I See Nude People...

Park West Gallery changed the course of art history forever, and the history of two nudist truck drivers from Tennessee.

By Johnathon,
Cruise Ship Art Auctioneer

One of my first assignments as an auctioneer with Park West was on a ship that had been chartered for a nudist cruise. The charter client was an independent group that organized nudists from all around the world for a cruise which by anyone’s standards was very…free spirited.

Nearly all the guests were either partially or fully nude, all day long. Some were old, some were young, some were fit, some were not so fit, but everyone was completely uninhibited.

For a small town boy from the Midwest, this was one of the most outrageous things I had ever experienced. In the end, I ended up being humbled by the kindness, generosity, and tastefulness of the nudist movement, and having made several friends who are foes of clothing.

Many people became collectors that cruise, and it ended up being a very enlightening time for me. I’m so conservative that I shower wearing a full suit -- so I am not joining a colony anytime soon -- but one of the great joys of travel is stepping outside your comfort zone, so I appreciated the experience. My favorite memory is of a couple named Bill and Julie. I will never forget them as long as I live, and I try to tell their story to as many people who will listen.

Bill and Julie are over-the-road truck drivers from Tennessee. They happen to also be naturalists (nudists) in their spare time. They fell in love with the history and importance that surrounds the art of world-famed artist Peter Max. All cruise long, we spoke of Peter Max and reviewed The Art of Peter Max book, by Dr. Charles Riley III, cover to cover. I told them of Max’s accomplishments, which among other things includes how he evolved from a visionary pop artist of the 1960's to a master of neo-expressionism, and how his techniques of vibrant color have become a part of the contemporary American culture.

In his global causes, Peter Max is a passionate environmentalist and defender of human and animal rights. Max often uses American symbols in his artwork and has done paintings and projects for Presidents Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton. In 1994, Max created a "Peace Accord" painting for the White House to commemorate the historic signing. Max has completed his fourth Grammy Award poster, redesigned NBC television's symbolic peacock, was appointed as the official artist for 5 Super Bowls, the World Cup USA, the U.S. Tennis Open, and the NHL all-star game. He created six poster images in response to the September 11th attacks, the proceeds of which were donated to the September 11th, Twin Towers, and Survivors relief funds.

Of course, Bill and Julie were impressed by Max’s background, and even more importantly they could see the value in collecting an artist such as Peter Max. They ended up collecting a mixed-media work by Max – and as it turned out – a lot of other art as well. Their biggest concern was figuring out where to hang the piece. Since they were on the road all the time in their truck, we suggested that they hang it in the “sleeper,” which is the bedroom area behind the cockpit of the big rig they called home. I think there was also some talk of hanging it in one of their parents' homes until one day they could enjoy it full-time at their own home. I don’t know what became of that piece, but to this day I love to think of it hanging in the back of their 18-wheel home.

For a long time after this cruise I kept in touch with Bill and Julie, and I’m not sure that I ever did enough to tell them how important meeting them and helping them to collect their art was for me. When someone asks - How can you do this? How can you work at sea for so long? - my answer is easy to understand. I get a chance to impact art history and peoples' lives in a small but special way…How can I not do this?

Everyone knows that for centuries art was primarily for people of influence and means. Park West Gallery has taken art out of the hands of the elite few, and placed it into the hands of people from all walks of life…granting an opportunity, if only on one wall, in one area of their home, for every single person to be privileged.

Park West is bringing privilege to every person and changing the world of art one work of art at a time. Can you imagine if you had told the world 100 years ago that the largest art dealer in the world today would have become so by selling art to – among others – nudist truck drivers? That’s the Park West experience. I’m proud to be part of it.

Park West Gallery: Breaking ART NEWS!

Attention Park West Gallery Newsletter fans - the March issue is here!

> CLICK HERE TO READ ISSUE 7

> CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

This month's features include:

• Park West Gallery Spring Sale 2009,
• Agam Installation at Upcoming Kaohsiung World Games,
• CEO Offers Expert Tips on Art Collecting,
• The Personal Collection of Park West Gallery’s Director,
• Going Once...Going Twice...Buying Art at Sea,
• Park West Gallery Celebrates 40 Years,
• ...And More!

