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Gilda
Posted on Monday, May 28, 2001 - 1:09 am:   

Stephen, here is a list of the artists who showed at the Willis Gallery in the 1983-84 season when I was the director.
1983 Nicholas Nagy & Brewster Luttrell Sept.30--Oct. 14 Michael Gardner & Marcie Paul Oct. 21- Nov.4 Four Statements (Sestok, Newton, Kachadoorian, VanAmerongen) Nov. 11-25 Kathleen Rashid Dec. 2-16
1984 Collected Works/ INALESE Inst. for the Arts & Letters of El Salvador in Exile, Jan 13-27 Mark Jones & Bob Marsh Feb. 3-17 Linda Centivany Feb. 24-March 9 Greta Weekley March 26-30 Joseph Groppuso April 6-20 Joseph Zajac April 27-May 11 Jay MacNiell & Tom Phardel May 18-June 1 Asheber Macharia & Ken Walker Dec. 23- Jan.6 Michael Bowen, Bill Sanders, Ruth Lampkins June 8-22
JimPallas
Posted on Tuesday, August 28, 2001 - 12:48 am:   

I did a show called "Hearts and Vanity" at the WIllis in 1987. It was the prettiest show I ever did.
Gary Zych was director that year.
Stephen Goodfellow
Posted on Wednesday, August 29, 2001 - 4:25 pm:   

Hi Jim,

I have placed the information - and your own self - on the appropriate site:
http://kinweb.com/corridor/tribes/willis_tribe/willis_1.htm
Mary Fortuna
Posted on Tuesday, September 25, 2001 - 2:42 pm:   

Stephen,

Now you've got me scratching my head. Who directed the Willis when? Here's the best recollection my enfeebled mind can muster - Mike Mikolowski in 1992, Matthew Hanna in 1993, Anne Lemanski (I think) in 1994, Mike McGillis in 1995, then Robert Taormina in 1996. I had a show with Dave Roberts in November 1993 - Terrors of the Flesh - and with Robert Taormina in July 1995 - Memory Lapse/The Event Horizon. Matthew was the one who did the first of the Box shows. If I've misremembered these dates, be kind. I'm getting old.

Thanks for the site, I'm enjoying my visit. Now I have to pretend to get back to work.
Stephen Goodfellow
Posted on Saturday, September 29, 2001 - 3:08 am:   

Hi Mary,

Good to hear from you! Thanks so much for your contribution. I've added the additional information to the Late Willis Tribe page:
http://www.corridortribe.com/tribes/willis_tribe/willis_1.htm
And - needless to say - I've added you to the immortal roster of Tribe Members.
Once again - thanks!
Todd Erickson
Posted on Thursday, March 18, 2004 - 5:31 pm:   

It was a long time ago, but if memory serves, I (Todd Erickson) was the Willis Gallery Director for the 1985 season and I handed the leadership over to Gary Eleinko (sp?) for the 1986 season. The next director was Gary Zych.
christopher Whittey
Posted on Monday, June 27, 2005 - 7:39 am:   

I had a show at the Willis sometime around 1983. I think someone named Pat Soderberg (?) was the director then. Anyway, I am in Baltimore nowadays teaching full time at MICA and have not been back in many years. Irreplacable memories.
steven zatto
Posted on Friday, August 26, 2005 - 4:29 pm:   

I will try this again I'm Steven AKA ZMAN Zatto I had a one man show in 1980, also 1985 Willis Revisited show. Sheri Carpington Taperton was the director at that time.
Stephen Goodfellow (Admin)
Username: Admin

Registered: 6-2003
Posted on Thursday, September 08, 2005 - 1:00 am:   

Christopher & Steven,

I've placed you in the Willis Tribe hall of immortality :-)
http://corridortribe.com/tribes/willis_tribe/willi s_1.htm
tricia_soderberg
Posted on Thursday, December 15, 2005 - 2:00 pm:   

Hi Stephen,
I was the director of the Willis Gallery in the early eighties, 1983 I think. I believe Shirley Parish was the director the year before that.

