Gifts from My Rainbow

Shelly's Place
Memories of Shelly
Virtual Art Gallery
Shelly's Life and Family
The Funeral
Dear Friends
Guestbook
Bird on a Tree
An Art Exhibition featuring the work of

Shelly Volk
(1991-1998)

with guest artists

Annie O'kane
and
Anat Shiftan

To see some of the art included in the exhibit visit the Virual Art Gallery section of this site.

Press Release | Times and Hours | Directions

Press Release

An art exhibit featuring the works of Shelly Volk will be held at the Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Washtenaw County this summer. Exceptionally artistic and bright, Shelly's life was tragically cut short by a brain-tumor last December at age seven.

Shelly's art demonstrates a unique sense of color, balanced compositions and exquisite detail. A prolific artist, she left hundreds of drawings and nineteen paintings on a variety of topics such as: landscapes, still-life, portraits and animals, as well as favorite childhood characters and characters she created herself. Shelly's art reflects her love of life and her love to her family and her community.

As a preschooler attending the JCC Early Childhood Center, Shelly's artistic talent was already noticeable by her teachers. At age six she started taking private lessons from Annie O'Kane, who taught art classes at the JCC and the JCC summer camp. Annie taught Shelly to work with acrylic paints and oil pastels, and presented her with stimulating challenges. Shelly's technique was constantly evolving, maturing and improving and toward the end of her life, art has become a medium of self-expression as well as a fun activity.

In addition to Shelly's paintings and a selection of her drawings, the exhibit will feature acrylic paintings by Annie O'Kane. Created after Shelly's death, these works focus on the special bond between Annie and Shelly.

The sculpture Anat Shiftan guided Shelly in exploring the medium of ceramics. In Anat's studio Shelly created plates, bowls and small clay sculptures, utilizing a variety of glazes and ceramic techniques. Shelly's clay pieces will be shown in the exhibit alongside works by Anat.

The show titled "Gifts from Yy Rainbow" will open on Sunday, June 13, with a cheese and wine reception at the Amster Gallery at the Jewish Community Center of Washtenaw County, 2935 Birch Hollow in Ann Arbor. The show will be on display for a period of five weeks, until Sunday, July 18th. A set of ten note-cards with matching envelopes, featuring Shelly's works, will be available for purchase. The note-cards are produced in Israel by Lea R. Malis Art publishers, a company owned by Shelly's grandparents. Lea R. Malis has donated the production costs of the cards, and the proceeds will benefit the Jewish Community Center and the Hebrew Day School of Ann Arbor, where Shelly was a student.

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Times and Hours

The exhibit will open on Sunday, June 13, 1999, and will remain on display until Sunday, July 18, 1999.
The Jewish Community Center Building is open Monday-Friday 8am - 6pm. Please call ahead (734) 971-0990, to coordinate a visit after 6pm and on Sundays. The building is always closed on Saturedays.

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Directions

Jewish Community Center of Washtenaw County
2935 Birch Hollow, Ann Arbor, MI 48108, tel 734.971.0990

From I-94:
Take State street North. Make right (go east) on Eisenhower. Make right (go south) on Stone School. Make another right to Birch Hollow, and an immediate right to the JCC parking lot.

From I-23:
Take Washtenaw Ave. west (to Ann Arbor). Make left (go south) on Huron Parkway. Make right (go west) on Packard. Make left (go south) on Stone School. Make another right to Birch Hollow, and an immediate right to the JCC parking lot.

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Gifts From My Rainbow
Virtual Art Gallery