Detroit — Nicole Tamer Art presents “Watching The Light,” an exhibition featuring Andrew Blake, Brian Pollock, Les Loups, Mattie Armstrong, Lance V. Wiselogle and Inga West in the Nicole Tamer Art gallery in the David Whitney Building in Downtown Detroit.
The exhibition had a community opening celebration on July 22 from 6pm-9pm, with ongoing hours from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily. Music at the opening party was provided by legendary Chances with Wolves.
The gallery originally was scheduled to open the day the Covid 19 lockdown was implemented in Michigan. After months of lockdown, a new opening was set just as the country was responding to the social injustices across the country. Delayed again and with the uncertainties of the pandemic, the gallery quietly opened in July of 2020 with the show “Finding Light”, a reflection of finding moments of peace in chaos.
Now a year later with the world opening back up Nicole Tamer Art presents “Watching the Light”, a show inspired by the moments where everything just feels exactly as it should be, even and sometimes especially when it is so challenging. With less than three weeks until the opening, a major flood threatened over half of the the shows participants. Despite lost works, flooded basements and power outages the artists continue to prevail to put together a truly inspirational show.
“Watching the Light” presents works by Ro Agents-Juska, Mattie Armstrong, Andrew Blake, Brian Pollock, Lance V. Wiselogle and Inga West. The exhibition consists of photography and paintings using multiple mediums including acrylic, oil, glitter, resin and found objects. The show highlights works that reflect each artist’s journey to heal themselves and others through their art and the magical moments in life, where everything just feels right. Through their unique experiences with mental health, as women, a veteran and being differently abled, each artist has used their fine art education and their innate talent to help them navigate the world. The gallery also hosts guest artists whose themes include criminal justice reform and social justice issues. All of our current artists have called Detroit home in one way or another.
Nicole George, gallery owner says “This show is a testament to the power of perseverance and the inspirational impact of art on the creator and observer. This show provides an opportunity for our city, our region and our state to view some truly moving pieces by some uniquely inspiring artists and reflect on a historical time in our lives while we are still working through it.”
In addition to viewing the art, visitors can enjoy the amenities offered at the David Whitney Building, including seating areas in its stunning atrium and the W XYZ bar patio that is part of the Aloft Hotel. In addition to the main gallery, the atrium, Washington Blvd. window displays and W XYZ bar has artwork from Nicole Tamer Art artists and selected works from the Detroit Artists Market. Having this exhibition hosted at the David Whitney Building allows for visitors to enjoy the works in a publicly accessible space. Patrons have used the space for working from home, picnics and both informal and formal gatherings. To reserve the space for events please contact the events coordinator at the David Whitney Building.
Please see below for details on the artists featured:
Les Loups passion lies in capturing the strange + the beautiful moments that can be found in everyday experiences. She is a spontaneous shooter, a storyteller inspired by simple moments and movements that can be incredibly revealing and evoking. Les Loups received her BFA in photography from the College for Creative Studies and also attended Parsons School of Design while studying under and working with her mentor, Mary Ellen Mark, the legendary documentary photographer. Ro’s photographs have been featured in VOGUE, THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE, BIG, CAPRICIOUS, LONNY MAGAZINE, BRIDES, THE KNOT, MARTHA STEWART, NEW YORK MAGAZINE, THECUT, HARPERS BAZAAR, HOUR DETROIT, MASS APPEAL, NYLON, TOKION, NY MAGAZINE, and more.
Brian Pollock is a Detroit born, New York based artist and free lance photographer. His works have been shown in numerous exhibits in Detroit and New York City. He is most well known for his street photography, but he is most proud of his work the Martha Graham Dance Company. His photos have been published in publications throughout the world including the Wall Street Journal.
Andrew Blake is showing select paintings from his new series which consists of patterns and geometric shapes. Andrew studied painting and printmaking at the Maryland College of Art Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. Past exhibitions include shows at Current Gallery in Baltimore, C-Pop, the Cass Café and the Scarab Club.
Mattie Armstrong has lived and worked in Detroit for the past 20 years. He studied painting, photography, and sculpture at Wayne State University. Mattie served in the United States Marine Corps for 6 years, and has traveled to every continent in the world except Antarctica.
Mattie’s unique style of primarily using squares to form larger images first started to evolve when he was looking at the grid of a canvas and saw the squares within the grid. He began to follow the pattern of that grid and the evolution of his shape work was ignited.
Lance V. Wiselogle was raised in a family of fine artists. This lifestyle led him to study painting, sculpting, and the History of the Arts throughout college. To further his education, he also attended summer internships in design and illustration at Parsons School of Design. Lance’s paintings stand out for the meticulous use of glitter, resin and sequins to bring his abstract paintings to life and dance in the light. Lance’s last show in Detroit was located in Detroit is the New Black.
Inga West is an artist and therapist living in Seattle, WA. Inga received her BFA in Fiber Arts with a minor in Illustration from Maryland Institute College of Art. Inga’s art is inspired by her balancing the practical and spiritual. Her paintings are inspired by her studies of shamanic practices in the Americas and most influenced by The Four Fold Way which is a cross-cultural, spiritual lens through the archetypes of the Visionary, The Healer, The Teacher and The Warrior.
Nicole Tamer Art specializes in contemporary fine art with a focus on emerging and established artists whose work is driven by meaning and purpose. Based in Detroit, we focus primarily on group exhibitions with special solo events.
“Squares” by Mattie Armstrong 
“Tiger” and “Lowland Gorgilla” by Mattie Armstrong 
Prints by Brian Pollock 
“Black Panther” by Mattie Armstrong 
“Pine Cone” by Mattie Armstrong 
Live music from Chances with Wolves
Thank you so much for the wonderful article. One correction: our viewing hours are 7am-10pm (not am).
Thank you again for attending and covering the show. We appreciate your thoughtfulness and wonderful pictures.