Blair Museum to reopen with expanded collection

Raphael's Sistine Madonna, as a lithophane, is displayed in a red glass and wood frame at the Blair Museum.

Handout not Blade photo Handout / Handout not Blade photo

Gary Bukovnik's watercolors will be on view in the Paula Brown gallery downtown.

The Blair Museum of Lithophanes has added 75 lithophanes to its display of 550, including several large panels. The museum opens for the season Saturday with 1 to 4 p.m. hours Saturdays and Sundays through September.

Docents offer free tours, and groups may visit at other times by appointment. The museum is at Toledo Botanical Garden, 5403 Elmer Drive. Information: 419-245-1356 and lithophanemuseum.org.

Gary Bukovnik's Flowers of Rome watercolors will be displayed in the Paula Brown Gallery May 8 through July 31. The public is invited to meet the artist at a 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. reception May 11. A Cleveland native, Bukovnik lives in San Francisco. The gallery is at 912 Monroe St. Information: 419-241-2822.

Intuitive artist Elaine Ulrich will paint portraits for six days beginning May 12 at Angela's Angels & Antiques, 5774 Main St., Sylvania. During private 30- and 60-minute sessions ($50 and $100), Ulrich will paint a color portrait of the subject and her or his surrounding energies. Information: 419-824-4079 and angelasangelsgifts.com.

Michiganian Susan Morosky will be feted at a 7 to 9 p.m. reception Saturday in the Hudson Gallery, 5645 North Main St., Sylvania. Her vivid acrylics on canvas appear abstract at first glance but upon further study, landscapes are discernible. Information: 419-885-8381.

Raphael's Sistine Madonna, as a lithophane, is displayed in a red glass and wood frame at the Blair Museum.

Abstracts are featured at the Toledo Artists' Club, with a show running through May 29. The club is at Toledo Botanical Garden, 5403 Elmer Drive. Information: 419-531-4079.

Also in the garden, the Spectrum Gallery features its Figure and Portrait show, May 7 to June 1 with take-ins through May 3. Information: 419-531-7769.

Resident visual artists at the Collingwood Arts Center, ranging in age from 20 to 80, show their new works in two of the center's galleries through May 23. The center is at 2413 Collingwood Blvd. Information: 419-244-2801.

Opening Saturday is an exhibit of Pete Beckmann's impressionistic paintings at the American Gallery, 6600 Sylvania Ave., through May 31. A reception with the artist will be 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday. Information: 419-882-8949.

Adornment opens with a 5 to 8 p.m. reception tomorrow in the Arts in Common Gallery, 437 South Main St., Bowling Green. Working in jewelry, textiles, ceramics, glass, and painting, artists include Craig Blair, Anna Buntain, George Clemans, Deborah Goldberg, Vicki Knauerhase, Shelly Sabo, Betty Winslow, and Susan Woodard. Information: 419- 352-3761,

Floral artist Jane Parker will speak and demonstrate her work at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in the Detroit Institute of Arts. Parker is one of Britain's foremost floral artists, and her latest book, Colour, includes glorious original designs for all occasions. Tickets are $25. Reservations: 313-833-4005.

Art Detroit Now will celebrate art and artists at galleries, museums, and studios, May 8 to 10. Among the scores of participating venues are the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center, Cranbrook Art Museum, Detroit Institute of Arts, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, and Russell Industrial Center. For a list of venues and activities, check artdetroitnow.com. Information: 248-258-8808, ext. 29.

New Fibers 2008, May 6 through June 12, contains works selected by Patricia Malarcher, editor of Surface Design Journal. It's sponsored by the Fiber Arts Network of Michigan. A reception will be 5 to 7 p.m. May 9 at the University Gallery in the Student Center, 900 Oakwood St. between Washtenaw Avenue and Huron River Drive at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti. Information: 734-487-0465.

Covered Bridges: Spanning the American Landscape features the structures and people behind the development of covered bridges through photographs, architectural schematics, and models. Opening tomorrow through June 29 at the Troy-Hayner Cultural Center, the exhibit was developed by the Historic American Engineering Record, a division of the National Park Service, and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. The center is at 301 West Main St. in Troy, Ohio. Information: troyhayner.org and 937-339-0457.

Call for artists: The Monroe City County Arts Council Juried Fine Arts Show will accept original works from people who reside, work, or attend school in Monroe County. A $15 entry fee covers up to two entries by the same artist. Pieces may be dropped off June 19 and 20 at the River Raisin Center for the Arts, 114 S. Monroe St. Submitting artists and guests may attend the juror's comments at 7 p.m. June 20 in the center. Information: 734-241-5147.