that we have ever experienced. Not only did we get to see some of their fantastic works of art but also we got to talk with them, hang out around the ship with them and watch them paint. What a thrill for all in attendance.
You don’t usually get to speak with an artist and find out what goes through their minds when they paint or what inspired them to create the beautiful works of art we got to see. Too many times, all we know about an artist is what we read in an art books or hear about in secondhand stories. Oh to have been given the opportunity such as this to speak with the likes of Rembrandt, Picasso, Mouly, Miro or Dali in such a fashion when they were alive. Each of our artists was very different in their approach to creating art but they all had the love of creating and appreciating it in common. That was the common thread for all of us in attendance. Truly an amazing experience.
We would especially like to thank our wonderful hosts for the trip as well. Chris Lindsay, Samantha, Katherine and Rebecca went out of their way each day to make sure all of our needs were taken care of. Each of them had their own insight and knowledge regarding different art and artists and were always available to answer any of our questions. It was a difficult task to keep track of our group as we all had different needs and questions. They all handled a very stressful situation in a calm and professional manner. But the most important part of the whole experience was the fun factor, which was met every single day.
This was our second but most in-depth time spent with Chris. We were lightly exposed to his wit and knowledge at the Miami Lakes event. From the very first meet and greet at the hotel before the cruise, we knew we were in for a treat. Chris has the ability to make you think, ask questions, look at art and artists differently then you thought possible and most importantly, enable you to have a good time. Who could have guessed you could find Homer Simpson in a Tarkay original. If you haven’t seen Chris’s demonstration, ask him to show you.
It was very refreshing to see the Park West group during off hours (if they had any) around the ship as well. There was no talk of art (unless you wanted to) but pleasant, get to know you conversations and talk of other topics and experiences. We went from strangers to friends in a short period of time.
Learning can be fun if you listen and ask questions. Our Guru Art Guide, Chris, was more masterful than mystical in opening our eyes to appreciate the art world around us. The array of different art brought on board for the VIP auction was outstanding. We knew most of the artists but had never seen or knew of the existence of many of the works. For the first time we realized we were now collectors and not just buyers of art.
Again, Chris and his staff were there to answer any of our questions during the auctions. They all had the ability to advise us and guide us in our choice of art to collect. What was most satisfying to us was to hear all of them remind us many times to “collect artwork you like”. That is the key to the whole thing for us.
Our tastes are all over the spectrum as far as styles and artists. Attending the evening lectures on different artists’, styles, techniques and history really changed our opinion on art we would never have thought of adding to our collection. We have come to learn from past “regular” auctions to have open minds and not go with a shopping list of things we “need” to get at your events.
Over the years of buying art, we don’t think there is an item in our house we haven’t enjoyed looking at each day. It’s a pleasure to hear that philosophy being presented to us by your company even at the VIP level. We have decided it’s time to take our art collection to new levels so we will be exchanging some of our older art so we can add to our gallery of new fine art works. We hope they will find good homes and be with people who can take the same journey as we are on.
We are excited to receive our new artwork in the coming months. Again we thank Park West, Chris, Samantha, Katherine, Rebecca and everyone else we didn’t meet who helped make this a wonderful and memorable trip.
Respectfully,
Patrick & Diane Abad
Plantation, Fl. 33313"
FREE Seriolithograph : Practice II by Hua Chen
