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Detroit Gallery to reopen after a decade

Owner says timing is risky, but that's the nature of art anyway.

Christina Speaks sinking her teeth into Detroit's art world.

by Jim Dakin

for API – July 12, 2009

DETROIT - It may be coincidence but when Jane Speaks died in the late 1990s, and her self-named gallery Jane Speaks Modern Art was shuttered, the rest of Detroit's commercial art community began to shut down as well.

A domino effect? Probably not. Yet in the last decade, twenty other major Detroit galleries have fallen by the wayside or have relocated altogether. Only New York City has surpassed that decline. Susanne Hilberry, whose own gallery has since closed and later relocated, commented at the time: Her (Jane’s) death is an enormous blow to the community.

"It has never been anything but a risk to be in this business," Christina Speaks said, "to be doing what we're doing the way we're doing it."

Christina Speaks is the daughter of Jane, and sees the gallery venture as both timely and necessary. “If we were in the middle of an economic boom, then reopening would seem insignificant. Now that we’re in bad times, it’s never been needed more.”

The two-story space, with its feeling of New York cool, significantly heightens Jane Speaks' visibility and solidifies its place among metro Detroit's two or three most important commercial galleries, including Hilberry, Klein and Lemberg.

Jane Speaks Modern Art, which was formerly located a few blocks away on Lawrence Street, focuses on what Christina describes as "progressive contemporary art," mixing figurative, abstract and conceptual styles.

It's not just Detroit’s commercial interests that have suffered from this weak economy. The city and its non-profit institutions have probably taken the biggest hit of all: cutting back on services, hours and staff. What's fresh and makes this project different from any other in the country is that Ms. Speaks will be partnering with one of the city's museums.

The gallery will provide a unique source of renewable funding for one of our landmark museums. While an artist exhibits one body of work at the museum, Jane Speaks Modern Art will concurrently offer other work for sale by that same artist, a major portion of these profits going back to its museum partner.

The two main interior spaces are designed with a typical "white-cube" look. The main first-floor space will be used for artists the gallery represents, while the spacious upstairs area will show rotating selections by those artists the museum has on exhibit.

Ms. Speaks has the space her mother always dreamed of. Now she has to survive the perilous economy and prove that the project was a risk worth taking.

is located in the Oakland Arts Complex at 7 North Saginaw, Pontiac.

The gallery's inaugural exhibit and reception will be July 25, Saturday from 3 - 6pm.

email: speaksmodernart@aol.com for more information.



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Detroit Gallery to reopen after a decade Owner says timing is risky, but that's the nature of art anyway. Christina Speaks sinking her teeth into Detroit's art world. by Jim Dakin for API – July 12, 2009 DETROIT - It may be coincidence but when Jane Speaks died in the late 1990s, and her self-named gallery Jane Speaks Modern Art was shuttered, the rest of Detroit's commercial art community began to shut down as well. A domino effect? Probably not. Yet in the last decade, twenty other major Detroit galleries have fallen by the wayside or have relocated altogether. Only New York City has surpassed that decline. Susanne Hilberry, whose own gallery has since closed and later relocated, commented at the time: Her (Jane’s) death is an enormous blow to the community. "It has never been anything but a risk to be in this business," Christina Speaks said, "to be doing what we're doing the way we're doing it." Christina Speaks is the daughter of Jane, and sees the gallery venture as both timely and necessary. “If we were in the middle of an economic boom, then reopening would seem insignificant. Now that we’re in bad times, it’s never been needed more.” The two-story space, with its feeling of New York cool, significantly heightens Jane Speaks' visibility and solidifies its place among metro Detroit's two or three most important commercial galleries, including Hilberry, Klein and Lemberg. Jane Speaks Modern Art, which was formerly located a few blocks away on Lawrence Street, focuses on what Christina describes as "progressive contemporary art," mixing figurative, abstract and conceptual styles. It's not just Detroit’s commercial interests that have suffered from this weak economy. The city and its non-profit institutions have probably taken the biggest hit of all: cutting back on services, hours and staff. What's fresh and makes this project different from any other in the country is that Ms. Speaks will be partnering with one of the city's museums. The gallery will provide a unique source of renewable funding for one of our landmark museums. While an artist exhibits one body of work at the museum, Jane Speaks Modern Art will concurrently offer other work for sale by that same artist, a major portion of these profits going back to its museum partner. The two main interior spaces are designed with a typical "white-cube" look. The main first-floor space will be used for artists the gallery represents, while the spacious upstairs area will show rotating selections by those artists the museum has on exhibit. Ms. Speaks has the space her mother always dreamed of. Now she has to survive the perilous economy and prove that the project was a risk worth taking. is located in the Oakland Arts Complex at 7 North Saginaw, Pontiac. The gallery's inaugural exhibit and reception will be July 25, Saturday from 3 - 6pm. email: speaksmodernart@aol.com for more information.