Re:View Contemporary :: Art and Design Gallery

About Coley and her work
A graduate from the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit, Coley translates the industrial environments that are part of her daily life into her art work, making pieces that "bend" common objects into new and transformed uses.

Currently working as full-time welding instructor at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Coley is also commissioned by different businesses in the Detroit area to execute custom design and fabrication and casting.

Coley's work encompasses sculpture and functional art. This artist, and full-time welding instructor, has embraced the knowledge of materials to inform her work and create new interpretations of everyday objects.

About Simone and her work
Simone's work, often described as architectural abstract, layers diverse influences such as her Brazilian heritage, design and architecture, Detroit, and a deep interest in the beauty and intricacies of our existence. Her work inspires reflection on the theme of interconnectedness.

Simone has a bachelor's degree in Architecture and Urbanism. In her professional life, she has also bridged the fields of art and design, working for the past ten years as designer and creative director for a local firm.

She has exhibited extensively in the Detroit area, as well as in other parts of the country, including New York and San Francisco. Her work is part of private and corporate collections, including the University of Michigan, Compuware, BonSecours Hospital, and Precision Capital, in New York.

She is the founder and director of Re:View Contemporary, a new gallery and art project.

	Space and Time: Ten Years of the Salt-Mine
	Works by Simone DeSousa and Coley McLean
	October 18 - December 13, 2008 Opening: October 18, 7 pm - 10 pm :: View exhibit images
	Back to the Salt-Mine… Salt-Mine Studio began in 1998 as a collective of five artists just out of school and looking for a working studio space to share. The Studio started at the Russell Industrial Center when the RIC was still little known in the art community, and included just a few scattered studios surrounded by warehouses. Salt-Mine co-founder Coley McLean discovered the space at the RIC, and acted as the unofficial leader of the collective, which also included co-founder Simone DeSousa. Coley shared her passion for the city of Detroit with the others, as well as her fearless drive to create the best studio an artist could want or have. The RIC, with its vast empty warehouse surroundings, provided a limitless space just waiting to be transformed into that perfect studio environment. The name Salt-Mine Studio is a reference to both Detroit's salt mines and the idiom "Back to the salt mine," an expression for returning to work. The collective quickly reduced to just Simone and Coley, and Salt-Mine became the sole work territory for both over the past ten years. While Coley's familiarity with the city of Detroit helped lead them to the studio space, Simone's introduction to the city began at Salt-Mine, and Detroit became an important source of inspiration in her work. On the surface, Simone and Coley couldn't seem more different. The two work with completely different media and approaches, yet together went on to create this dynamic working space and resource to the arts community. They realize the significance of being part of the transformation of the city, and have embraced all the challenges that come with working in a city in transition. The founding artists’ shared work ethic, driven by a deep commitment to the quality of their works, and passion for Detroit has allowed Salt-Mine to continue to evolve and expand. The Studio now occupies a 4,000 square foot area on the 2nd floor of Building #2 at the Russell Industrial Center, and houses a painting studio, a fully equipped metal shop, and a small art foundry. Space and Time: Ten Years of the Salt-Mine is a collection of new and older works created at Salt-Mine Studio by Simone and Coley. The exhibit reflects on the Salt-Mine as an essential component of the artists' lives and work, as well as their contribution to the art community and their continuing relationship with the city of Detroit. :: View show postcard