“In the Eye of the Beholder” works from the Mott-Warsh Collection

“In the Eye of the Beholder” exhibit showcases works from

the Mott-Warsh Collection

(Above, right: Kerry James Marshall, Memento, 1997,
Lithograph, 30 x 1/4 in. x 44 1/4 in. © Kerry James Marshall.)

MW Gallery proudly presents In the Eye of the Beholder, an all-media exhibition drawn from the Mott-Warsh Collection. Opening Friday, September 11th, the exhibit continues to celebrate the journey the Mott-Warsh Collection began 25 years ago: amplifying artists’ creative voices and expanding public access to compelling art by artists of the African diaspora.

Selected from the collection’s more than 1,100 objects, In the Eye of the Beholder features works by distinguished artists including Al Loving, Allie McGhee, Derrick Adams, Ed Clark, Elizabeth Catlett, Emma Amos, Howardena Pindell, Jack Whitten, Kerry James Marshall, Mildred Thompson, Omar Victor Diop, Pat Ward Williams, Romare Bearden, Shirley Woodson Reid, Souleymane Keita, Titus Kaphar, and Yinka Shonibare, among others.

These bonds extend from friends and family to artists and their subjects, as well as among artists, curators, and collectors. Together, the artworks invite viewers to explore personal and shared perceptions of beauty, belonging, and connection.

Rooted in the belief that art should be accessible to all, MW Gallery offers free admission and community-centered programming as part of its continued mission to connect people, ideas, and culture through transformative artistic experiences.

In the Eye of the Beholder opens Friday, September 11, 2026, and will be on view through January 23, 2027. MW Gallery is located at 815 S. Saginaw St., Flint, MI 48502. The gallery entrance is on E. Court St. Gallery hours are Thursdays and Fridays, 11:00am – 6:00pm; Saturdays, 11:00am – 5:00pm; and the second Friday of each month, 11:00am – 9:00pm, for Flint ARTWALK. MW Gallery is open to the general public and admission is always free. Please call 810-835-4900 or visit m-wc.org for more information.

MW Gallery is the permanent home of the Mott-Warsh Collection (MWC)—a privately owned, publicly shared fine art collection that comprises over 1,100 works by artists of the African diaspora and those who reflect on it. The gallery features expansive exhibitions drawn from the collection and facilitates community engagement with art through its programs.

The MWC was established by Maryanne Mott and her late husband Herman Warsh in 2001. Their primary intent was to bring art into non-traditional venues where it could be encountered by people as they went about their daily lives. They formed community partnerships with institutions that had an interest in making the collection visible to their memberships, clients, visitors, and participants. Today, rotating exhibits of MWC artworks can be found in the public library, churches, health clinics, colleges, universities, and more in the greater Flint region. The collection also lends to internationally and nationally touring museum exhibitions.