Park West Artists at Sea: Fanch Ledan

Artists are hanging up their brushes and testing their sea legs to launch a program intended to enhance the Celebrity guest’s cruising experience.

By Cassandra,
Cruise Ship Art Auctioneer

Fanch Ledan boarded the Celebrity Constellation with the intention to initiate as much involvement with the guests as possible. His charming French demeanor and his readiness to greet guests assured a sensational first night onboard. Even if they were not previously involved in art, their chance to meet the world renowned artist quickly sparked their interest.

The next day was a live interview with the cruise director. The vision of the artist was discussed and the floor was opened for questions and answers. The intimate crowd was quite enthused to have personal insight to the artist’s world and was eager to hear more.

After the interview came the first auction. A live art auction is always a guaranteed crowd pleaser. When one of the artists is present to comment on his works it becomes a truly electrifying event . Mr. Ledan would humbly inform the crowd of the inspiration and significance behind each work of art -- information that even the most knowledgeable art dealer might be unable to provide. His words narrated a story behind each work and embedded emotional ties into the crowd. Many of these guests soon became Fanch Ledan art collectors.

Over many dinner discussions, the word spread fast throughout the ship that there was a special artist onboard. The gossip was that he was fun, friendly and most of all, approachable. Many guests commented on his amicability and his willingness to discuss his many experiences as an artist. The art gallery was busy for the next few days; mainly with signatures, photo shoots and lengthy conversations.

The second auction was an even bigger hit than the first. By that time, the whole ship had access to the live interview with Fanch, which had been broadcast into all the staterooms during the port days. The artist sailing was the buzz on the ship -- everyone wanted to come and check out the world renowned artist that Park West Gallery had brought to them.

Park West Gallery prides itself on creating a comfortable and informal environment for people to collect fine art. They understand that art collecting has a veneer of elitism and they succeed in actively demolishing that perception. Bringing art to the people is their mission. Bringing the artist that created the art to the people is even more poignant. Celebrity guests, quickly turned art connoisseurs, had a cruise experience of a lifetime. Many of them will forever own a fine work of art that they will be able to enjoy for the rest of their lives. It will always remind them of the great relationships that were built with the artist and the art dealers while they sailed the seas on the Celebrity Constellation.

Park West Gallery Art Auctions at Sea Featured on CNBC

Park West Gallery cruise art auctions were featured on CNBC's new documentary "Cruise Inc. Big Money on the High Seas"!

Show Summary: It's the ultimate getaway... an exclusive look inside the $30-billion cruise industry. Correspondent Peter Greenberg spends seven days aboard the Norwegian Pearl, one of the newest in Norwegian Cruise Line's fleet.

The 15-story floating city is a destination of its own. It's a hotel, a shopping mall, a casino and full-service Spa - sailing the oceans of the world.

Agam Installation Exemplifies Peace for Upcoming Kaohsiung World Games

Photo courtesy of Ron Schimon

Article Copyright © 1999-2009 The Taipei Times. All rights reserved.

Artist weaves time into his work

Regular art is frozen in time and never changes. Yaacov Agam, a pioneer in ‘kinetic art’ and the creator of an installation in Kaohsiung, changed that

By Jenny W. hsu, Staff Reporter
Tuesday, Feb 24, 2009

At just about 1.52m tall, the 81 year-old, white-bearded Yaacov Agam may walk with a bit of a wobble, but he towers as a giant in the art world as he craftily manipulates colors to spread his message: Time can be defied, life is full of infinite possibilities and God is omniscient.

Best known as a forward-thinking pioneer in the optical and kinetic art field, the son of rabbi has impressed many with his abstract sculptures that use the fourth dimension, or time, as his main element.

The creator of the Agamograph — graphic art that expands beyond the traditional still-life — Agam arranges his images in a constant changing form, with the result that images appear and disappear, with the viewer never seeing the whole picture at once.

“My endeavor,” he once said, “has been to create a kind of visual graphic art, existing not only in space, but in time, one in which the form develops and evolves, thus procuring an unforeseeable infinity of plastic situations flowing out of one another."

