The public is invited to the opening reception of two diverse exhibits at The Box Factory Friday, April 16 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

An exhibit of digital art by John Horwitz will be on display in the Heartha Whitlow Gallery until May 31. The exhibit is in three parts: “Lady of the Lake,” the “Painted” series and “P.E.S.O. (Pictures Every So Often).”  Horwitz, a native of Elkhart, is the past president of the Northern Indiana Artists Association and past director of the Washington Street Gallery. His work has been on exhibit in the Art Institute of Chicago, Oxford University, Purdue University, South Bend Regional Museum of Art and the Lubeznik Center for the Arts in Michigan City, Ind.

“I have always been fascinated by the ability of photography to show minute detail and puzzled by those people who are unable to see that it can also be a serenely soft media, not only hiding our faults but becoming a fantasy as well,” Horwitz said. “This compelling dichotomy is an inspiration and completes all of my visions.”

In the Robert Williams Gallery, an exhibit of two- and three-dimensional art by Bill Cooper, “Same Artist, Different Days,” will be featured through May as well. Cooper’s art can be seen around southwest Michigan, including sculptures at Lakeland Medical Center, Curious Kids Museum, Eagle Pointe Harbor and the Lincoln Township Library. He is also the creator of civic sculptures, including Vietnam War Memorials in Hartford, Mich., Coloma and St. Joseph; Korean War Memorial and the Law Enforcement Memorial in St. Joseph; firefighters’ monuments in Coloma and South Haven; World War II Memorial in St. Joseph; Veterans’ Memorial in Niles; and 911 Memorial in Naperville, Ill.

“I am first and foremost a sculptor,” Cooper said. “In the past I worked mainly in stone, but recently I have begun experimenting with more transitory media. My work is largely non-representational, drawing widely from organic and architectural forms.”

The public is welcome to the opening reception of these two exhibits on Friday, April 16 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Refreshments will be served and the artists will be on hand. For more information call the Box Factory at 983-3688 or check online at www.boxfactoryforthearts.org. The Box Factory for the Arts is located at 1101 Broad St., St. Joseph. The exhibits may also be seen through May 31 during gallery hours Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m.