Image: Joyce Koskenmaki

North of the Bridge

Crooked Tree Arts Center

May 22 – September 2, 2010

Crooked Tree Arts Center will open its summer exhibition entitled North of the Bridge on May 22, 2010 from 4-6 p.m. This show will highlight the works of 30 artists living in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Gail DeMeyere, Visual Arts/Education Director at CTAC and curator, has travelled across the UP gathering a multi-faceted and intriguing collection of artists that CTAC looks forward to sharing with the community.

 “It is hard to describe this exhibition since it covers so many artistic styles, media and cultures. North of the Bridge represents artists born and raised in the UP or other parts of the United States as well as those who were born in Europe or Asia who have relocated to the UP” explains DeMeyere. “Media ranges from works in clay, paint, mixed media, stone, cement, textiles, encaustic, found objects, wood, woodblock prints and combinations of the above. Delving into the curatorial work I was astounded by the breadth of experience these artists brought to the table, working in very remote portions of the Upper Peninsula. A unifying link of the exhibition is the artists’ profound appreciation for the pristine beauty of the area in which they live and the artistic sensibilities needed to express that in such a meaningful way.”

The Crooked Tree Arts Center is preparing various programming notes that will complement the North of the Bridge exhibition which will run throughout the summer months. For updated information, please go to the CTAC website at: www.crookedtree.org for more details.

On July 31, 2010 there will be artists painting all around Petoskey for Crooked Tree Arts Center’s fifth annual Paint-Out! If you are not familiar with what a “paint-out” is please read on. Beginning at 8 a.m. artists will gather to have canvases or paper stamped to verify that the material they will be painting on was blank in the morning of the paint-out. They will then venture anywhere in the area to begin a day of plein air painting. As the sun moves across the sky, artists will be painting and capturing a day in the life of northern Michigan on canvas. The completed artwork must be returned framed and ready to hang between 4-6 p.m. that same day.

At 6 p.m. there will be a wine and cheese reception in the lower level of CTAC. All work will be for sale and work will be on display until August 30th. This paint-out is a great way to join artists with the community and celebrate the beauty and talent of this region. The paint-out is open to all artists over the age of 18 and at all levels of artistic ability. “The Paint-Out has become a very well-received and fun day for all involved, whether you are a participating artist or a patron of the arts. At six p.m. as we gather, the work is being hung in a “live installation” and celebrates a day in the life of the Petoskey region. All of the work is for sale whether you are a tourist visiting the area, or a local resident; one is able to purchase a work of local art that was created on that particular day,” explains Gail DeMeyere, Visual Arts/Education Director at CTAC. “It is like a day of fishing and the excitement is palpable when each new artist returns to Crooked Tree Arts Center with a fresh new painting and the group looks on with a “What ‘ja get, what ‘ja get” kind of enthusiasm. It is infectious and a great deal of fun.”

For more information, please contact the Crooked Tree Arts Center at 461 East Mitchell Street, Petoskey, Michigan 49770, go online to: www.crookedtree.org or call at (231) 347-4337.

     The Crooked Tree Arts Center’s 30^th Annual Juried Fine Arts Exhibition will be on display from September 18^th and run through November 6. A new format for entry was required where works were digitally photographed and registered online. The opening will be on September 18 from 4-6 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

     The juror for this year’s exhibition was Susan Bandes from the Kresge Art Museum at Michigan State University. Bandes has a Ph.D. in Art History from Bryn Mawr College and has been a Professor of Art History at MSU since 1986. Susan has also curated many major exhibitions including her most recent “American Modernism, 1920’s-1940’s.”

     To recognize that this is the 30^th anniversary of the Juried Fine Arts Exhibition, two galleries have been designated to the exhibition. The exhibition was open to all Michigan residents 18 years and older and/or members of CTAC. Works are in all media except those based primarily on the photographic process. Crooked Tree Arts Center presents a separate juried exhibition running from January through March based solely on photography.  

     “We had to make a decision to reestablish the entry procedures for many reasons,” explains Gail DeMeyere, Visual Arts/Education Director at CTAC. “By implementing the online registration process, we are able to open the scope of potential jurors, extend the entry timeline so that artists have a much broader timeframe to work with, and expand the exhibition to more Michigan residents.”

     Opening on November 19, Crooked Tree Arts Center will unveil its 2010 Holiday Art Bazaar. The galleries will be filled with the works of over 60 Michigan artists who have created gifts for all holiday occasions. The Visual Arts Committee at CTAC invites everyone to shop at the annual holiday art sale.The opening will be a fabulous collection of seasonal treats with gift wrapping, music and holiday cheer. The Holiday Art Bazaar will be open from November 19- December 23.