Community Art Show Celebrates Local Creativity
Sculptures made from car Bondo, color prints and intricate pastel landscapes are among the creative artwork on display at the Community Art Invitational presented by Alma College and the Creative Arts Guild of Mid-Michigan.
Faculty and staff at Alma College along with members of the Creative Arts Guild were invited in early September to submit pieces for the invitational. The artwork is on display now through Nov. 5 in the Flora Kirsch Beck Gallery in the Clack Art Center at Alma College.
Admission is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. An artists’ reception and gallery talk take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5.
"The Last Hope" — Skip Traynor
The exhibit includes sculptures created from car Bondo, a plastic filler used to smooth out car bodies, by Wheeler automobile body repair technician and artist Dan Perry. One such piece is “Transformation,” a bust of a woman that becomes a tree.
“Dan Perry is a guild member, and we are very proud to have his unique work,” says Kathy Wilk, vice president of the guild.
The Creative Arts Guild is an organization that produces works and artistic knowledge together, says Wilk. Some of the artists produce artwork as a means of income and others for simple satisfaction.
“The group is celebrating over 50 years of creative vision and original artwork in central Michigan, including painting, drawing, photography, jewelry, textiles and sculpture,” says Diane Clise, guild president.
Other pieces on display include a series of prints by Vestaburg resident Skip Traynor, including one titled “The Last Hope,” which shows a boat flipped over on sand with snow draped over the hull and a sunset bursting from the horizon.
Other pieces on display include watercolors by Ken Bruza, Tami Maisel, Diane Clise, Jody Schnetzler, Bona Beckley and Beth Stafenek, all of Alma, and Kathleen Sandow of St. Louis.
Artists presenting a variety of oil, pastel and acrylic paintings include Lyle Vore of St. Louis, Sara Shock of Mount Pleasant, Dottie Wassenaar of Alma, Julie Anderson of Elwell, Lois Prestage of St. Louis, Cynthia Judge of Shepherd, Clarice Poindexter of Breckenridge and Lori Vermeesch of Perrinton.
The show also features soapstone sculptures by Kay Grimes of Alma and prints by Susan Worley of Ithaca, Bob Downs of Alma, Trent Wiederhold of Breckenridge and Rosemary Dutka, John Luneack and Kathryn Wilk of Alma.
“We are thrilled with this show, and hope the community is as well,” says Wilk.
Posted: Sun, October 18th, 2009 at 2:59PM