The piece Agam created for the upcoming World Games in Kaohsiung, titled Peaceful Communication with the World, perfectly exemplifies his philosophy.

The breathtaking monument is Agam’s first and only public art display in Taiwan. The piece consists of nine 10m high hexagon pillars positioned in diamond formation — or square, depending on where you are standing.

All 54 sides of the nine pillars are painted in different patterns and hues, totaling more than 180 shades. A closer look reveals that the one side of each pillar is also lined to segment the structure into sections.

The purpose of the segment, he said, is that as children grow, their perception of the pillar will change because they will see whole different pillar as their eyes hit at a different height.

Through this method, I defy time, he said.

Pointing to a watercolor painting on a wall in his hotel room, he said: “That painting will always look like that no matter when you look at it. But when people look at my art, they will always see something totally new at a different stage of life."

His art also “becomes alive,” he said, when people move around throughout the pillars. A little more than 2cm to the right, a step to the left, 30cm higher, 1m lower, a girl dressed in yellow is holding hands with a man in black, a child with a blue hat hugs his mom in a purple dress, everything is in constant motion, always changing.

“As the people wearing different color of clothing weave through the pillars, they become part of the art piece. They are an element that makes the piece non-static,” he said.

Recalling the story of Noah’s ark from the Bible, when God sent down a rainbow after the flood as a promise of hope that he would never send a flood again, Agam said the reason he used a rainbow in his piece was that as Taiwan will be welcoming visitors from all over the world during the games, “the rainbow [represents] the unity of difference.”

The symbolism of the number “nine” behind the piece comes from the Arabic number, which is shaped like a person, while the number eight resembles the symbol for infinity. Combined, the two numbers mean that “life is full of infinite possibility and time does not end,” he said.

Agam’s piece can be seen in the front quad of the sports coliseum that will be used during the World Games in July.

Original article posting

View selections from the Yaacov Agam collection at Park West Gallery

Park West Gallery Director Morris Shapiro Featured in Detroit Jewish News

Article & Images courtesy of The Detroit Jewish News Online

PLATINUM: Decor - Art & Soul
Peek inside the personal collection of Park West Gallery’s director.

WRITTEN BY KHRISTI ZIMMETH
PHOTOGRAPHS BY GENE MEADOWS

A large work by Marc Chagall hangs in the front hall of Morris and MaryAnn Shapiro's Novi home.

"It's definitely one of my favorites," the 56-year-old Park West Gallery director says of Le Mariage, a 1976 aquatint framed in black that depicts a traditional Jewish wedding. "We bought it for each other as a wedding gift."

A tour of the Shapiros' contemporary home reveals more than 100 other works, all with personal meaning. Hanging over the living-room sofa is a large contemporary piece by Miro; and nearby, the small gold-framed Portrait of Jan Lutman the Goldsmith is by Rembrandt. In the family room, a large piece by Detroit artist Marcus Glenn hangs over the fireplace. Other walls hold a Matisse-like drawing, works by 1998 World Cup artist Linda LeKinff and mysterious and otherworldly images by New York artist Robert Kipniss. Many share Shapiro's Jewish heritage.

"I don't have a traditional art collection, per se," he explains. "I'm immersed in art. My collection is eclectic and based on personal experiences and relationships with artists. Each means something special to me."

Working with Southfield's 63,000-square-foot Park West Gallery has enabled Shapiro to meet many of the artists whose work now hangs in the home he shares with MaryAnn and 14-year-old daughter Amanda. Three other children - Mia, Myles and Mason - are grown. A family portrait by artist Peter Max hangs over the living room's grand piano, and a tour of his collection is sprinkled with stories and reminiscences of artists he has been fortunate enough to meet and work with.

Working directly with artists is one of the best parts of the job, he says, and a dream since he was a child. Shapiro grew up in Chicago in the 1950s and '60s. His mother, he says, decorated the house with gaudy French Provincial furniture and accessories. "It was really hideous," he remembers. "There was no art on the walls, so I made my own. I drew and painted in part to rebel against my parents."

