Curator’s Clipboard: A Closer Look

As a curator, I’m very optimistic that this year  we will see the return to more events in the gallery both live and virtually. Our plan is to have hybrid components so that all will feel comfortable and have the opportunity to view the art and meet the artists. In reality, what was seen as problems have blossomed into more robust programming options and better communication. The best place to view all events centered around the exhibitions are on our Studio23/The Arts Center Facebook Page and on our website. Here is a closer look at each exhibition for 2021.

Rosemary Kavanagh’s My Bay City Family Tree will close at 1:00 pm on Wednesday, March 10, 2021. We recently had a very special Valentine’s event, Love Letters from World War II. This was a hybrid event with both live and virtual components. I interviewed Rosemary in front of live audience and we broadcasted on Facebook and Instagram live. Rosemary read two of her father’s letters to her mother from very historic moments in World War II history. I’m inserting that video here for you. It is about 30 minutes.

 

Teenworks and Kids’ Kreations 2021 (online March 1, 2021)  will be virtual for 2021. We have had over 130 entries to be included from Bay County art students. These entries were posted by art teachers, parents, grandparents,  family and friends of students, and the students themselves.  We are overwhelmed by the response. The online gallery will go live on March 1st and we will have a chance for all the students who entered to win art-related prizes. These prizes will be announced on Facebook and we will notify the winners by email. Let us know how you like the online exhibit as it will remain on our website for 2021.

Land To River (March 25 – May 15, 2021) is a collaboration with the Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy and sponsored by Waste Management. This invitational exhibit explores the role of artists as communicators, explorers, and environmentalists. Each artist brings their own interpretations to Studio 23 that range from visually capturing nature in paintings and carvings, to bringing awareness to our environment through installation statements , the use of reclaimed materials and photojournalism. The invited artists are Mark Bleshenski, Zachary Branigan, Alex Gilford, Frits Hoendervanger, Erwin Lewandowski, Alan Maciag, John Sabraw, and Larry VanSteenhouse.

Public reception is March 25, 2021,    5 pm- 7 pm.

Sponsored by

 

Painter & Potters 2021 (May 27 – July 10, 2021) is a celebration of our students, 100 Day Project members and Studio 23 Faculty. This exhibit has been a staple at Studio 23 since the late sixties. Our studio school and complete clay studio offers classes throughout the year and we are now back with in-person sessions as well as zoom selections. Students and instructors who have taken or taught classes since January 2020 are welcome to complete the application here. Please contact me by email at vallen@studio23baycity.org.

Bonnie Lalley, artist and illustrator (July 22 – September 11, 2021) This in Bonnie Lalley’s solo exhibit that will include over two years of new artworks. Bonnie’s original exhibit dates in 2020 landed at the very beginning of the pandemic and was postponed until now. Undaunted she continued to create inside the 100-year-old home and studio she shares with her husband, Timothy Lalley, master craftsman. Their residence is filled with amazing natural light, vintage furnishings, thoughtful color that would inspire all artists at every turn. Please join us for her reception this summer on Friday, July 30, 2021, 5 pm – 7 pm. You can find more of Bonnie’s artwork on her website and Instagram @bonnielalley.

50 Artists of the Great Lakes Bay Region ( September 23 – November 13, 2021) This highly anticipated juried exhibit showcases the artwork from the eight-county area of the Great Lakes Bay Region. Artists from the counties of Arenac, Bay, Midland, Saginaw, Isabella, Clare, Gladwin, and Gratiot  are judged by four jurors with backgrounds in art, design, collecting and/or arts administration also living or working in the region. Applications will be available in early March and will be due in late April. The 50 Artists selected will also be featured with images in the Art Around the City public art project in Bay City. Public reception will be Thursday, September 23, 2021, 5 pm– 7 pm.

Chalk Walk Art Festival 2021 (August 14, 2021) This annual festival features chalk art, live music, art market and food vendors on the sidewalks of historic Downtown Bay City near Wenonah Park. The committee is busy planning ways to return this festival to Bay City and meet the requirements to keep it safe for all in the outdoor setting. Follow Chalk Walk Art Festival’s Facebook Page for information as it develops for 2021.

 

Richard VanNostrand Photography (November 27, 2021 – January 8, 2022) This exhibition includes photographs by award-winning Bay City photographer Richard VanNostrand. The family collection includes themes of nature, history, sports and community. There will be a public Reception on Saturday,  December 4, 2021, 2:00 – 4:00pm. Family members and colleagues will be in attendance to discuss Richard’s career in photography. This exhibit will be the featured exhibit for Studio 23’s annual fundraiser, Black & White Affair which will be held Friday, December 10, 2021.

 

I hope you enjoyed this closer look into the exhibit for the coming year. Keep a look-out on our Facebook Page and Instagram for ongoing updates and events. We are open to the public every Tuesday – Saturday from 11 am – 5 pm and we’d love to see you!

Kind regards,

Val

Valerie Allen, curator

Studio 23 is part of the Amazon Smile gives program for nonprofits. Please consider using this when ordering from at smile.amazon.com and choose Studio 23 as your nonprofit.

 

 

 

Posted 11 November 2022

21st Annual Back & White Affair and Art Auction

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Posted 8 July 2022

Congratulations to the winners of our Summer Solstice Art-a-Thon Plein Air Paint Out!

On Saturday, June 25, 13 artists visited 12 farms growing sugar beets for Michigan Sugar and spent the morning and afternoon painting the fields, buildings, and scenery of the farms. Artist checked in at Studio 23 beginning at 8 a.m. and had paintings finished and framed by 4 p.m. the same...

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