Detroit fresco artist Hubert Massey to serve as art show judge

Dr. Hubert Massey, who recently completed fresco murals at Cobo Center in Detroit, is one of the celebrity judges for this week end’s Commmunity Art Show put on by the Belleville Area Council for the Arts at the Belleville Yacht Club.
The art show opens at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2, when judges and artists will be present as prize winners are announced at 7:30 p.m.. The show is open to the public without charge. Art show hours also are from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 3, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 4.
Dr. Massey’s bold, vibrant images can be spotted throughout the Detroit metropolitan region, including Mexicantown, Greektown, the Cultural Center, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History, and Detroit Athletic Club.
An award-winning Kresge Fine Arts Fellow, his distinctive fresco murals grace the Flint Institute of the Arts and his alma mater, Grand Valley State University, where he earned an honorary doctorate of fine arts in 2012.
In 2014 the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority commissioned Massey to create the first large-scale mural completed for Cobo Center since 1987. A fresco painting, the mural features images and tells the stories of Detroit community pride. After four years of work, the fresco was dedicated in September.
Massey studied at the University of London’s Slade Institute of Fine Arts and later learned the centuries-old fresco technique from former assistants of legendary artist Diego Rivera. Today, Massey is the only known African American commissioned fresco artist in America.
He also is known for his sculptures, stained glass, and mosaics.
“Public art begins with the community it will serve,” Massey said. “In fact, after nearly 20 years of creating large-scale public works of art for various cities, communities and neighborhoods throughout the Midwest, it is my belief that public art should be, first and foremost, meaningful to those who surround it.”