Kook's Eye Gallery

Kook's Eye Gallery exhibits the work of Michigan artists and also features jewelry, Miche bags, books, games, evil eye products, paintings, glass, and pottery. Kook's Eye Gallery is mainly open during the summer months five days a week. How the gallery got its name: Cuchulain ( kook UHL lin), the ancient Irish mythical warrior hero, was said to enter into a frenzied maniacal state in battle that w

ould completely unnerve his opponents. His skin would beggin to ripple under the surface, dramatically distorting his outward appearance from head to foot. One of his eyes would shrink into his skull while the other would grow and bulge out of its socket. In an interesting cross-cultural coincidence, the ancient Mayan god Kukulkan (KOOK ulh kon) was the spirit of the winds and, signifcantly, of hurricanes. Thus, another layer of meaning can be attached to the eye. Lastly, according to the dictionary, a kook is someone whose behavior is considered eccentric. Kook is thought to have derived from "cuckoo"- a bird with a real flair for eccentric or bizarre behavior. In any case, the name and symbolism struck us as an appropriate expression of the passionate intensity and dynamism of the visual art world.