Tag: art

Florence Hunn

Florence Hunn pic

August 24, 1887 – March 24, 1984

Noted interior designer and architect Florence Ely Hunn, known to friends as Dannie, grew up in Iowa and was educated in Germany and at the University of Chicago and the Art Institute of Chicago.  Around 1917, Hunn and her life-long companion Mabel “Jims” Warren acquired a lakeshore cottage near Saugatuck, where they shared a bohemian life together for more than five decades.

Grand Rapids Press, March 25, 1984

Holland Sentinell, March 26, 1984

Florence “Dannie” Ely Hunn at Saugatuck-Douglas History Center

Lee LaForge

Lee LaForge pic

June 21, 1971 – June 3, 2016

Ishpeming native Lee Allen LaForge grew up in Republic, was a 1989 graduate of Republic-Michigamme High School, and went on to earn his Master of Science from Northern Michigan University.  He was active in the Marquette arts scene, directing and performing in local theater.  At the time of his death, LaForge worked as an adjunct professor at NMU, as a tutor, and as manager of Book World.

Bjork & Zhulkie Funeral Home

Marie Hansen

Marie Hansen pic

January 23, 1947 – July 20, 2020

Marie Anne Hansen was born in Mt. Pleasant and earned her Bachelor’s in human ecology at Michigan State University.  She later got her Masters and had a long career in student affairs in Colorado, Nebraska, and at MSU.  She was a beloved part the Lansing area lesbian community and was longtime coordinator of the local women and arts festival.  Hansen was survived by her wife Priscilla Feigenbaum.

Lansing State Journal, July 25, 2020

George Francoeur

George Francoeur pic

April 18, 1934 – August 17, 2019

George Russell Francoeur of Bloomfield Township graduated from Highland Park High School, studied design at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, and earned his MFA from the University of Michigan.  He later taught art history at Henry Ford Community College for 30 years.  Francoeur was preceded in death in 2007 by his life partner of 42 years Gerald “Jerry” Earls.

Lynch & Sons Funeral Directors

Joseph Zendell

Joseph Zendell pic

October 10, 1949 – January 15, 1995

Joseph Mattingley Zendell coordinated programs for the Michigan Council for the Arts in Detroit from 1974 to 1981.  Active in the Association of Suburban People and the Motor City Business Forum, he also served as an early financial officer with the Michigan Organization for Human Rights.  In 1982, Zendell moved to Illinois to lead the Evanston Arts Council.  He died from AIDS-related complications at age 45.

Chicago Tribune, January 21, 1995

W. Hawkins Ferry

Hawkins Ferry pic

November 18, 1914 – January 27, 1988

William Hawkins Ferry grew up in Detroit and attended Cranbrook before studying at Harvard University.  The grandson of a founder of the Detroit Institute of Arts, Ferry became a noted collector, patron, and champion of 20th century art.  An expert of architectural history, as well, his modernist 1964 home in Grosse Pointe Shores was featured in House Beautiful and Interiors magazines.

New York Times, January 28, 1988

Hawkins Ferry: The Original A-Gay

Kenneth Garnett

Kenneth Garnett pic

January 18, 1925 – September 4, 2015

Kenneth Garnett grew up in Bay City and for many decades owned and operated the Art Shoppe in Flint.  Toward the end of his life, he was a familiar face at the Pachyderm Pub.  Garnett was preceded in death by his life partner of 47 years Beverley Dunnington Wayt Jr. in 1994.

Flint Journal, September 6, 2015

Jack Pierson

Jack Pierson pic

October 11, 1913 – August 20, 1997

Flint native Jack Pierson was a fierce Leftist.  Employed by General Motors, following World War II, he and his longtime partner Robert Purcell moved to Long Island.  After Purcell’s death in 1976, Pierson returned to Michigan where he became an avid supporter of the Flint Institute of Arts, donating dozens of photographs, etchings, and lithographs to the museum.

Flint Journal, August 22, 1997

Lino Vincent Lopez Jr.

Lino Vincent Lopez Jr pic

September 30, 1963 – January 1, 2014

Novi resident Lino Vincent Lopez grew up in Holland and was general manager of Mitchell’s Fish Market restaurant in Livonia.  He was a supporter and volunteer, with life partner Todd Patrick Kananen, of Art Road.

Detroit News, January 5, 2014