Tricia (Patricia) Soderberg
Tricia Soderberg
Posted on Thursday, December 15, 2005 - 2:19 pm:   

OK, slight correction, according to Glida's resume I was the director in 1981. So that puts Shirley Parish as the director in 1980 and possibly 1979 as well.
Stephen Goodfellow
Posted on Thursday, December 15, 2005 - 2:23 pm:   

Hi Thisha,

Good to hear from you. I've added your info to the site:
http://corridortribe.com/tribes/willis_tribe/willi s_1.htm

Please let me know if you have any posters from past shows during your tenure or can recall any names of the shows
Diana Bonner
Posted on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 - 6:36 pm:   

I don't know if anyone ever visits this forum, but "hello" from Diana Bonner in Arizona. When did you all become a "tribe"? What do you mean by this? Is this really some sot of glorified click? I lived in Detroit for many years and often felt excluded by some of these so-called tribesman. I did have a lot of wonderful friends, but I found the art community to be as self-glorifyin and vacuous as any other. Not so with the music community. There I found many people to be truly adventurous and avant garde in the best sense of the word. Anyway Detroit was like a nightmare that I finally woke up from. True there are a lot of interesting people there, but the city herself is a mean old broad, and I am convinced she was out to get me. I miss some of the people but NOT the city and not the art community.
Stephen Goodfellow (Admin)
Username: Admin

Registered: 6-2003
Posted on Wednesday, May 30, 2007 - 10:50 pm:   

Hi Diana,

Wow, Arizona! It's so good to hear from you. I always enjoyed your company, insights - and yes, you are most definitely a member of the tribe.
Let me make it clear, the tribe is a very loose term, not specific to artists, or musicians - if you happned to have lived here or even just felt affiliated with the area, well, then I guess you're a tribe member.
Bitter memmories? Sure, we all have them to one degree or another, so it's all the more delightful that you, and others, take the time to check in.
Diana Bonner
Posted on Thursday, May 31, 2007 - 6:11 pm:   

Didn't mean to sound so hostile; must have been in a bad mood! Good to hear from you, too. I've been in touch with Diana May, Jerome Ferretti and Mary McCarthy now that I decided to use the computer for something other than a cat perch. I,m still painting and showing my work. I put on an annual"Cat Art" show for a no-kill shelter that I have been affiliated with for years. Last year it raised $12,000! If you know anyone who might want to participate, let me know. If something sells, the artist must donate 50% to the shelter. I'm coming back to the dalley this year. Who's playing? I would so love to see the Detroit Cobras! Maribel was in Fresh Hell and she was great! Do you know anything about Rodriguez? We used to talk on the phone every few months, but he seems to have dropped off the face of the earth. What about John Shannon...did you know him? Again, my apologies for the overt hostility!
Diana Bonner
Posted on Thursday, May 31, 2007 - 6:17 pm:   

When I had a show at the Willis, Dave (blondish, nice guy) was the director. He also had a little gallery in a dilapidated Victorian house in the corridor and at "the Bank" where I also had a show.
Diana Bonner
Posted on Friday, June 01, 2007 - 12:04 am:   

Dave Roberts, thats his name. He was the director for awhile. Does anyone know what he's doing now? He said something very kind to me once. I must have been looking forlorn or something and he told me he had always beleived in me. Sometimes a kind word makes a more lasting impression than a harsh one. I must have too much time on my hands today because I keep coming back online! Would love to communicate with any old friends.
chris whittey
Posted on Thursday, July 19, 2007 - 4:19 pm:   

I'd like to know if anyone has information on some folks I was very close to back in the day; Mike Zimmerman (I think he bailed for Chicago in the mid 80's), Renee Mcphail, and Marcie Paul (I think she's still in Michigan). Thanks.
Diana Bonner
Posted on Monday, July 23, 2007 - 7:30 pm:   

I talk to Mike Zimmerman and e-mail him on a regular basis. He has lived in Berlin for about 15 years and had a nightclub over there for about a decade. He's doing some painting again (the nightclub took up most of his time before) I'll tell him you inquired about him.
Stephen Goodfellow (Admin)
Username: Admin

Registered: 6-2003
Posted on Tuesday, August 21, 2007 - 10:40 am:   

I have passed a message of your post on to Marcie Paul - how can she get in touch with you?
Fletcher Long
Posted on Wednesday, August 22, 2007 - 10:41 am:   

dearest di-dee... wow! mikey moved to berlin, And opened a night-club? how cool is that. glad to see he went on to something fresh after our '84 kunst haus period. (paging mr orwell!)after some dod contracting work in kosovo, i bought a house in florida and live near dizzy-world. if you'd like to see some silly pics, go to myspace and do a search for "fletcheroo" would love to hear from ya! hope you have been well. saw one of your shelter benefit paintings online... do you have a web site where we can see more of your beautiful works???
Dave Roberts
Posted on Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - 8:32 pm:   

I was gallery director from late 1989 until early 1991, I think. I'll check my records and update again with accurate information. Robert Crise, Jr. was director before me, and Kiersten Armstrong came after me...
Dave Roberts
Posted on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 - 12:16 am:   

OK, this is the deal. I was Director of the Willis during from late 1989 when I took over from Robert Crise, Jr. until the first week of January in 1991. My curatorial period began in January 1990.

