May 8–29, 2026
Opening Reception: Saturday, May 9 at 3–5 pm
Poetry Reading: Sunday, May 17 at 2–4 pm
Color | Ink Studio & Gallery presents “When Time Stumbled”, an exhibition of original art and images by Mary Stebbins Taitt and other guest artists, held in conjunction with the release of a newly published collection of poetry and art. The book features the contributions of many excellent artists and poets, coming together for celebrations of life and mourning loss. The exhibition opens Friday, May 8 and runs through May 29.
The book is an intimate collection of poetry and art that explores the breathtaking heights of love and the quiet (and not-so-quiet) depths of loss. It is full of heartbreak, joy, and the delight of ordinary moments, and offers a map through the labyrinth of grief toward peace. What does it mean to truly soar? For anyone who has ever looked at the horizon and felt a loved one’s presence, When Time Stumbled provides a companion for the soul, balm for the heart, and a warm hand to hold along the path.
The public is invited to attend the Opening Reception and Book Launch on Saturday afternoon, May 9 from 3-5 pm. It’s free, and visitors will have the opportunity to meet Mary in person. Light refreshments will be available. There is free parking in the adjacent lot and on the side streets. Later in the month, she will give a Poetry Reading from the book on Sunday afternoon, May 17 from 2-4 pm.
Mary believes that—perhaps—the right words and images can bridge the gap between here and the hereafter—or at least soothe the grieving heart. Driven by a promise to her brother and a lifelong love of the crafts, she weaves together themes of resilience, nature, and the enduring power of family. When she isn’t meeting deadlines or walking the shores of Lake St. Clair, she can be found looking for poetry in sunsets, tumbling leaves, and the flight of pigeons and hawks. Her most personal work to date, When Time Stumbled, testifies that love, like flight, knows few bounds. Mary is the author of sixteen books, a Pushcart Prize nominee, and was selected for McSweeney’s Poets Picking Poets.
As a visual artist, her work has a habit of crossing borders—literally and figuratively. A featured artist in the Scattered Ecstasies program linking Detroit and Windsor, she has danced through galleries from Syracuse to Grosse Pointe with everything from “Heron Dances” to award-winning scenes of dreams confronting reality. Her illustrations have graced the covers of Hopper Magazine and River Song, and while her pieces hang in homes across the country, she is just as likely to be found experimenting with wood-cuts, scratchboard, acrylics, or watercolor (and more) in her home studio.