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Arts & Entertainment

Goodison Heritage Exhibit to Feature Painting By Charles Culver

Charles Culver painted a picture of the Paint Creek United Methodist Church.

The new local heritage exhibit, “Goodison . . . Our History Centers on the Mill,” which opens Saturday at the , will feature more than 30 paintings by local artists, including Charles Culver (1908-1967), a well-known Detroit artist, illustrator, author and jazz musician.

Culver's painting from 1943 depicts the Paint Creek United Methodist Church in Goodison.

Though painting, performing, writing and illustrating were his passions, Culver earned a living working as a commercial artist for General Motors. He also once worked as a cartoonist for the Royal Oak Tribune.

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According to his website, Culver “gained enough recognition by
the 1930s to begin receiving invitations to exhibit his paintings in galleries such as the Gordon Beer Gallery in Detroit, the Detroit Artists Market, the Michigan Artists at the DIA, and ... places like the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio.”

In the 1950s, Culver taught at Arts and Crafts – later known as the Center for Creative Studies-College of Art and Design — in Detroit. During that time, he also painted several commissions for Ford Times, a popular magazine mailed to Ford car owners.

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Opening Night Reception & Exhibit

A special opening night reception for the exhibit will be held at 6:30 p.m. Friday. The program will feature Bob Lytle, local author and owner of Lytle’s Pharmacy in downtown Rochester, reading his new poem about Goodison.

Attendees will also be treated to a special Paint Creek Cider Mill dessert created by Colin Brown, executive chef of the Royal Park Hotel, and have the opportunity to purchase a painting of the Paint Creek Cider Mill and Goodison by artist Gerry Schuchard. Money from the sale of the painting will benefit the Oakland Township Historical Society.

A limited number of tickets are available for $10 per person and can be purchased by calling the historical society at 248-693-8660.

“Goodison . . . Our History Centers on the Mill” is free and open to the public beginning Saturday. Though the exhibit runs through Dec. 3, many of the smaller memorabilia items will be on display opening weekend only and will be removed from the exhibit after Sunday.

The weekend will also include guided tours of Goodison. If you’d like to help volunteer to guide a walking tour, contact the Oakland Township Historical Society online at at 248-693-8660 or online at www.oaklandtownshiphistoricalsociety.org.

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