If I invited you to come with me to the "most attended public art event on the planet," where do you suppose we'd go? Paris, perhaps? New York? Some quaint California town? What if I told you that the event takes place here in West Michigan? It's called ArtPrize, and it draws some 400,000 visitors to Grand Rapids over a nineteen-day period in early autumn. Unless you've experienced ArtPrize first-hand, grasping its scope, scale and concept can be mind-warping. When I try explaining it to out-of-towners who've never attended, they grope for comparisons. "So it's a big art fair, like Ann Arbor's," they venture. No, it's not like that. "So it's some kind of festival of the arts, with performances, exhibits and activities?" No, Grand Rapids has one of those in the spring, but that's not ArtPrize. Maybe this will help. In a recent conversation, some of my hiking friends were comparing notes on their visits to this year's ArtPrize. Peg, still euphoric over her day-long excursion, said, "There are no carnival rides, there's nothing to buy, yet it feels like a festival." Anita added in an almost reverent tone: "And all these people come, just to look at art!" Still not getting it? Let's try some facts and figures. ArtPrize is an international art exhibit and competition that takes place in 170 locations—from museums and galleries to bars, bridges, laundromats and auto body shops—over a three square mile downtown area. The event is free to the public, who can vote for their favorites using mobile devices and the ArtPrize web page. Cash prizes, half of which are decided by public vote and half by a jury of art experts, total $500,000. Any artist can enter, and any space in the district can be a venue. "It’s unorthodox, highly disruptive, and undeniably intriguing to the art world and the public alike," the ArtPrize web site asserts. What intrigues me most are the stated objectives of celebrating artists who take risks and promoting "examination of opinions, values and beliefs, encouraging all participants to step outside of their comfort zones." As Ray and I toured this year's ArtPrize--the eighth annual--with our friend Emily, we encountered works that made us stop and stare and others that made us stop and think. Some brought us close to tears; some were just plain fun. One moving display featured life-sized masks made by people with brain injuries, along with each artist's personal story. Just down that hall from that collection was "The Butterfly Effect," an installation of 1,234 handmade bronze Monarch butterflies. Artists Bryce Pettit and Allison Leigh Smith created the work to call attention to the plight of Monarchs, whose numbers have dropped dramatically over the past 20 years. After wandering outside and crossing a bridge to the other side of the Grand River (encountering a hula-hooping guitar player on the way), we came upon an assortment of sculptures that looked whimsical at first glance. But the creatures artist Justin La Doux crafted from recycled materials peered at us from cages, making a statement about the cruelties of the illegal pet trade. In another area, we found a crowd gathered around Loren Naji's "Emoh" sculpture/time capsule and temporary home. Constructed from debris salvaged from abandoned Michigan and Ohio homes, Emoh (Home, spelled backwards) represents wastefulness and the irony of homelessness in cities riddled with vacant houses. During ArtPrize, Naji lived in the eight-foot-diameter orb. Afterward, he planned to embark on a multi-city tour, collecting letters and discarded items from visitors at each stop. At the end of the tour, Emoh will become a time capsule, with those collected objects and writings stored inside for ten years until the capsule is opened on Earth Day 2026. Another ambitious—but more light-hearted—undertaking was showcased down the street from Emoh. Grand Haven illustrator Aaron Zenz and his six children collected 1000 rocks in different shapes and sizes and painted faces (or facial features) on each one. The rocks were painted in matching pairs, with one member of each pair displayed outside the Grand Rapids Children's Museum, where we saw them, and the other 500 hidden around town for people to find, photograph and post on social media. (Read more about the Zenz family's project, "Rock Around" in this MLive article.) We didn't look for rocks, but we did go on our own treasure