The DeVos Art Museum (yes...you read that correctly...it's actually called The DeVos Art Museum!), is located on the campus of Northern Michigan University. The name has nothing to do with the band, of course...but it did lead to Mark Mothersbaugh showing his work there. I thought it would be very appropriate for Mark to show at a gallery named DeVos, and they agreed!

Melissa Matuscak is the director & curator for The DeVos Art Museum, and was very instrumental in making this show a reality. I contacted her in late 2007 on a tip given to me by a student at Northern Michigan University, about a museum named DeVos (!) and I presented the idea to Melissa based on the name of their museum alone. I knew that it was important that Mark Mothersbaugh's work be shown at a museum named DeVos!

This show, titled Postcard Diaries: We Must Repeat!, features 3 mediums using Mark Mothersbaugh's diary images: Framed prints, custom rugs, and huge canvas paintings. Over 30 works of art were exhibited in total.

Marks rugs were displayed in a unique way, by hanging them from fishing line from the ceiling, back-to-back. It looked fantastic! The huge canvas paintings were unstretched and tacked to the wall, reminiscent of old carnival banners. The show looked fantastic!

Mark Mothersbaugh was not able to attend in person, but held a very entertaining video chat with a room full of delighted reception guests from his home in Hollywood, CA. See the video chat here (Mucho thanks to Emily for shooting the video!).

Thanks also to all the people I met in Marquette (including the fun folks at The Barn!!) who made my first visit there very enjoyable.

Posters from this show are still available for sale. Contact Melissa Matuscak at The DeVos Museum to purchase yours.

Click on the images to the left for full photos and more info.
See a review of the show by Marquette's own The North Wind Online.

I long to return to beautiful Marquette!
Hope to see you all again soon.


-Michael Pilmer

Art Project Coordinator
The Visual Art Of Mark Mothersbaugh Gallery Tour 2009



P.S. The DeVos Art Museum has a few more photos of the reception on their Flickr page.