Artists take a fresh look at the iconic nature of sports and superheroes in two new exciting exhibits, "Mixed Signals: Artists Consider Masculinity in Sports" and "Mark Newport: Superheroes in Action," opening February 1 at Cranbrook Art Museum.

"Mixed Signals" focuses on artists from the mid-1990s to the present who question the notion of the male athlete as the last bastion of uncomplicated, authentic identity in American culture. Many works presented in the exhibition will be on display for the first time and are made by artists who have appropriated, riffed on and variously re-presented athletic imagery, demonstrating that the male athlete is a far more ambiguous figure in our collective cultural imagination than ever before. Participating artists include Matthew Barney, Mark Bradford, Marcelino Gonçalves, Lyle Ashton Harris, Brian Jungen, Kurt Kauper, Shaun El C. Leonardo, Kori Kewkirk, Catherine Opie, Paul Pfeiffer, Marco Rios, Collier Schorr, Joe Sola, Sam Taylor-Wood and Hank Willis Thomas.

"Mark Newport: Superheroes In Action" explores the innovative and engaging work of Mark Newport, artist-in-residence and head of the fiber department at Cranbrook Academy of Art. Classic comic book characters such as Batman, Captain America, the Rawhide Kid and Hawkeye, and new creations devised from Newport's imagination including Argyleman, Sweaterman and Every Any No Man, provide the subject matter for oversized knitted costumes and two-dimensional embroidered samplers. In these works, Newport – one of four artists to be represented in the Smithsonian American Art Museum/Renwick Gallery's prestigious 2009 Biennial Craft Invitational exhibition – questions the iconic nature and heroic ability of the superhero through the use of typically feminine-gendered art forms, consequently posing larger questions about pop culture, masculinity, domesticity and craft. Offering these signature textile pieces together with related photography and video, "Superheroes in Action" not only expands the narrative created by Newport's knitted suits, but also reinforces his role as one of the most significant artists crafting the landscape of contemporary fiber art.

Both exhibits are free with museum admission. For more information, call 877-GO-CRANBrook or click here.