Lecture Series To Feature Birmingham Artist

BIRMINGHAM, MI — A joint lecture series sponsored by the Birmingham Museum and the Baldwin Public Library focuses on the theme of art and activism. The final presentation in the series, entitled “Art and Activism: The Visual Arts,” will feature Birmingham artist Victor Pytko and is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. at the Birmingham Museum located at 556 West Maple Road in Birmingham.

Pytko, who prefers to call himself an “image maker,” has been active in Michigan visual arts for decades, winning regional and state level recognition as well as teaching at the Birmingham-Bloomfield Art Center for many years. Originally trained as a landscape painter, Pytko went on to develop mixed media and abstract expression.

A lifelong interest in astronomy has provided a scientific perspective to his work, especially in the natural properties of light and perception. In recent years, he has been both actor and filmmaker in short and feature films, allowing him to also explore light and images in movement.

During 2017, his exhibition at the Birmingham Museum, “Victor Pytko, Birmingham Image Maker: Art, Science, and Light” has featured selected works that represent varied expressions, including landscapes of Birmingham settings, portraits, abstract works, sculptural pieces, and others created on site for the exhibit.

Like many artists, Pytko has also explored human and social issues in his work in keeping with the notion that art can, and sometimes must, create an emotional reaction that makes us think. For this final program, he will lead participants through his exhibition to discuss the visual arts as the third of the three art forms of theater, music, and the visual arts to be explored in this lecture series.
This presentation is free to the public, and includes admission to the exhibition; please contact the museum at 248-530-1928 to register.

The Birmingham Museum is located at 556 West Maple. Exhibit hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m., and until 8:00 p.m. on the secondThursday of the month. Two hours of free parking is available at the Chester Street Parking Deck; credit card required for entry and exit. For more information, call 248-530-1928 or visit www.bhamgov.org/museum .

Admission is $7 for adults; $5 for students and seniors. Kids 5 and under and Friends of the Birmingham Museum members are free.

Photo courtesy of the city of Birmingham