hunt, searching for work by Newaygo-area artists we know. Eric LeMire's "Hexagonaria Percarinata" was easy to spot in the vestibule of a downtown pub. Eric used multiple layers of acrylic and poly resin to simulate the patterns of Michigan's state rock, the Petoskey stone, on a seated figure, a piece he hopes will stimulate interest in Michigan's "unique and rather exotic geological history and our human relationship with it" And we found Kim Froese's "Bee the Queen" holding court in First Congregational Church. Kim uses bald-faced hornets' nests in her art, and this piece celebrates the role of females (insect and human) in home and family. Kim's not the only artist who makes use of unconventional materials. This year we saw works of art created with aluminum foil, sand, duct tape and other surprising media. ArtPrize is over now, but we still have plenty of reminders of the place of art in our lives One upcoming event, in particular, highlights the impact artists can have on the community. "Leaving a Legacy of Art: The Jansma Collection," celebrates the lives of longtime Fremont residents Ray and Phyllis Jansma, who had a profound influence on Newaygo County's cultural scene. Phyllis was a musician and music teacher, Ray an architectural designer and artist who painted, sculpted and carved wood. As a tribute to Ray and Phyllis, their family is offering some of Ray's artwork for sale, with a portion of the proceeds to benefit Newaygo County Council for the Arts-Artsplace. The sale takes place Saturday, October 29 from 10 am to 1 p.m. at the Dogwood Center Black Box, 4734 S. Campus Court, Fremont. Admission is free, and light refreshments will be served. Entertainment will be provided by members of the Newaygo County Piano Teachers Association, of which Phyllis was a member for years. I'm looking forward to the event, and I'll tell you all about it in a future post. But for now, tell me something. Where do you go to see art that inspires, elevates and even challenges you to step outside your comfort zone?
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Holidays: they're fun, they're festive, and sometimes they're just so much bother. The shopping, the cooking, the decorating, the entertaining, the cleaning up. Have you ever wished someone would designate a holiday just for loafing and doing whatever you please? Some folks in the northern Michigan village of Glen Arbor had that wish—and made it happen. Two years ago, Cherry Republic, a purveyor of sweet and savory cherry delicacies, created the mid-October holiday of Leaf Day. The idea, as the company announced in its 2014 mail order catalog, was "to celebrate the amazing colors of fall, and to take a day to reflect or enjoy the outdoors in the last of our good weather." On the designated day, Cherry Republic gave employees the day off and encouraged other employers to follow suit, offering a gift box of the company's goodies to the first 25 bosses who granted the holiday to their staffers. Really, would you expect any less of a business whose motto is "Life – Liberty – Beaches – Pie"? The idea was so popular within Cherry Republic, the company continued the tradition last year. Last October's Leaf Day was even more meaningful, as only a couple of months before, a sudden shear storm had destroyed tens of thousands of the area's magnificent trees.
Not one mentioned rushing through a mall, slaving over a stove or eating to excess. This year's Leaf Day is scheduled for October 17, but Ray and I got a sneak preview last week during a camping trip to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, right in Cherry Republic's backyard. It was a little early for the glorious display of color we've seen there in other years, and in fact this fall has been so wet, we thought it might be more appropriate to celebrate Mushroom Day. But by the end of our five days of hiking, biking, loafing and yes, eating pie at Cherry Republic, tinges of scarlet, russet and gold had begun to color leaf tips, and we felt we'd adequately kicked off the season. Kicked off, but not capped off. With Leaf Day still ahead, we're looking forward to celebrating nature in our own back yard. And from the looks of the maples around our house, it'll be a grand celebration. Will you celebrate Leaf Day this year? Or will you come up with your own holiday? What will you celebrate, and how will you choose to celebrate it?
