Susan Goethel Campbell | Surroundings: Ferndale
Upcoming exhibition
Obras
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Susan Goethel CampbellSoundings No. 1, 2025Procion dyes, collage on sewing, hand-cut perforations on Japanese paper55 x 59.5 inches -
Susan Goethel CampbellAegean Narrative No. 1 , 2025Procion dyes, embroidery, collage, hand-cut perforations on Japanese paper38 x 43.25 inches
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Susan Goethel CampbellAegean Narrative No. 2 , 2025Procion dyes, embroidery, collage, hand-cut perforations on Japanese paper38.25 x 58.25 inches
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Susan Goethel CampbellAegean Narrative No. 3, 2025Procion dyes, embroidery, collage, hand-cut perforations on Japanese paper38.5 x 58 inches
Press release
David Klein Gallery is pleased to announce the grand opening of their new gallery headquarters at 678 Livernois Street, Ferndale, Michigan. A two day opening celebration will take place on Friday, July 11 beginning at 5 PM and continuing into the evening, and on Saturday, July 12, from 12 PM to 6 PM. The opening exhibition features new work on paper by Ferndale-based artist Susan Goethel Campbell and large scale ceramic sculpture by Detroit-based artist Ebitenyefa Baralaye.
The celebratory opening event on Friday evening features a selection of wines by Elie Wine Company. Owner Elie Boudt, is a Ferndale resident and gallery neighbor. Sounds will be provided by At the Moment (atm) and complimentary valet parking will be available. On Saturday the celebration continues with wines by Elie Wine Company. At 1:00 PM there will be an artist talk and gallery walk-through with Susan Goethel Campbell.
“This move is not just about a new space, it’s about investing in Ferndale’s future as a destination for the arts,” says gallery founder David Klein. “With restaurants, cafes, photography studios, framing shops, and a growing creative community, Livernois is becoming a premiere art corridor for metro Detroit. We are thrilled to be part of that momentum and help bring even more visibility to the area. It’s energizing and exciting.”
The exhibition Ebitenyefa Baralaye, Foundations + Susan Goethel Campbell, Soundings showcases the work of two artists from distinct backgrounds, ethnicities, and artistic objectives, intersecting at a mid-point in their already-established careers. Campbell’s background in printmaking and Baralaye’s expertise in ceramics have significantly shaped their artistic journeys. However, each artist has utilized their respective crafts to cultivate a distinctive style that transcends their initial disciplines.
Campbell’s newest entry into her continuing investigation of life’s natural cycles began during her recent residency on the Greek Island of Skopelos, where the heat and light-drenched environment called into being some of the artist’s most vibrant and exuberant work to date. Intense colors, like those she observed in the sea and in the brilliant bougainvillea growing against the stark white of stuccoed buildings, create an expression of pure chromatic joy.
Ebitenyefe Baralay’s mixed media and ceramic artworks mark a clear contrast to Campbells’ in spirit, material and ambition. In contrast to Campbell’s lyrical reflections on nature’s evanescence, Baralaye’s solid and silent beings present as avatars of permanence. These stately human forms emerge, Lazarus-like, from Baralaye’s subterranean home studio in east Detroit, nearly life-size and registering an ambiguous presence. The clay effigies are created using the coil method, traces of which remain on the surfaces of the figures…… in the case of Standing Figure II the artist applied sinuous surface marks in slip that loosely reference traditional Yoruba body painting.
K.A. Letts, June 2025
