HISTORY AND ART INTERSECT AT SUPERIOR ARTS MAY EVENT

Press Release

Superior Arts is hosting “History Lives Through Art” at its pop-up location at 302 S. Superior St. on May 26 and 27. Hours are 4 PM to 9 PM and Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM. A reception at 7 PM Friday highlights local Albion residents displaying their historical collections. 

Bruce Nelson will exhibit a photographic display entitled “Home Comfort: Victorian Families and Their Houses.” An owner of an Albion Victorian 1890s home, Nelson has been collecting photographs and memorabilia from that period to display.

Dick Lewin will share his collection of salt cellars. Lewin will give a presentation entitled “Salt Cellars: When It Rained, It Didn’t Pour” at 1 PM Saturday. Salt cellars can be lidded or open and are in a variety of sizes, from shared to individual. Salt cellars were used as early as classical Rome but have now largely been replaced with salt shakers due to the advent of free-flowing salt in 1911.

Albion resident Shirley Zeller’s button collection is titled “Buttons Have Stories Too.” Zeller said she became hooked on collecting when she inherited her mother’s and grandmother’s buttons. She said she saw a newspaper article about a Jackson Button Club and joined the collectibles group. Zeller said button collecting is not only the study of the history of different buttons; it’s also about new friendships and competition and offers something for all ages.

During the Superior Arts exhibition, there will be other concurrent events in downtown Albion. The Albion Historical Society is hosting an open house at the Gardner House Museum, 509 S, Superior St., for its exhibit on “Albion: People, Places and Events Before 1980.” 

Hours for the weekend are Friday, 4 PM to 9 PM, and Saturday, 10 AM to 4 PM. The exhibit runs through the end of May and is being coordinated by the Albion Historical Society. Anna’s House of Flowers at 310 S. Superior St. will offer a free red, white or blue carnation to those who stop in during the Superior Arts event hours. Yellow Bird Chocolate Shop at 306 S. Superior will have slices of cake for sale from America’s first chocolate cake recipe as a tribute to baking history.

Many downtown businesses have agreed to create window displays highlighting Albion’s history. The list includes Albion Insurance Agency, Albion District Library, Albion Malleable Brewing Co., Homestead Savings Bank, Foundry Bakehouse and Deli, Greater Albion Chamber of Commerce, Parks Drug Store, Performance Auto, Mitchell Golf, Kids’ N’ Stuff, Dr. Judy Warren, Cuts by Moose, Courtyard by Marriott and the historic Bohm Theatre.

In addition, Cascarellis, Superior Nutrition, Sterling Books’ n Brew, Smart Strength and Conditioning, Dickerson Music, Lopez Taco House, Corona Smoke Shop, Riverside Gifts and Treasures, Gaddis Impressions, Brown’s Home Furnishings, and the Albion Economic Development Corporation will display historical photos and items in their windows.  

The Superior Arts idea, according to Slater, is to bring in Albion and local area artists to highlight their artistic talents at this storefront venue. She hopes to feature different types of art, with rotating artists displaying their skills for limited weekends throughout the year.

Slater and her husband, Richard Lewin, moved to Albion in 2004 to open the Albion Heritage Bed & Breakfast which closed in 2019 when the couple retired. During that time, they hosted the annual December “Cozy Up With Art.” After closing the B& B, Slater said she missed hosting people. At the same time, they enjoyed local artists’ work and decided to open Superior Arts on a limited basis throughout the year. The venue will move around the community and host different artists and themes.

In celebration of Juneteenth, Superior Arts will host an event on June 15 and 16 celebrating Black Albion artists. The artistic showcase will be a joint venture with the Albion branch of the NAACP at the Salem United Church of Christ at 113 W. Pine St.