On the last Wednesday of every month, I serve up a potpourri of advice, inspiration and other tidbits I've come across in recent weeks. If you read through to the end (no fair skipping ahead!), you'll get a treat: a visual recap of a fun event from the past month. Such things . . . as the grasp of a child's hand in your own, the flavor of an apple, the embrace of a friend or a lover, the silk of a girl's thigh, the sunlight on rock and leaves, the feel of music, the bark of a tree, the abrasion of granite and sand, the plunge of clear water into a pool, the face of the wind—what else is there? What else do we need? --Edward Abbey, author, essayist and environmentalist Will you ever bring a better gift for the world than the breathing respect that you carry wherever you go right now? --William Stafford, American poet and pacifist I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I have lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well. --Diane Ackerman, author, poet and naturalist I value the friend who for me finds time on his calendar, but I cherish the friend who for me does not consult his calendar. --Robert Brault, blogger Passion is one great force that unleashes creativity, because if you're passionate about something, then you're more willing to take risks. --Yo-Yo Ma, cellist I love the sutra sthira sukham asanam: "Effort without tension, relaxation without dullness." It reminds me that energy should not be confused with anxiety and stress. --Renee Loux, author, chef and green-living expert, interviewed in Yoga Journal, May, 2016 To achieve greatness, start where you are, use what you have, do what you can. --Arthur Ashe, the first African-American man to win Wimbledon And now, as promised, a virtual visit to Tulip Time, an annual Holland, Michigan event that took place earlier this month. Put on your wooden shoes and come along! So, readers, where has life taken you, and what wisdom have you gleaned in the past month? Skies were dreary and drippy, but last Saturday and Sunday were fine days in Fairyland (also known as Camp Newaygo), as droves of visitors wandered through woods and wetlands in search of fairy houses. The occasion was the camp's Enchanted Forest event, two afternoons of fun and fundraising to support improvements to the camp's Foster Arts and Crafts Lodge. Generations of campers have explored painting, pottery, dark room photography, nature crafts, jewelry making, tie dye design, wood burning and other activities in that building. But the crafts lodge, built in 1949, is no longer adequate for the camp's growing number of campers and programs.
Camp staff and volunteers hid the fairy houses, gnome homes, pixie palaces and elf abodes in the woods for visitors of all ages to discover (with the help of trail maps, helpful guides and a display showing photos of all the houses to be found). Ray and I had an edge, having helped hide some of the houses Saturday morning. But even we had to look closely to spot some of them. And once guests began arriving—many sporting fairy wings and other whimsical garb—we had fun watching them search and then react with delight when they spied a tiny house nestled in the leaves or in the hollow of a tree stump.
Some fledgling fairies made wands or gnome hats at the crafts station and enjoyed a tea party of punch and cookies. Other visitors browsed the garden plants and accessories offered for sale by local shops. Over the two days, a total of 627 visitors toured the Enchanted Forest. "We were ecstatic about the positive responses we got about the event on social media, and we were so happy with the turnout," said Christa Smalligan, Director of Events and Operations. "It was wonderful to see families and friends outside exploring and enjoying themselves in nature." Wish you'd been there? Or wish you could visit again? Then come along for a walk through the pictures below or a virtual stroll with WOTV4's Maranda. If a fanciful creation catches your eye, drop by eBay to bid on one or more of the fairy houses. The auction runs until 11 a.m., Monday, May 9, and proceeds go to the Foster Arts and Crafts Lodge renovation project. The houses will also be on display at Camp Newaygo, 5333 Centerline Rd., Newaygo, during the Mother's Day Brunch, Sunday, May 8. Between now and then, the public is welcome to view them during business hours, Monday-Friday 8am-5pm. Ready for that walk in the woods? Let's go! THE END
