The Milan News-Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
You gotta have art
Washtenaw County offers many local art opportunities
By Sue G. Collins, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: January 17, 2008
If a painter sat perched in front of a blank canvas overlooking the region five years ago, the landscape would have been somewhat less colorful, less rich and with fewer opportunities for that artist to share her vision and work with the community in which she lives.
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Now, dotting our towns are galleries supporting hardworking local artists; new art councils providing networking; art centers offering classes, camps and community outreach and city governments that are willing to fund public art.
Volunteers have been busy crafting grant applications and filling summer streets with art fairs, administrators have been knocking on donors' doors and constructing businesses, and communities have been opening their arms wide to the flock of talented artists among them.
Countywide studies, statewide initiatives and local efforts are celebrating the vibrant business of the visual arts that's rounding out economic development and capital improvements that together make communities flourish.
An Economic Impact Study conducted by the Ann Arbor Arts Alliance throughout Washtenaw County five years ago found that the total economic impact of not-for-profit arts and cultural organizations in Washtenaw County was $165 million in the study year, and that such organizations provided 2,600 jobs.
Nearly 2.4 million people enjoyed various cultural activities in 2002, with visitors from outside the county saying the event was their primary reason for visiting the county.
The Arts Alliance is continuing to take the pulse of the region's art growth and needs with its Community and Culture Study. Focus groups in Dexter, Chelsea, Manchester and Saline are providing brainstorming and problem-solving opportunities under the alliance's guiding hand. These communities, along with Milan and Ypsilanti, are already embracing the talent and creativity in their midst while recognizing the impact, importance and economic viability of thriving arts programs.
Inside the walls, outside the box
Centers where established artists, budding artists and appreciators of canvas and brush can congregate have recently bloomed across the region.
The Chelsea Center for the Arts has been flourishing for a decade, offering visual arts classes for youth and adults, along with more than 30 free programs a year, including recitals, lectures, family art days and community arts projects.
Eight weeks of art camp provide meaningful and fun summer art experiences for youth, while the Center Gallery offers an extensive arts library and art space.
"Chelsea is so rich in the arts, having the Purple Rose to set the stage for arts to thrive here," said Leslie Greeneisen, director of programs at the Chelsea Center for the Arts. "The school's music programs complement what is happening here, too."
Smaller, yet overflowing with loyal followers, is Saline's Two Twelve Arts Center, which is in its second year. The renovated historic Sears-kit house near downtown is the host to classes, workshops and changing exhibits featuring the works of Saline-based artists.
Funded by a private foundation and supported by nominal class fees, the center has filled a hole in the community with curious young people and women searching for a creative outlet. Any morning or evening, the house glows with enthusiastic knitters, sketchers or painters absorbed in their new work.
In Ypsilanti, the Riverside Arts Center gives local artists the opportunity to show and tell as a multi-purpose cultural arts venue providing exhibit, studio, office and reception space for artists and arts and cultural organizations to enrich the Ypsilanti community.
This month, the mixed-media work of Dianne Austin and photographs by Leslie Ford fill the gallery space with nature-inspired works. Drawing and painting classes are offered throughout the year at the center, which is run primarily by volunteers and a dedicated board of directors.
The Riverfolk Community Arts Center in Manchester is located in a historic church building where small class sizes encourage artists to polish techniques in the visual arts and students can learn from one another.
Sharing more than brushes
Outside the four walls of a building dedicated to the arts, men and women are gathering, united by a passion for a craft or medium and the desire to find inspiration and collaboration from others nearby.
In Milan last year, more than a dozen amateur -- and a few professional -- artists gathered on winter night in the historic Milan Fire Barn, home of the Milan Area Chamber of Commerce. Under the umbrella of the chamber, the Milan Area Arts Council sprouted as an organization for neighbors to share skills and tools and sometimes just listen and help one another. The group toured the studios of local painters, wood-workers, potters and glass blowers. They gathered their work for a spontaneous art sale during the local summer car show and will sponsor their third annual art contest this spring.
"It's tough to keep the momentum going through the winter, but we're always there for each other and certainly welcome new people to the group anytime," said Joanne Keilman, Milan Area Arts Council president, a self-proclaimed "dabbler" in oils, acrylics and pastels who is hoping to organize work sessions where members and guests can "just come paint together."
The Saline Area Arts Council is in its infancy, with co-chairwomen Terri Sibo-Koenig and Lynne Friman working with the Ann Arbor Arts Alliance on the Community and Culture Study and looking at venues, leaders and goals for the new council.
Hitting the streets
Living in the shadow of the Ann Arbor Art Fairs, one of the country's most popular outdoor shows, surrounding communities have been inspired to erect easels and fill their own shaded parks and sunny downtown streets with homegrown art.
The Dexter Pioneer Arts Fair has grown from the occasional Saturday gathering in a school gym to an event hosting up to 55 artists, bringing with them a great variety of talents expressed in many ways.
The March fair was initiated by the Dexter Area Historical Society to remind the community of the arts, crafts and resourcefulness of the early pioneers. It also was conceived of a way to raise funds to maintain and support the Dexter Area Museum.
Artists are selected by jury and are asked to demonstrate their art or craft, so that visitors can be reminded of the skills of the country's forefathers and foremothers. Paper quilling, lace making, fly tying and rug hooking are featured among the water colors, wood carvings and jewelry from local crafters.
Saline hosts two outdoor fine art shows during summer street fairs in the historic downtown district. Sponsored by the newly invigorated Downtown Merchants' Association, the Saline Harvest of the Arts and Summer Craft Show at the annual Summerfest community party are both juried shows.
The Riverfolk Music & Arts Festival lights up Carr Park in Manchester each summer as artists bring jewelry, paintings, stained glass, pottery and more for the outdoor party. An Artists in Residence program during the festival gives participants the chance to work side-by-side with a professional artist to learn advanced techniques and chat about occupations and opportunities.
The Walk of Art is a juried art show attracting artist from around the Midwest and Canada.
Summers in Chelsea are also filled with art at the weekly Sounds and Sights on Thursday Nights and at Summerfest in July. Dubbed "ARTicipation," the annual July showcase of regional and national artists during the juried show hugs youth art activities and energy around the courtyards of the historic Chelsea Clock Tower.
The now bi-annual Shadow Art Fair in Ypsilanti started when a group of artists from the Michigan Design Militia decided to organize themselves and collaborate on a show. Each July and December, artists are serenaded by live musicians: "One day. 40 artists. 9,000 gallons of beer," reads their Web banner. Not a bad way to get art.
Walk this way
Appreciating art is as easy as a walk in the park. Communities are embracing the visual appeal of art in public places that nourishes shoppers, diners, visitors, runners and families enjoying outdoor recreation together.
In Saline, two jumbo sculptures were dedicated along the newly created Depot Trail just north of downtown to celebrate the city's commitment to fitness and its heritage.
And, when the city decided to provide bike racks for visitors, planners decided to spice things up with cherry red abstract sculptural racks along the sidewalks.
In Chelsea, three public displays grace the streets and courtyards that represent the community's vibrant volunteer spirit and creativity. A "Quilt of Life," the "Pathway to Renewal" and "The Opening Doors" are three projects coordinated by the Center for Community Arts through grants and donations along with participation from local artists and residents.
"We also believe that giving back is the best way to teach our own kids to be good citizens as well as art supporters," said Janice Ortbring, a donor and supporter. "I hope others participate for the same reason.
Sue G. Collins is a reporter for Heritage Newspapers. She can be reached at 429-7380 or scollins@heritage.com.
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