Image: Ann Arbor Art Center Exhibition Gal, Ann Arbor, Detroit
The Ann Arbor Art Center will open ‘Catching Fireflies: What We Held Onto’, a collaborative exhibition by sisters DaJaniere Rice and Gyona Rice, with a reception on Friday, August 7, from 6 to 8 pm in the Spotlight Gallery. The show is listed as on view from August 7 through September 2, 2026, and the opening is free to attend. The exhibition is presented in the A2AC Spotlight Gallery, on the second floor of the Ann Arbor Art Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
According to the gallery materials, ‘Catching Fireflies: What We Held Onto’ examines home as an archive of memory, care, and creativity. The project is rooted in the sisters’ upbringing in Inkster, Michigan, where they were surrounded by family members who made, sold, stitched, cooked, repurposed, and created as part of daily life. Those acts are described by the venue as foundational to the artists’ practices.
The exhibition brings together the work of two multidisciplinary artists whose practices overlap across printmaking, painting, fiber art, collage, and mixed media. The Ann Arbor Art Center says the show will focus on themes of care and belonging, and the exhibition page frames the project as a shared inquiry into everyday family histories and the visual forms those histories can take. The title ‘Catching Fireflies: What We Held Onto’ appears in both the exhibition listing and the gallery page.
DaJaniere Rice is described by the Art Center as a multidisciplinary artist and designer from Inkster, Michigan. The venue notes that her work often explores identity, memory, and care through painting and fiber art. It also states that Rice has created spaces through Janier Co. and Thrive Art Collective where artists and community members can thrive, reflect, and find belonging. Her work has been exhibited at Irwin House, Norwest Gallery, Detroit Public Library, the University of Michigan, and other spaces across Michigan and Ohio, according to the gallery page.
Gyona Rice, identified on the site as a Detroit-based printmaker, designer, and mixed media artist, is said to explore memory, identity, and the everyday rituals of Black life. The gallery describes her use of linocut and collage as a way to transform personal and communal histories into visual archives of care and belonging. The page also notes that she earned a BFA in Graphic Design from Bowling Green State University in 2020 and has exhibited at venues including The Scarab Club, Playground Detroit, the Carr Center, Buckham Gallery, Ann Arbor Art Center, Woman Made Gallery in Chicago, Detroit Contemporary, and Just Lookin’ Gallery in Maryland.
The exhibition will also be accompanied by public programming tied to the same project. On August 22, the center is scheduled to host ‘Catching Fireflies: Quilt Collage Drop In’, a $15 workshop led by the two artists in which participants will create a small, quilt-inspired collage using fabric scraps, patterned paper, and mixed-media materials. The venue says the session will draw on family traditions, childhood memories, and the storytelling found in quilts, with no sewing experience required.
Another related event, ‘Catching Fireflies: Artist Talk’, is set for August 28 from 7 to 8:30 pm in Spotlight Gallery and Studio 201. The Art Center says DaJaniere Rice and Gyona Rice will discuss their artistic practice and inspiration and highlight selected works. A free PlayLab workshop using block-printing techniques and stamps made by the featured artists is also scheduled for August 22 for children ages 8 to 12 and caregivers.
