Resthaven Care Center in Holland, MI will be hosting a photography competition and exhibit in February 2024.  The goal is to capture the beauty of West MI and the lakeshore and bring it inside for our Residents.  The competition has no barriers of entry while also providing some reward and recognition to the photographers. 
 
For more information visit: https://resthaven.org/blog/2023/12/14/resthaven-announces-photography-competition-and-exhibit/. 

Open Studio—December 13th at St. Peters Church
Rev. Evelio Ramirez of St. Peters Catholic Church in Douglas invites the community to paint nativity scenes from different cultures on Wednesday, December 13th from 3-7 p.m. The exhibit featuring backgrounds painted by Rev. Ramirez will be on display at St. Peters from December 9th-18th. Visit the church website for more information. Please bring your paints and easels
(and a tarp if necessary to protect the carpet) for an afternoon of inspiration and creativity.
Chairs provided. Cookies and coffee will be served.
Please email Barri, [email protected], by Monday, Dec. 11th if you can attend on the 13th.

Come meet the artists Sunday, Dec. 3rd from 4 to 6pm. Come for the art, stay for the wine.

Looking to improve your artistic skills? We are excited to offer a beginners' watercolor painting class for adults at the Library next month!

The class will run from 5.30 - 7.30 p.m. on Thursday, November 2 at the Library.

Instructor Veronica Morgan is an experienced artist and teacher whose artworks have been featured and won prizes in many local venues, including Tulip Time, Windmill Island Gardens and the Grand Rapids Children's Museum. Veronica will guide participants in the essential elements of watercolor painting and each of them will create a watercolor landscape painting to take home.

This class is free, and all materials will be provided, but in order to offer the best instructional experience, space is strictly limited. We will be creating a waitlist and may add a second program date if there is sufficient interest.

Please call the Library at 857-8241 during business hours, or email [email protected] to reserve your spot. Please include your full name, email address and phone number in your request.

September 8 - September 29
Opening Exhibition: Thursday, September 7, 4 - 6pm
We invite you to join us, September 7, for the opening reception of our September pocket gallery showcasing various acrylic paintings by Carolyn Jeffers.
South Haven Center for the Arts, 600 Phoenix Street, South Haven, MI 49090
About the artist:
Carolyn Jeffers started painting and taking many art classes in middle and high school. In the mid nineties, after taking some time away from art, getting married, and starting a family, she attended a decorative painting class that her friend was teaching and fell in love with the art process all over again. After this she joined the Michigan Grapevine Decorative Painters chapter, and went to state and national painting conventions. Dabbling in watercolor before ultimately deciding that she was more suited and comfortable with acrylic. Carolyn Jeffers says "I will continue painting as long as I am able and/or creating with my hands as that is one of my joys in this life."

From a September 7, 2023 John Leben press release:
This apocalyptic painting is a sobering vision of what our world may look like in 50 years if we don’t get a grip on Global Warming.  Conceived and created in 2023, "It's Come to This" has hit the art world by storm.  Right out of the gates it has been accepted at three major art exhibitions this Fall.
The biggest version of this piece, a massive seven foot tall by 10 foot wide triptych is destined for the Fountain Street Church for Grand Rapids ArtPrize running September 14 - October 1.
The same digital painting, in a smaller 36x36 inch size, has coincidentally been chosen for exhibit at two other area shows; the 94th Michigan Contemporary Art Exhibition at the Muskegon Museum of Art, September 28 - November 8 and the 2023 Holly Palmer Memorial Art Exhibition of Michigan Artists at the Holland Area Arts Council October 6 - November 11. For the first time ever, I am offering Limited Edition prints of this new work before the original piece starts its exhibition tour this Fall.  Square Format Limited Edition Prints are now available online in various sizes, media types and framing options.  To own the first print in the edition before ArtPrize even begins is a highly coveted collectors item.  After all, true collectors love when the art on their wall tells a unique story.  Edition numbers will be assigned in the order the purchases are made.

Shop “It’s Come to This”
Please note:  The large scale triptych will be available for purchase after ArtPrize at the beginning of October.  Please contact me directly at [email protected] to discuss pricing and installation options for your space.

Carrie Andrews is the Featured Artist at J. Petter Gallery this Saturday, September 2.
Join her and explore the gallery from 4 till 6 pm. Refreshments! Wine! Cheese! Art!
J. Petter Galleries, Saugatuck Annex,
403 Water Street, Saugatuck Michigan.
https://jpettergalleries.com/events

Holly Willson will also be exhibiting her art at Brave art Studios And Gallery in Allegan Michigan the month of September.
Email at artist at [email protected]

Thursday, September 7, 2023
11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Friday & Saturday, September 8 & 9, 2023
11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Free entry

Calling all art lovers and collectors!
Do you have some old paintings collecting dust in storage? No room for a sculpture? Or an old art book that you no longer read? The South Haven Center for the Arts' ReArt Sale is the perfect place to donate these old but gold treasures!