Thumbing through a book on the Holy Land one day in his parents' library, he came across a woodcut of Adam and Eve by Albrecht Durer. "I was mesmerized by the contours and lines and Durer's use of space," he says. "From that moment on, I was smitten.

"He eventually followed Durer into drawing, going on to study at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. While there, he shifted his emphasis from studio art to art history and art criticism, later working at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts before returning to the Windy City to pursue another passion - music.

After playing the drums professionally for a time, Shapiro took a position as gallery director for Chicago's Merrill Chase Galleries, where he worked from 1977-1983. In 1983, he came to Detroit to head Park West's retail gallery, where he's been ever since.

After 25 years, he's still passionate about the company's philosophy of bringing art to the public.

"In many ways, art has been taken away from the people and made less accessible," he says. "It's gratifying to be able to swing the pendulum back and to allow people to experience art firsthand."

While Shapiro is serious about his art, not all of his art is serious. Another favorite piece in his collection is a drawing by animator Chuck Jones, dedicated to daughter Amanda. "It was really neat to meet him," Shapiro says.

While eclectic, Shapiro says his collection reflects his interests and his life. He's passionate about reading, writing and music and loves to travel. He participates in jazz jam sessions whenever possible and is currently collaborating with Amanda, a burgeoning singer-songwriter, on her first demo recording. He enjoys spending time with his first grandchild, Matthew.

A member of Temple Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield, Shapiro also is passionate about his family and his faith. He believes it "is about being appreciative of the blessings I have in life, the sanctity of family, the observance of and passing on of tradition," he says. "My religion also provides for me a perspective of how short life is, how miniscule and insignificant we are, how God's creations are miraculous and infinite and how fortunate [we are] for every day we are given. Each day is a gift of inestimable value."

He believes others interested in collecting art should follow the same philosophy, allowing art to enhance their life, not just their wallets.

"Knowing what you like is the entrance into the art world," he says. "People should buy art because they love it. It should be collected for its emotional and spiritual benefits, not its financial benefits. It's really the only way to go." Read More

Porthole Magazine: Going Once...Going Twice...Buying Art at Sea with Confidence

The April 2009 issue of Porthole Magazine features Park West Gallery in an article entitled "Going Once...Going Twice...Buying Art at Sea with Confidence":

Art auctions at sea have become one of the most talked-about activities on cruise ships around the world. Many passengers are introduced to the idea of collecting fine art for the first time at these glamorous onboard events. The paintings and prints on display are beautiful; the auctioneers are informative and engaging. But how can newcomers to art get past their initial reluctance to participate? ...Read the Full Article

Park West Gallery Spring Sale: Ideal for All Your Spring Gift-Giving Needs

Fine art and jewelry treasures make perfect
birthday, Mother's Day and graduation gifts

SOUTHFIELD, MI, March 19, 2009 -- Plan a spring outing to the elegant Park West Gallery. Tour 3-1/2 acres of beautiful galleries and gardens while shopping for unique birthday, Mother's Day and graduation gifts.

From now through May 15th, more than 250 works will be on display from some of the world's greatest artists including Rembrandt, Picasso, Linda Le Kinff, Marcel Mouly, Goya, Simon Bull, Dali, Marcus Glenn, and Itzchak Tarkay. Customers can find the perfect gift in Park West's outstanding collection, which features paintings, jewelry and even autographed sports memorabilia. In honor of Park West's 40th anniversary, some prices will be reduced by as much as 40 percent.

Sale hours: Monday-Wednesday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. / Thursday, Friday 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. / Saturday 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sale items are also featured on the web at the Park West Seasonal Sale.

Park West Gallery is located at 29469 Northwestern Highway, Southfield.

Go Green! The Park West Gallery "Emerald" Collection

GO GREEN!

Get into the spirit of St. Paddy's Day with Artwork that will have you seeing GREEN!

View the Park West Gallery "Emerald" Collection

Emerald Harbor by Igor Medvedev

Park West Gallery Blog Poll #4: The Results

Thank you to all who participated in Park West Gallery's Blog Poll #4!

