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New art exhibit chronicles Obama presidency

MOCAD

A unique art exhibition opens this weekend at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit.   When the show closes in August, the main exhibit will have grown.

New York artist Rob Pruitt has been producing a new portrait of Barack Obama every day since the President was inaugurated in 2009. More than 2000 to date and growing by an additional 2 x 2 square foot portrait a day.

Each portrait is taken from a photo of the president.    The photos capture the highs and lows of Obama’s two terms in the White House. 

“It asks us to question the role of the president in a celebrity culture,” says Elysia Borowy-Reeder, MOCAD’s executive director, of Pruitt’s work.  

But is it art?

Borowy-Reeder says good art asks questions and lets the viewer search for the answer.  

Steve Carmody has been a reporter for Michigan Public since 2005. Steve previously worked at public radio and television stations in Florida, Oklahoma and Kentucky, and also has extensive experience in commercial broadcasting.