It's April—time to tackle spring cleaning projects, to welcome returning birds, to wander the woods in search of wildflowers, and to celebrate poetry. What? Celebrating poetry isn't on your agenda this month? Perhaps you'll make room for it when I tell you that this April marks the 20th anniversary of National Poetry Month, first organized by the Academy of American Poets in 1996. The idea is to increase the visibility of poetry and poets everywhere. In that spirit, HeartWood will offer poetry-related posts all month, including guest posts from two of my favorite local poets, Jonathan Riedel and Sandra Bernard, who'll tell you about the place of poetry in their lives and share some of their poems. I'll be celebrating in my own way, too. When I first started thinking about Poetry Month, I vowed to read poetry every day for the whole month. I used to do this year round, not only in April, but I've fallen out of the habit. The shelf of unread poetry books in my writing room reminds me it's time to begin again. As I thought about reading poetry every day, another idea occurred to me: Why not write a poem a day? I should tell you that even though I usually write something every day, the idea of writing a poem every day makes my palms so sweaty I can hardly hold a pen. Except for a brief period in college, when I wrote poems that I thought were deep and Dadaesque but were really nonsensical gibberish, the idea of writing poetry has terrified me. I just wasn't that kind of writer. But it's funny, isn't it, how the thing that terrifies also intrigues you? In the back of my mind, I always hoped I would someday face down my fear and give poetry writing a shot. That someday finally arrived last year, when Jonathan offered a four-week poetry class at Bay Leaf Books in Newaygo. I had met Jon at a weekly writing salon Sandra organized at River Stop Café, just down the street from the bookstore. I knew he was a friendly guy with a down-to-earth approach to poetry (after all, he wrote poems about kitchen utensils!), so I signed up. At the weekly sessions, we learned about haiku, tanka, rhyme and meter, prose poems and more, and between sessions, we had assignments to complete. Yes, poems to write. So I wrote some, and to my surprise, I had fun doing it. I'll share a couple here, not because I think they're particularly good, but to encourage you to try something that terrifies you. Icicle Splintering sunlight, Prism pendant's moonstone tip Holds on, holds on, drops Marbles Clear as empty space, Launched from fingers nimble, young, Colliding, clacking, Pocket-sized planets of glass Hurtle through playground cosmos After Jon's class, I had every intention of continuing to write poetry, but other projects took precedence and somehow a year passed poem-less. Now, however, six days into my April poetry pledge, I have six new poems in my notebook, and I have read as many poems by poet and journalist David Tucker, whose collection Late for Work is my current fave. At the end of the month, I'll report on my progress and perhaps share another poem or two. What about you? How will you celebrate National Poetry Month? Whether you read poems, write poems or commit to something else that has always intimidated or eluded you (a painting, drawing or photograph a day? a fitness challenge?) I'd like to hear about it. And you're invited to share the results here. You can either post them as a comment or send them to me using my contact form or the email (envelope) icon at the top of this page. (If you need inspiration for writing poems, check out the Writer's Digest Poetic Asides blog, where you can find daily prompts all this month. You can also sign up for weekly poetry (and fiction and creative nonfiction) prompts through The Time Is Now E-Newsletter, offered year-round by Poets & Writers magazine. And don't forget Poem in Your Pocket Day, April 21. That's the day to carry a favorite piece of poetry on your person to share with others throughout the day. Don't have a favorite in mind? You can download one here.) Happy April and Happy However-You-Decide-to-Celebrate-It!
"The demand for twigs, stones, clay and moss is through the (tiny) roof," said Gnarly Gnome, manager of building materials. "Creativity is at an all-time high." Indeed, our inquisitive, roving sprites have spotted activity throughout Newaygo County and beyond. Here are some of their surveillance photos and reports: Over on the banks of the Little Muskegon River, fairy godmothers Brenda Huckins Bonter and Maureen Roslanic have been working some powerful magic with clay and imagination. Croton resident Valerie Deur, who's rumored to be part pixie, has transformed a tree stump into a palace for tiny folk of all sorts. Meanwhile, Diane "Diaphanous Di" Sack plans to take stump transformation to new heights with a multistory creation in this stump. One evening, our sprites flew all the way down to Ada, where a fairy house-making party was in progress at Heather Lane Pottery. The intrepid imps returned with photos of these enchanting dwellings created by the group, which includes Lisa Boerema, Mary Beth Cooper, Dorrie Crago, Cortney Horan, Linda Kilmer, Janet Krueger, Terri Oostendorp, and Sue Monterusso. Even my own home was invaded by those snoopy sylphs, who just couldn't stand the suspense of waiting to see what Ray has been up to in his workshop. They captured these pictures of the process and end result. Feeling inspired? It's not too late to craft your own fairy house. You have until April 1 to finish your creation and deliver it to Camp Newaygo. So summon your muse, fire up the glue gun and get busy!
