Compuware Employee Exhibition Expands Well 'Beyond the Cube'
DETROIT (WWJ) -- The Detroit software and IT services company Compuware Corp. (Nasdaq:CPWR) is showcasing the artistic talent of its employees as works from more than 40 Compuware workers from around the world are featured in the fourth annual "Beyond The Cube" employee art exhibition.
The exhibition features works from a variety of mediums, including photography, painting, fiber art, jewelry, video and woodworking.
The exhibit is open to the public between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. from Oct. 25 through Nov. 7. It is located in the Airea Studio on the first floor of Compuware World Headquarters at One Campus Martius in downtown Detroit.
In addition, Compuware invites the public to attend the opening reception on Oct. 24, from 4 to 7 p.m., to preview the works and meet a number of the contributing artists.
"The creative efforts of our employees have a marked and positive impact on the participating employees, their co-workers and teams," said Meg Heeres, Compuware's art program manager and curator. "For many, their artistic pursuits encourage them to be more open, flexible, innovative and focused in their professional ones. When employees see the creativity of colleagues across the globe, it is both inspiring and unifying."
Heeres developed the exhibition for the company four years ago. Initially featuring only the works of Compuware's Detroit-area employees, it was opened up to employee submissions from around the globe in 2012; this year the exhibit features contributions from employees in several countries spanning four continents.
The number of submissions exceeded available display space and Heeres emphasized diversity of artwork and subject matter in order to cull the 40 works featured in the exhibition.
"I am most interested in the range of talent and creativity," she said. "The success of this exhibition is not the number of artists or works or visitors, but that it encourages employees to maintain a creative practice whether on or off the job. We have real talent in our ranks. A number of these employees are well-regarded in the broader arts community, having earned commercial success and critical accolades in juried events and festivals in the region and abroad."
Among the artists featured are:
* Troy photographer and Compuware videographer Bob Oren, who has shown his photography in solo and group exhibitions at the Detroit Works Project, Mercedes-Benz Research and Development headquarters, Boll Family YMCA, and the Detroit Self-Portrait series sponsored by the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Detroit Free Press, and is represented in private collections and the Burton Historical Collection at the Detroit Public Library.
* IT Manager Shannon Gilmore (Mannone) has been designing and selling jewelry for five years. Her one-of-kind jewelry has appeared in Step by Step Wire magazine and is created using primarily sterling silver, gold-filled semi-precious stones and pearls.
* Works from painter Eric Willis of Compuware's Global Imaging Group are on display at the North American campus of Mercedes-Benz Research and Development and have appeared in exhibitions as far as away as Yeongwol, South Korea.
* Compuware Quality Assurance Analyst Peter Tkacz's works earned first place recognition in the color photography category from the Wyandotte Downriver Council for the Arts for his large panoramic image of Detroit's Zug Island.
* The works of local filmmaker and Systems Programmer Jeannine LaPorte have been featured in a number of film festivals and she is a regular participant in the 48 Hour Film Project, a unique global competition that challenges teams to complete a short film with one character, one line and a prop in 48 hours.
Over the course of the show, visitors and Compuware employees will cast votes for their favorite piece overall, as well as category favorites for Photography, Prints and Paintings, Fine Craft and Video.
More at www.compuware.com.
