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LUDINGTON – Ludington Area Center for the Arts announces the opening of a special exhibit, “My Father’s Love” featuring the artwork of Ed Lantzer. The exhibit will be open through the summer with a presentation on Monday, July 29 at 7 p.m. discussing the artist and his work.
Todd and Brad Reed, who were instrumental in its acquisition, will also be featuring a portion of the exhibit at their gallery on Ludington Avenue. LACA is seeking volunteers to assist with the exhibit’s installation on Saturday, June 15. Please call the LACA office at 231-845-2787 for more information.
Lantzer was an artist who spent the last year of his life in the Petoskey area. He dedicated much of his life to a single creation, a series of 4-foot by 8-foot wood marquetry panels depicting narrative scenes from the Gospels of the New Testament. Each panel is crafted from hundreds of thousands of half-inch diamond shaped pieces of wood from 150 different tree species, carefully placed, depicting moments in the life of Christ through a historically significant art form rarely practiced today.
Techniques of wood marquetry, perhaps most often described as wood mosaic, were developed in Antwerp and other Flemish centers during the early 16th century. The craft was then imported full-blown to France to create furniture of unprecedented intricacy and beauty as decorative art for Versailles and other royal palaces of Louis XIV.
Lantzer improved upon the right-angle techniques of marquetry taught to him by his father, developing a way to depict curved lines in the mosaic using diamond and triangular shapes. Incredibly, all of Lantzer’s work was done with no “rough draft” on paper. Due to a bout with scarlet fever at a young age, Lantzer suffered damage to the part of the brain that allows us to write. Throughout his life, he was never able to write more than his own name. This difference in ability spurred the development of another part of the brain that most of us rarely use – the part that uses symbolism and numbers.
Lantzer was able to execute his designs directly from the images he created within his mind.
Lantzer began work on the wood mosaic murals in 1960 and continued until his death in December 2009.
My Father’s Love Foundation was formed shortly before his death to preserve his artwork and ensure its future. Lantzer greeted visitors and gave tours of the panels regularly at his private gallery in Petoskey during the last year of his life. He was committed to offering free admission to the exhibit. He felt strongly that everyone should have the opportunity to experience this work, regardless of their financial means. The panels are not for sale – Lantzer’s wish was that somehow his work may benefit unloved children whether it be spiritually, financially or artistically.
On Monday, July 29 board members from My Father’s Love Foundation will be on hand at the LACA to tell Ed Lantzer’s story and discuss the artwork; its purpose and its future. The public is invited to attend this event in the Performance Hall of the Arts Center where two 28-foot panels and an 8-foot by 8-foot by 8-foot triangular piece will be on display throughout the exhibit.
The exhibit will be installed, fittingly, on Father’s Day weekend and will be open to the public from June 18 through September 7. The exhibit is free to the public and can be viewed Tuesday-Saturday, noon-5:00pm. The Ludington Area Center for the Arts is located at 107 S. Harrison Street. For more information on the exhibit, call 231-845-2787 or visit www.ludingtonartscenter.org. For more information about Ed Lantzer and his work, visit www.myfatherslove.info.
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