Sherlock Holmes gave me a cunning look (you can't put anything over on that guy); Tinkerbell sidled past me, angling her wings so as not to poke me in the eye; and I found Waldo—he was behind the giraffe. No, I wasn't on a flight of fantasy, I was at Authorpalooza, a showcase for local, regional (and beyond) authors in nearby Big Rapids. The event was part of Festival of the Arts, a month-long, annual celebration that offers an eclectic mix of performances, participatory projects and workshops—from welding to cupcake decorating, from Shakespeare to stand-up comedy, and a whole lot in between. As Alice Bandstra, president of the Mecosta County nonprofit arts organization Artworks, describes it: "We build community and memories through the Festival, while we are expressing our creativity and having fun." That's exactly the point of Authorpalooza: creativity, community and fun. It's a chance for authors to meet and learn from one another and for readers to connect with writers and even rub elbows (or wing tips) with characters from favorite books. The costumed characters, new to the festival this year, were members of the Ferris State University honorary theatre fraternity, and let me tell you, they were convincing. I followed Little Red Riding Hood around for half an hour, hoping she'd mistake me for Grandma and share some goodies. The real reason I was there, though, was to support my author friends, discover new authors and—let's face it—feed my dream of someday being one of those published authors with a table full of books to sign. I started at the table of Wendy Nystrom, a children's book author who spent two years in Iceland, where her fantasy stories are set. I met Wendy through Second Monday Writers Group, which meets monthly at Artworks, and I admire her imagination and energy. Much of that energy has gone into organizing or co-organizing Authorpalooza events for the past three years. The book fair started as a project of the Friends of Big Rapids Community Library, featuring twenty-five authors, and grew from there. This year's event, the first to be part of Festival of the Arts, was held in space donated by The Gate Entertainment Center. If you think an entertainment megaplex with an 18-lane bowling center, game arcade and sports bar is an unusual venue for a book fair, you're not the only one. I wondered about the fit myself. But Authorpalooza was set up in a quiet, corner room that felt worlds away from the crash of bowling pins. Wendy recruited authors through a writing events page she administers on Facebook. "I could have had fifty or sixty, but I only had space for forty," she told me. (Click here for a list of this year's Authorpalooza authors.) One of those authors was Big Rapids author Betty Stolarek, who writes fiction as Rebecca Thaddeus. Betty recently retired from a thirty-eight year career teaching writing, and now she and Phillip Sterling, a poet and writer of fiction and nonfiction, offer writing retreats at Three Ponds Farm, Betty's roomy and writing-friendly home on twenty acres on the outskirts of Big Rapids. I've attended two of those retreats and come away each time with fresh insights into my work and writing in general. When we chatted at Authorpalooza, Betty filled me in on plans for the next workshop and shared the exciting news that her novel One Amber Bead, a family saga that takes place in Poland and the United States, is being translated into Polish. Next, I stopped to talk with Susan Stec, a head-spinningly prolific author of paranormal fiction and another Second Monday Writers friend. Susan, who lives with her "perfectly normal" husband and three "also normal" King Charles spaniels on 50 acres of woods, fields and streams in Newaygo County, describes herself this way on her website: I've always been weird, even as a child—might've been influenced by all those fairies and trolls living around Grandma's house. Could've been because my mother had dreams that came true, and Grandma read tarot cards. I don't know, but I don't think it's because I'm two different people (my family loves them both) and one of us talks to ghosts. Yeah. That's Susan, all right. But there's nothing weird about her reasons for participating in Authorpalooza. "At every signing event I have participated in, there is at least one young writer who wants to know how I got where I am. I love sharing this knowledge and giving encouragement to others, hoping they develop an uncontrollable passion for building their own worlds to share with others," she says. One budding writer in particular caught Wendy's attention this year. "This teenage boy came all the way from Hastings with his grandma. He spent two hours walking around and talking to every author, and he had a folder and took notes." Wendy, Susan and Betty also get a kick out of meeting their readers face to face, exchanging tips with other authors and raising the visibility of writing within the community. "I've always thought that reading and writing were collaborative functions," says Betty. "From other authors I've gotten ideas on marketing and spreading the word about my writing. I