Question: I typically collect artwork from...?

Here are the results:

Art Galleries = 41%

Art Fairs = 38%

Art Auctions = 17%

Internet Websites = 4%

Flea Markets/Garage Sales = 0%

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Be sure to vote in this week's poll:

Question: If you could dine with any of the following masters, who would you choose?

• Salvador Dali
• Pablo Picasso
• Joan Miro
• Marc Chagall
• Rembrandt van Rijn

Voting ends Tuesday, March 24 at 9am EST

Park West Gallery Presents Japanese Woodcuts

The Park West Gallery
Japanese Woodcut Collection

VIEW ARTWORK

SUBJECTS IN JAPANESE PRINTS

The Genji Phenomenon The 'Tale of Genji', perhaps the first complete novel, was written by Lady Murasaki Shikibu in the eleventh century. A tale of Haian court life and the love adventures of the noble prince, the book is filled with descriptions of daily life in one of the most elegant courts in human history. Beginning with the famous Genji scrolls painted some two hundred years after the book was complete, Japanese artists have turned to the novel as a source of reference. The innovative woodblock artists of Edo, always with fruitful imagination, put the elegant Hein court in a time warp, dressing Genji and friends, as well as their surroundings, in the latest fads and fashions of the Yoshiwara.

Bijn-Ga (Pictures of Beautiful Women) By 1617, all the brothels in Edo were concentrated in one place, and were licensed for prostitution. After a disastrous fire in 1657, the New Yoshiwara emerges. In addition to brothels, there were restaurants, bath houses, wresting matches, great Kabuki theaters, and puppet shows. The courtesan was a star. She displayed the latest fashions in clothing and hairstyles. In the prints, we recognize her easily. Her obi is tied in front, and her hairdo is elaborate. She is often barefoot or wearing high geta (sandals). She carries a wad of tissues when on her way to a love adventure. She is often seen with apprentices -- the shinzo, who are in training learning specialized techniques, and the kamuro, younger girls as yet still learning social graces (often seen in pairs). Teahouse attendants and geisha dress less elaborately, often wearing "tabi" socks. The geisha were entertainers, not courtesans. Married girls have had their eyebrows shaved. Young girls wear bright colors and gay patterns; older women wear subtler colors and small designs. It was a custom to blacken the teeth.

Kabuki The work kabuki developed from the word "kabuku", meaning "fashionable". During the Edo period the theater was both fashionable and popular. Leisured wives and daughters of merchants, as well as ladies of the court, attended with regularity the only outside entertainment to which respectable women could go. Many of these women became friends and lovers of the famous actors. Most had to settle for portrait prints of their favorites. Women were not allowed to perform; therefore, men played the parts of women becoming truly believable in their role of the onnagata. Every aspect of the actors' lives were depicted in woodblock prints, providing an inexhaustible supply of subject matter for artists.

Wrestlers To the Japanese, wrestling (sumo) is as much spiritual as physical. Formal techniques involve two hundred or so hand motions. In Edo, wrestlers, often owned by daimyo (feudal lords) were pitted against each other and graded accordingly. The various grades can be distinguished by hairstyles and the ornamentation of the ceremonial aprons. Although the Japanese are a small race, the sumo are tall and massively proportioned. The rope girdle with hanging gehei fringe indicated the highest rank of a wrestler.

VIEW COLLECTION

Park West Gallery in Fine Art Magazine, Spring 2009

Park West Gallery Celebrates 40 Years

By JAMIE ELLIN FORBES for Fine Art Magazine, Spring 2009

Ruby - The 40th Anniversary Gemstone - Possesses an Eternal Inner Flame, a Symbol That the Passion is Still Very Alive and Strong After Four Decades

Albert Scaglione infused his enthusiasm as a collector, connoisseur, art lover, and accomplished businessman at the 40th year anniversary of Park West Gallery in an exciting three-day event this past summer in its hometown of Southfield, Michigan. A mixture of seasoned dealers, well known, accomplished artists, and collectors hailing from all over the globe attended the festivities, boosting the high-energy level of Park West Gallery's festive event. A fever of excitement hung in the air as the opportunity to meet, greet, and mingle with all forty artists, film makers, book writers, publishers, and art specialists was present to those in attendance. The 63,000 sq. ft. space was filled with a retrospective presentation in a league with international showcase expositions and was viewed by a vibrant group of movers and shakers.