I curated a very active schedule of programs, art exhibitions and events for 1990 including:
January 5 performance featuring Spanking Bozo and Double T
Jan 10 - 27 "Geometry" Brian Kain and Lori Rubeling
Jan 31 - Feb 10 "Niels Bohr/'Round Midnight" Dennis Summers
February 16 performance featuring Steam-Freize and the Gories
Feb 21 - March 10 "NFS Its Work By Mark Schwing" Mark Schwing
March 21 - April 7 "Peterboro: Urban Side Show, Yo" Christine Burchnall, David Marion and Mike Slattery
Performance on March 17 featuring X-Youth
Performance on March 23 by Trondant Shaman
April 16 - 22 "Open Corridor" Earth Week - Various Artists
April 27- May 7 "Nine Detroit Area Artists" Delia Antworth, Nancy Busch, Jan Dean, John Barry Kennedy, Aviva Kramer, Jaymes Leahy, Michelle Montone, Liane Noddin and Joann Thornton
May 16 - June 2 "The Eyes of Three" Photography by Tim Bies, James Ransweiler II and Steve Shaw
June 5 - 16 "Women Of Buckham" Members of Flint's Buckham Fine Arts Project Robin Bucalo, Nancy Toth-Moran, Jan Murdock, Jan Surface-Terwall and Sharon Wysocki
June 20 - 30 Peter Lenzo
July 11 - 28 "Eye Screw" Tim Caldwell, Rick Leider and Joe Sopkowicz
August 1 - 25 "Festival Of The Swamps: Detroit"
concurrent exhibition August 8 - 25 "The Art Of W. Howard Armstrong (Louie Bluie)"
August 18 performance by Yeti Sanction and Drop
August 25 performance by W. Howard Armstrong (Louie Bluie) and The Don't Look Now Jug Band
September 1 "The Best Of Buddha" performed by Conducent
Sept 5 - 22 Exchange show with Vox Populi gallery in Philadelphia. (Philadelphia artists at the Willis, Detroit artists in Philly)
September 26 - Oct 13 "I Told Jesus It Would Be Alright If He Changed My Name" R. Rico Berry
October 16 - November 3 Diana Bonner, John Shannon and Kim Webb
November 7 - 24 "Gang of 17" A retrospective on 4470 2nd curated by Bryant Tillman and Judy Kunesh, works by Margaret Ashcraft, Rebecca Cook, Mary Ellen Croci, Renee Dooley, Maurice Greenia, Jr., Judy Kunesh, Ruth Lampkins, Rick leider, Mike Mikolowski, David Morowski, Joe Murray, Mary Noon, Carol Sinclair, Joe Sopkowicz, Bryant Tillman and Vito Valdez
December 19 - January 5 1991 "Murder City Comix: The Exhibition" Local and national graphic and comic artists Featuring Kent Myers with S. Clay Wilson, Trina Robbins, Bill Griffith, R. Malice, Robert Williams, R. Crumb, Glenn Barr, Spain and more.
December 21 performances by Nervo-Beats, Hysteric Narcotics, 3-D Invisibles and the Murdertones
Dave Roberts
Posted on Wednesday, May 20, 2009 - 12:22 am:   

I look at that and can hardly believe it was just one year....
Gary Eleinko
Posted on Saturday, July 24, 2010 - 12:52 pm:   

Stephen,
I had a one person show there in 1983, which I thought was in Gilda's period, but don't see it listed there so maybe the one before or after depending on her dates.
Also I was the director for the 1986/87 season, and can forward the shows to you later, when I look in my files.
Stephen Goodfellow (Admin)
Username: Admin

Registered: 6-2003
Posted on Thursday, July 29, 2010 - 1:49 am:   

Hi Gary, I have updated the Willis (late period) on the website, reflecting your additional information - thanks so much!

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