Girard, Art & Detroit: Snapshots of the Big Picture

Master of Mud (aka artist) and former Center for Creative Studies (CCS), Detroit,  professor of art, Bill (William J.) Girard Jr., passed away in 2011. The website created to honor him is found at  https://girardsvasari.com/ ------------------------------------------------------- This is the first high profile review of Bill (William J.) Girard's art that I am aware of.  The published article appears directly below. The text of the article appears below that.  Publication: The Detroit News.  Title:  Exploring the World of a Young Eccentric .  Author: Joy Hakanson.  Date: Sunday, July 30, 1967.  The occasion: Girard's inclusion in the Butler Art Institute's mid-year art exhibit and his addition to the teaching corps of the Detroit Society of Arts & Crafts. In retrospect, her closing paragraph seems particularly prescient. "Whether one likes  Girard's kind of art or loathes it, he is someone to respect   in a world that fi

Master of Mud (aka artist) and former Center for Creative Studies (CCS), Detroit,  professor of art, Bill (William J.) Girard Jr., passed away in 2011. The website created to honor him is found at  https://girardsvasari.com/ Note: Most images are clickable. ------------------------------------------------------- Left to Right: Bill Girard, Father Nicholas Maestrini and collector, Bernice Kent. 1968. Behind  Kent, Girard's painting: Of Rumbling Wooden Wheels Going Through A Dusty Night The burglar  paid no attention at all to our collection of Girard paintings and sculpture. It was very depressing. My naturopath subsequently instructed me to treat this and all life issues with the balm of gratitude. She would surely be pleased to know that the burglary has taught me to be grateful for boors. Happily, at least one of the two investigating police officers could scarcely drag his eyes away from the large Girard painting, Fauvel. This made me feel much