Good food, entertainment, discussion and art presentations were laced throughout the well-planned event. On display was a full spectrum of each artist - past and present - in a vetted palette of imagery displayed. Walls containing a retrospective of works and the current images of the artists in attendance were displayed in a salon-like environment. This offered the art enthusiast space to comprehensively view each artist's body of work while this impressive collective of artists exchanged creative vision freely, making for quite the rarefied atmosphere.

Among those on hand for the revelries were Agam, Peter Max, Itzchak Tarkay, Thomas Kinkade, Csaba Markus, Linda Le Kinff, Alfred Gockel, Marcel Mouly, Scott Jacobs, Howard Behrens, Fanch Ledan and many, many others. The celebration was driven by a blend of Albert Scaglione's enthusiasm and the dynamic energies offered by these international artists during the gracious three-day festivities...READ MORE

Bottom row, from left: Simon Bull, Jay Lefkowitz, Mark Kanovich, Victor Spahn, David Najar, Alfred Gockel, Marko Mavrovich, and Dominic Pangborn. Middle row, from left: Wendy Schaffer, Anatole Krasnyansky, Holland Berkley, Albert Scaglione, Itzchak Tarkay, Morry Shapiro, Csaba Markus, Noah, and Toby Bluth. Top row, from left: Harrison Ellenshaw, Hua Chen, Peter Nixon, Alexander Chen, Kevin Miles, Yuval Wolfson, Jean-Claude Picot, Lisa Grubb, Nano Lopez, Fanch Ledan, Debra Tritico, James Coleman, Charles Lee, Yolanda Glenn, Marcus Glenn, Dick Duerrstein, Andrew Bone, Tom Murray, and Howard Behrens.

Park West Gallery CEO Offers Expert Tips on Art Collecting

Albert Scaglione, CEO of Park West Gallery, is featured in the Spring 2009 issue of Centralight: Central Michigan University Alumni Magazine. In the article entitled Art for All: Gallery Owner Spreads Joy of Appreciation, writer Barbara Sutherland Chovanec spoke to Scaglione about his mission to "make art accessible to everyone" and got his 5 Expert Tips for art collectors.

Scaglione explained, "It's invigorating - the idea that we can get more people exposed to art. Our business model has been to get the art to the people. We very much love to be the people who teach you and introduce you to art."

To help achieve his goal, the founder of Park West Gallery donates significant gifts of artwork to various institutions and universities, including Central Michigan, in order to create what Scaglione calls "living museums."

How to Buy Fine Art: Albert Scaglione, founder and owner of Park West Gallery, offers 5 Expert Tips to help collectors have a positive art-buying experience:

1. Let your own taste drive you. Buy what you like, not what someone else says you should like.
2. Do your research. Find out about the artist, if the price seems logical, whether or not there have been previous owners and where the art has been displayed.
3. Know who you're dealing with - the artist or the company. Be sure the people who are selling your art to you know what they're talking about.
4. Consider an appraiser. They have the resources to do research for you.
5. Enjoy your choice. You should experience joy - an uplifting feeling.

For more information please visit http://www.parkwestgallery.com/

Park West Gallery Blog Poll #3: The Results

Thank you to all who participated in Park West Gallery's Blog Poll #3!

Question: If you were renowned as a “master artist”, in which medium would your skills be recognized?

Here are the results:

Oil Painting = 37%

Drawing/Sketching = 20%

Acrylic Painting = 19%

Watercolor Painting = 12%

Sculpture = 12%

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Be sure to vote in this week's poll:

Question: I typically collect artwork from...?

• Art Galleries
• Art Auctions
• Internet Websites
• Flea Markets/Garage Sales
• Art Fairs

Voting ends Tuesday, March 17 at 9am EST

FREE Artwork Offer from Park West Gallery

FREE Seriolithograph : Practice II by Hua Chen

Receive this 9 5/8" x 7" Chen seriolithograph FREE for only $4.95 shipping & handling.