We accept donations of gently used paintings, sculptures, glass, fine jewelry, Chinaware, frames, art books, antiques, vintage treasures, and other fine decor. (But no clothing please.)
This is not only a time for donating but also re-purposing and re-homing these wonderful items! Buy and decorate your homes with the items donated in this unique fundraiser! Don't miss out on these great finds and the chance to support the South Haven Center for the Arts' mission of enriching our community through the arts.test
Accepting Donations starting August 16th through September 3rd!Drop off your donations
Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.,
and Thursday, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Your donations are tax deductible and 100% of the funds raised goes to the South Haven Center for the Arts to help provide further opportunities for the community to explore, discover, experience, and learn about the arts.

Thank you to all those who continue to donate and support the ReArt sale!

Please call (269) 637-1041 or email us at [email protected] if you have questions.
We are grateful for your support!

The City of Fennville will dedicate the outdoor bronze sculpture entitled Clock V by Kalamazoo artist Richard Light located in Hutchinson Park adjacent to the U.S. Post office and the clock tower, 5:30 pm, Thursday, August 17. The artist’s intent was to tell the story of a working woman who is a “clock watcher”. She checks the time often as she grapples with work and family responsibilities. The abstract style is similar to the art produced in the 1930’s and 1940’s when women found themselves in new roles, filling the jobs once performed by the men who had been called to war.   
One of the local significant examples of this history is when the cannery located in downtown Fennville needed to recruit women workers. A version of a photo of the cannery’s workers may be viewed in the Fennville District Library’s exhibit Her Story, Then and Now: A Snapshot of Women in Fennville. The public is welcome to view the exhibit before walking over to the park for the dedication. This exhibit is a collaboration with the library and the Fennville Women’s Club and closes Monday, August 21.
Club member, Rebecca Crane has gathered oral histories from family members of some of the women who worked at the cannery and will share a few of these stories during the dedication. Some of the workers’ family members have also committed to attend and to share their memories when their grandmothers, mothers, or aunts had to step in and become” clock watchers”. A panoramic photo of the cannery women workers can be found hanging on the wall of Crane’s Pie Pantry Restaurant and Winery in Fennville.
Stories shared with Rebecca Crane include a memory relayed by Janice Hagger Orent, daughter to Frances Haan Hagger (b. 1919 d.2004) who worked on the canning line during the fruit and vegetable seasons. "The sharpest memory I have, involved me washing a lot of white aprons and gloves that Mother brought home from work. It seems odd now that the women were responsible for the washing of their aprons. And I always associated that canning factory whistle with her coming home soon!" Edie Foreman Cochran, daughter of Margaret Foreman told Rebecca Crane that her mother worked at the canners in the 40's.  She told Rebecca Crane, “The women had to wear white uniform dresses and aprons and when they were into the beets, they would go home looking like they'd been murdered from the beet juice.  They would then have to get the dresses and aprons white again for the next work day!” 
Sculpture donors Garry Lee McCormick (area artist) and John V. Hall will be present at the dedication as will Maryjo Lemanski, local art expert who introduced the donors to Fennville’s community leaders. Garry Lee McCormick and John Hall began to collect art in the early 80’s and upon Light’s death were able to obtain many of his pieces. They are excited to help Fennville celebrate the many contributions made by the women of Fennville through their gift to the city.
Following the dedication ceremony, the public is welcome to enjoy the downtown social district offerings and the summer outdoor concert beginning at 6:30 pm at 125 S Maple Street. In case of inclement weather, the dedication ceremony and concert will be held at the library.

For more information contact
[email protected]

Holly and Bill Willson at Studio 66 and Sue Flanagan at Pine Tree Studio are having a joint open house on Father’s Day, June 18th. Both studios will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Studio 66 is located at 4071 66th Street in Holland. Pine Tree Studio is just 3 miles north on the corner of 66th street and 146th Ave (6596 146th St. Holland). This is an exhibition dedicated to celebrating the Michigan landscape and lifestyle in different media. It is free and all are welcome!

• Friday, June 9 and Saturday, June 10, 2023
  
• 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (1 hour lunch break)
• $225

Soft Pastels provide the most direct flow of pigment from human hand to paper of almost any medium, and the beautiful hues available are pretty darn exciting.  In this 2-day workshop, you will learn how to start painting with this wonderful medium, and of course that includes choosing a good subject, creating a pleasing composition and recording proper values to create a lovely piece of finished art.  
Day 1:  We will learn basic mark-making and other practices after a demo or two, discussing related elements.  Each student will begin and complete a pastel painting.  
Day 2:  We will review first day and instructor will field any questions/concerns. Then we will begin and complete at least one other painting on that final day. You may bring your own photos - that you've taken - to use on the second day (subject to discussion with instructor) for your final painting(s). If you don't have any suitable source photos, the instructor will have some for you to use.

MATERIALS TO BRING:
Students will provide their own materials. A supply list will be sent out prior to the workshop.
Contact Pickle Street School Studio to register.
https://www.picklestreetschool.com/contactCall or email Joy Richmond at 616.896.9090 or
j[email protected]

Photography Workshop URL:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/capizzo-photography-workshop-with-kenny-ingle-tickets-606013632087