Maccabi Game Banners

On November 6, 2025 the JCC maintenance crew installed a new series of six 4’ x 8’ banners by artist Michael B Schwartz at the Tucson J, located at 3800 E. River Road in Tucson, AZ

The twelve designs celebrate the key values of the Maccabi Games. 

The creative project was commissioned as a way to remember the excitement of the Summer 2025 Tucson JCC Maccabi Games®. 

The week long Olympic style event drew hundreds of youth athletes from around the world to celebrate and connect. From tennis, basketball and soccer to dance, healthy competition and sportsmanship are central themes. 

The games revolve around six values;

Ga'Ava- Pride

 Kavod- Respect

Amit Yehudit - Jewish Peoplehood

Tikkun Olam - Repairing the World

 

Rina  - Joy

 
Lev Tov - Big Hearted

My assignment was to create simple works that would be easy for participants to help paint. I mixed a color pallet that corresponds to the official colors of the game and the Tucson J. Each banner was hemmed, with space for the trapeze bars. Then I primed each side and transferred the 12 designs with pencil. Each banner has a Hebrew and English side. 

Over several days participants and I painted the vinyl banners. We used trapeze bars to suspend the works from the high ceilings. The whimsical designs look beautiful flowing above people as the move through the brightly lit atrium like hallway. 

If you are in the area stop by and see these works, and while there take a stroll through the sculpture garden & galleries. It’s a busy, fun center with an amazing indoor and out door sports areas, ongoing workshops, lectures and more. 

Live Arts 4.U: Eco.Arts.Ology

 

Art.ology: Story Vessels was a subscription based interactive arts project informed by  backyard archeological discoveries. Join me to find out what happened when I started digging in my backyard during COVID. 

Join the conversation:
Wed 6pm Sept 17
Live on Insta @MBSarts

Dive Deeper: 
Arts.Ology: Introduction
What is ArtOlogy?
Investigating a Hires Root Beer Bottle
Apothecary and Druggist Bottles

Order a Digitalized PDF Catalogue of the Art.Ology project, emailed directly to you. 

 

 

Moving Drawing Series #1-5

Conceptual artist Michael B Schwartz will be unveiling a series of moving drawings, live on his instagram account 6pm (MST) on September 3, 2025. 

This series of five “moving drawings” were assembled following the COVID lock-down, and edited in 2022. Schwartz created them with hundreds of stills stitched together using iMovie. Each 1-2 minute long work features a different painting as a background. When viewed sequentially we see an evolution of techniques.

The series was originally shared with a small group of subscribers to the 2020 Eco.Art.Ology project.  This series of animations are a companion to the 2022 Art.Ology Catalogue. You can order a copy of the catalogue on the artists website. 

The artist explains that the objective was to explore new media. 

“The goal was to apply old school concepts, such as claymation and hand drawing, to the new technologies I had available. I’m illustrating this idea that the ordinary can be beautiful. My color field paintings are like looking at clouds, different images emerge and then fade away, I wanted a way of expressing that. The story of course always changes, and these films are capturing one narrative inspired by a painting in that particular moment.”

The five released works include; Run 1, Run 2, Seed House, Fish Story and Moon Island. To enjoy these works you can click this link. 

For more information and full fall 2025 schedule visit: https://michaelbschwartz.com/

Michael B. Schwartz May 10 – June 21, 2025 at Artists & Makers Studios

 

Artists & Makers Studios – Oro Valley, AZ
Michael B. Schwartz: "Recent Works"

On View: May 10, 2025 – June 21, 2025

(Oro Valley, AZ) – Artists and Makers Studios is excited to announce its upcoming exhibition showcasing the incredible talent and creativity of Michael B. Schwartz. Michael B Schwartz (MFA) is a conceptual artist with a focus on painting and drawing. His prolific career spans decades, producing a range of works including drawings, murals, paintings and installations, consistently seeking to challenge himself and engage audiences. 

This collection brings together a group of recent figurative and landscape paintings, all rooted in the foundational practice of drawing. Each piece began as a sketch, allowing form and narrative to emerge organically. The figurative works in particular offer curious and whimsical stories layered with hidden figures and subtle clues, inviting viewers to look closely and uncover, explore, and interpret the subtle narratives woven throughout the collection.

Michael B. Schwartz
Recent Works
Opening Reception
12:00 PM – 3:00 PM, Saturday, May 10th, 2025 

Artists & Makers Studios - Oro Valley
Steam Pump Village
11061 North Oracle Road, Suite 150
Oro Valley, AZ 85737

Viewing hours are 10:00am – 4:00pm, Monday-Saturday, and Sundays by chance or appointment. 

Artists & Makers Studios on Parklawn Drive in Rockville, established in October of 2014 by artist and arts community builder Judith HeartSong, is a 13,000 sq. ft. facility is home to 87 artists, as well as student artists. Artists & Makers Studios – Oro Valley, AZ is a four-year-old jewel box location with talented Resident Artists, 3,575 sq. ft. of studios, galleries, and flex-classroom space. Newly constructed two-story 9,508 sq. ft. studio space in San Gabriel, CA for Artists & Makers Studios’ third location is touring now, with construction set to begin shortly for the three-story 13,902 sq. ft. location in North Hollywood, CA. A&M Studios is dedicated to providing a supportive and vibrant environment for artists to realize their creative goals - through studio practice, collaboration, education, opportunities, networking and connecting with the community beyond our doors.

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Happy New Year: 2024 reflections

Wishing you and yours a healthy, happy, joyful holiday season.

As the seasons change and the year draws to a close, I’m sharing a few examples from a new body of paintings. I’ve been reviewing stacks of drawings, selecting my favorites, then translating them into acrylic paintings. It’s an intoxicating experience. There are a mix of imagined and observed scenes, various mystery and adventure themes.

*All these work are available. Please email me for details.*

“Glue”
18” x 24”
Pencil on Paper
© 2024 Michael B Schwartz

“Glue”
18” x 24”
Acrylic on Canvas
© 2024 Michael B Schwartz

A new year approaches, with new possibilities and opportunity.

"Watching the Sunset"
12” x 16”
Acrylic on Canvas
© 2024 Michael B Schwartz

“Dial Up”
18” x 24”
Acrylic on Canvas
© 2024 Michael B Schwartz

 

 

As this year draws to a close, I am reminded drawing is the center, where so much work and ideas start. So in that spirit, I'm sharing several examples from 2024. 

 

If you ever wonder what artists are doing at given time, there is a good chance it's drawing. 

 

 

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