Please call Park West Gallery @ 800.521.9654 x 1290 to take advantage of this special offer.

One per customer / Only $4.95 Shipping & Handling / U.S. residents only / Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery.

Park West Gallery FREE Giveaway: Twitter Contest #1

Park West Gallery is giving away a FREE PRIZE to one of our Twitter followers!!

Prize Details and Contest Rules are as follows:

THE PRIZE

The winner will receive Linda Le Kinff: The Graphic Work, a 278-page hard cover book featuring a chronology and a beautiful, full-color retrospective of the artist's work. The book also contains a foreword written by Anthony F. Janson, co-author of History of Art - the most widely used textbook on fine art ever written; and a biographical essay contributed by Joseph Jacobs - art historian, author, critic, and former Curator at the Newark Museum.

Visit Linda Le Kinff's website

CONTEST RULES

1. The winner must be following Park West Gallery (@ParkWestGal) on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ParkWestGal
2. The winner must Tweet the following message on their Twitter feed:
   
   Follow Park West Gallery ( @ParkWestGal ) for a chance to win a FREE artist coffee table book! Details --> http://twurl.nl/4y27c1
3. One winner will be randomly selected when @ParkWestGal reaches 500 followers (hopefully this will be sooner than later)!
4. The winner will be announced in an upcoming Blog Post and on Twitter.
5. The winner will be asked to Direct Message @ParkWestGal with their shipping address.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!

Park West Gallery Blog Poll #2: The Results

Thank you to all who participated in Park West Gallery's Blog Poll #2!

Question: If you could collect any famous painting which would you choose?

Here are the results:

Van Gogh's Starry Night =33%

Monet's Water Lilies =32%

Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa =15%

Dali's Persistance of Memory =12%

Picasso's Guernica =8%

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Be sure to vote in this week's poll:

Question: If you were renowned as a “master artist”, in which medium would your skills be recognized??

• Acrylic Painting
• Oil Painting
• Watercolor Painting
• Drawing/Sketching
• Sculpture

Voting ends Tuesday, March 10 at 9am EST

Park West Gallery Fundraiser - Detroit Pistons, George Blaha & Others to Participate

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. -- The Park West Foundation, a not-for-profit organization founded by Albert and Mitsie Scaglione, owners of the Park West Gallery, is presenting a lifetime achievement award to Weusi Olusola, a youth mentor and anti-violence activist who is fighting cancer.

Olusola, paralyzed following a drive-by shooting at the age of 16, has become a leading community figure in helping to educate young people about living a violence-free life.

Olusola has devoted his adult life to helping young people – speaking to thousands of youth across the United States about the dangers of gun violence. He was diagnosed with cancer in December 2008.

Mitsie Scaglione, executive director of Park West Foundation, said, “The courageous and determined efforts of Weusi Olusola on behalf of young people in danger is an inspiration to us all. His efforts have directly helped hundreds, if not thousands, of lives.”

Albert Scaglione, founder and CEO of Park West Gallery, said, “The Park West Foundation was established to assist young people in need. Weusi Olusola has dedicated his life to that mission and we are proud to recognize the extraordinary contribution he is making to our community.”

The tribute to Olusola will take place on Saturday, March 7th at 4 p.m. at Park West Gallery, 29469 Northwestern Highway in Southfield, Mich. Participants include Detroit Pistons; George Blaha, Pistons’ play-by-play announcer; and other community leaders.

RSVPs must be received by Monday, March 2nd. For more information, visit the Park West Foundation website at http://www.parkwestfoundation.com/.

A large exhibit of the work of Detroit artist Marcus Glenn will be featured at the tribute event.

ABOUT PARK WEST FOUNDATION
The Park West Foundation was formed in 2006 to provide assistance to children and families including foster care, family preservation, family life education, counseling, teen parent services, residential placement and adoption. The Park West Foundation also provides support for young women who have aged out of the foster care system. The foundation's goal is to create a more complete support system for these young women, and to eventually serve young men as well.