Dexter Artist Finds Hope, Healing in Tragedy

Local artists have a new venue to showcase their work, thanks to Dexter native Carol Duncan.

Duncan, a resident of Onsted in the Irish Hills, opened her studio, Reclaimed Dreams, at the end of May at the corner of Pentecost Highway and U.S. 12.

“I opened this place with a whistle and a song,” Duncan said.

The studio features Duncan’s artwork as well as work by other artists and friends. It also offers classes for students of all experience levels.

“If I like something, I bring it in the gallery,” Duncan said.

A farm girl at heart, Duncan grew up on her parents' 160-acre farm in Dexter tending to more than 1,000 chickens and other daily tasks, but she always found time to draw in the evenings when life on the farm was slower.

“I have been drawing my whole life,” she said.

Her love of art led Duncan to pursue an education at the age of 19 at Siena Heights University in Adrian, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in fine arts. She earned a master’s degree in watercolor from Eastern Michigan University, then landed a teaching job at Clinton Community Schools.

Tragedy struck Duncan’s life in 1989 when her son Matt was killed in a pole-vaulting accident while competing at a college tournament. The loss was crippling for Duncan who, more than 20 years later, still recalls the pain of losing her son.

“He died doing what he loved to do,” she said.

Matt’s death inspired her to create many pieces that, in a way, helped her work through the pain, Duncan said.

“I created a lot of emotional artwork,” she said. “My specialty is creating meaningful artwork on furniture.”

Duncan specializes in using plywood, wooden chairs and tables, and she has even been commissioned to design an entire bedroom set.

She said inspiration for her “emotional artwork” often follows tragedy, including the death of her mother at an early age, her son’s death and a debilitating car accident her daughter suffered a few years ago.

“It helps to have an outlet to express how you feel, whether it’s good or bad,” she said.

For more information about studio classes at Reclaimed Dreams, call Duncan at 734-428-7338.