Crooked Tree Arts Center Welcomes Fall with New Exhibition, Echoes: Revisiting Memory

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 28, 2026

PETOSKEY, Mich. — As summer gives way to fall, Crooked Tree Arts Center invites the community to slow down, look back, and consider the places and experiences that stay with us through its newest Gilbert Gallery exhibition, Echoes: Revisiting Memory, on view September 18 through October 31 at CTAC’s Petoskey location.

 

The exhibition explores the ways environments, places, and landscapes shape our memories and experiences, and how those memories can shift, blur, and change each time we revisit them. Featuring a diverse group of artists working across a range of media, Echoes considers the lingering impressions that familiar spaces leave behind and the ways artists translate those recollections into visual form.

 

“Some places stay with us. A house we grew up in, a road we traveled every summer, a landscape we saw only once. Sometimes we remember them clearly, and sometimes what remains is simply a feeling,” remarks Jennifer Cantley, Visual Arts Director at Crooked Tree Arts Center. “Echoes brings together artists who are exploring that space between the place, person, or event itself and the memory of it. This creates a particularly personal and engaging exhibition, giving visitors an opportunity to slow down, look closely, and reflect on the memories that have stayed with them over time.”

 

The exhibition was juried by Paige Young, a Midwest-based photographer and Assistant Professor of Photography at Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University. With more than 18 years of experience as a professional photographer, Young’s work explores the intersection of psychology and art, often examining themes of self-compassion, grief, body image, mental health, and representation.

 

The exhibition features the work of 30 artists: Robyn Brower, Wallace Burchett, Clara Coleman, Cindy Souders, Tatsuki Hakoyama, Leslie Hirshfield, Saralee Howard, Heidi Huck, Johnson Hunt, Jjenna Hupp Andrews, Haley Joseph, Jan Kellogg, Emily Kimball-Wells, Jessiena Lake, Todd Lininger, Kim Long, Kimberly McCarthy, Dorothy McGrath Grossman, Ashley Menth, Katie Mollon, Mielle Park, Dylan Riffer, Sheila Ruen, Baylee Schmitt, Cynthia Silveri, Jeffrey Smith, Mark Taylor, and Jamie Weinfurter.

 

The public is invited to experience the exhibition first at CTAC’s ticketed preview event: Fall Vernissage & Swirl, on Thursday, September 17, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. The festive evening offers an opportunity to get the first look at Echoes before it opens to the public while enjoying wine, artisan bites, live music, and conversation.

 

The term “vernissage” traditionally refers to a private preview of an art exhibition, and CTAC’s Fall Vernissage & Swirl puts a distinctly Northern Michigan spin on the tradition. Guests can enjoy wines curated by Great Lakes Wine and Spirits, artisan bites by Chandler’s, and live music by Holly Keller-Thompson while exploring the new exhibition and connecting with fellow art lovers and participating artists.

 

Tickets are $25 for CTAC members and $30 for non-members and include one drink ticket. Additional wine tickets will be available for $5. The event is for guests age 21 and over.

 

A free Public Opening Reception for Echoes: Revisiting Memory will follow on Friday, September 18, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m., welcoming the community to come celebrate the artists and view the new exhibition. Light refreshments will be provided.

 

The fall exhibition season continues throughout CTAC’s Petoskey galleries. Visitors can also experience Women + Water: Life Bearers, Teachers, Storytellers in the Atrium Gallery through October 17 and Modern Movement: Martha Graham & Barbara Morgan in the Bonfield Gallery through October 31.

 

Echoes: Revisiting Memory is presented at Crooked Tree Arts Center, 461 East Mitchell Street in Petoskey. The gallery is open to the public during regular CTAC hours (Tuesday - Friday, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.), and admission to the exhibition is free.

 

This exhibition is made possible thanks to CTAC’s Visual Arts Presenter, Comfort Keepers.

 

For more information about Echoes: Revisiting Memory, Fall Vernissage & Swirl, and upcoming fall programs, visit Crooked Tree Arts Center or call 231-347-4337.

 

Image Credit: Haley Joseph, Please, Don't Go..., ceramic, metal, epoxy, paper, 8 x 8 x 5 inches

Image Credit: Haley Joseph, Please, Don't Go..., ceramic, metal, epoxy, paper, 8 x 8 x 5 inches