Dayton Daily News , Ohio
May 29 2009
Local artist opens two new mall galleries
By Bobby Goodwin
Staff Writer
5:45 PM Friday, May 29, 2009
Malls hate empty spaces. Just ask Mher (Michael) Harutunian.
Harutunian ‘ an Armenian born artist who moved to Dayton from New York
City in 2000 ‘ had established a steady following at his `Portraits by
Michael’ art kiosk at Cincinnati’s Eastgate Mall over a three-year
period before mall management approached him in early 2009 (verify) to
see if he wanted to expand into a full store. Pleasantly surprised, he
signed a one-year lease agreement on the 3,000 square foot former B
Moss women’s clothing store that originally cost $150,000 to build.
Prompted by Eastgate’s encouraging offer, Harutunian next contacted
Dayton’s Mall at Fairfield Commons and received an equally positive
offer. He now has a 16-month lease agreement with Fairfield to occupy
a 2,000 square foot former photography store, selling his works out of
a kiosk on the first floor before the gallery opens.
`Inlight Studios,’ Harutunian’s newly named mall art galleries, will
feature many of the artist’s works he sells at his kiosks. Ranging
from roughly 250 black and white hand drawn celebrity portraits done
in charcoal to custom portraits of personal photos hand drawn in
pastel or charcoal, Harutunian ‘ who now goes by Michael instead of
Mher ‘ is grateful for the opportunity both malls have given him.
`I got lucky, now I have a chance to showcase all my paintings,’ he
said.
Of the two new galleries, Harutunian thinks the Eastgate store will
offer him more customers ‘ at least at first ‘ between his
pre-existing customers and the amount of shoppers pouring in from
Eastern Ohio off Route 32 and Interstate 275.
The galleries will offer similar items, with Harutunian rotating his
works back and forth between the two malls.
His art kiosk isn’t the only thing Harutunian’s revamping. He’s also
redoing his Web site, , to include pictures and
details of what’s happening in his two new galleries.
Harutunian is even thinking about offering art classes at his
Fairfield store.
`America is the greatest country in the world,’ he said, pointing out
that back in Armenia (formerly part of the USSR), approved styles and
topics for art are still limited.
Harutunian grew up in Armenia surrounded by art. His father, uncle and
cousins were all artists, with his father’s artwork decorating the
walls in his family’s apartment. He graduated from Yerevan Art Academy
in 1987, where his father was a professor.
>From there, Harutunian did artistic design work in the former USSR
until moving to Boston in 1992, then later to Manhattan in 1996.
Local art and furniture dealer Jimmy Kitz, owner of Jimmy Modern in
the Oregon District, devoted his store’s entire wall space to feature
30 pieces of Harutunian’s artwork on display since May 15 as part of
Dayton’s twice annual Urban Nights.
`We sort of met by accident,’ Kitz remembered. `(Harutunian) stumbled
into my space one day looking for an apartment for his mother. His
brother Arman already lived in the Oregon district and Mher was hoping
to find a place nearby for his mother to stay. His brother and mother
now live together and Arman is helping him out with his galleries.’
Harutunian’s works for sale on display at Jimmy Modern are examples of
his more personal art, compared to the portraiture he does to make a
living.
According to Kitz, Harutunian’s art is `Very fluid and lucid. Very
vibrant. He’s really good with color. There are a couple pieces up (at
Jimmy Modern) that remind me of Van Gogh ‘ little short strokes to get
the impressionistic feel that goes along with it. But he’s really more
surreal and abstract in most of his works.’
Kitz had only positive things to say about the whole Harutunian
family.
`(Mher) is a very wonderful person and so is his brother Arman. His
mother is very charming and very European,’ Kitz said.
With his two new galleries set to open, Harutunian has come a long way
in his 10 years spent in the Dayton area. Before opening his kiosk at
Eastgate, the artist used to sketch people at night in the Oregon
District.
`I’m pleased and amazed for a small town like Dayton how many artists
are here and all the works there are,’ Harutunian said. `Especially
with this economy, this is very risky what I’m doing (opening two
stores) but hopefully with my clientele I can be okay,’ Harutunian
said.
Harutunian lives in Kettering with his wife and two children.
How to go (Dayton)
What: Inlight Studios opening
Where: The Mall at Fairfield Commons (next to Spinoza’s and the
Hallmark Shop on the 2nd floor)
When: Opens June 3
How to go (Cincinnati)
What: Inlight Studios opening
When: Opens June 3
Where: Eastgate Mall (next to customer service)
More info: To purchase art, find out more information or to see
samples of Harutunian’s art, visit his Web site at ,
call (937) 367-3818 (cell) or (937) 426-6205 (Fairfield Commons store)
or email him at [email protected]. Harutunian also encourages any
local artists interested in showcasing / selling their work to contact
him.
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