also use opportunities like Authorpalooza to market my writers' retreats, so that's a way to inspire others." I think what they're all saying is, there's always more to learn, there's always someone you can learn from, and there's always someone who can learn from you. I'm sure that's as true in other endeavors as it is in writing. How does your community encourage interactions among people who are passionate about the arts? As a child, my favorite books were the ones about wandering through the forest and discovering something magical—a key to a hidden treasure chest or a tiny doorway in a tree that led into otherworldly realms. My older brother fueled my fantasies with artifacts he claimed to have found in the woods that bordered our backyard: a pixie's acorn-cap beret, a stone with a hollowed-out depression that could've served as a fairy's washbasin, and once, a miniature bronze goblet that an elf had surely left behind. Alas, I never found a secret door or gnome house, no matter how I searched those same woods. So you'll understand why I'm excited to learn that I'll soon have a second chance at Camp Newaygo's "Enchanted Forest" event. On April 30 from 3 to 6 pm and May 1 from 2 to 5 pm, visitors to the camp can wander the surrounding forest, with the help of a trail map, to search for fairy and gnome homes. Between now and then, Camp Newaygo—an independent not-for-profit camp located on 104 acres along a chain of lakes in the Manistee National Forest region of mid-western Michigan—is recruiting creative types to fashion one-of-a-kind fairy and gnome dwellings for the event (and for the little creatures that will no doubt inhabit them!). Young visitors will also have a chance to make a fairy wand or gnome hat and to enjoy a tea party. Local greenhouses will be on hand, selling supplies for fairy- or full-sized gardens. The week after the event, the houses will be displayed and auctioned off, with proceeds going to support improvements to the camp's Foster Arts and Crafts Lodge, built in 1949. That's where generations of campers have explored painting, pottery, dark room photography, nature crafts, jewelry making, tie dye design, wood burning and other activities. But the lodge is no longer adequate for the camp's growing number of campers and programs. (In addition to being a girls' residential summer camp and a coed day camp, Camp Newaygo offers year-round community events: dinners, girlfriend getaways, winter sleigh rides and more.) "The proposed renovation will maintain the building's integrity and original structure, as well as winterize the facility to include a restroom, heat, insulation and high-efficiency windows," says Christa Smalligan, the camp's events specialist. I love the whole idea of this project, not only because it brings back memories of my childhood imaginings, but also because it showcases our creative community in a way that will benefit this very special place. What's more, the project builds bridges between established artists and young creative spirits. This won't be the first time Camp Newaygo has called on Newaygo-area talent. In 2009, the camp started a program called Stone Soup Studio, in which local artists and creative minds designed and made mosaic lamp shades for the newly-renovated Lang Lodge. "The Enchanted Forest event has allowed us to reach out and provide another opportunity for creativity," says Smalligan. "I'm excited to see the unique perspectives people take in making each fairy home and garden." You can certainly expect a unique perspective from Valerie Deur, who plans to create a "pixie palace" in a mossy tree stump. "I believe in little people, and I have a special fondness for pixies," says Deur, who once co-wrote a book about pixies with her daughter and even donned pixie outfits, complete with turned-up-toe slippers, for the photos that illustrate the book. "I'm thinking of making this house a retirement condo for pixies," she says, "although of course all small creatures would be welcome--pixies don't discriminate." Valerie and Christa have got me thinking up designs for fairy-sized structures I might make from the twigs, acorn caps, stones and feathers I collect on my walks through the woods, and I caught Ray rummaging through the recycling bin for inspiration the other day. How about you? Can you resist this creative challenge? The camp would like to have 25 to 30 little houses to hide in the woods, so that's going to take a lot of busy hands and fertile minds between now and April 1, when creations need to be finished and delivered to Camp Newaygo. Here are a few guidelines to follow:
And mark your calendars for the walks on April 30 and May 1. If you can't make it, rest assured I'll share pictures and details of my enchanted adventure.
Meanwhile, I'd love to hear about other examples of creativity in service of community, here in Michigan or wherever you live. |
Written from the heart,
from the heart of the woods Read the introduction to HeartWood here.
Available now!Author
Nan Sanders Pokerwinski, a former journalist, writes memoir and personal essays, makes collages and likes to play outside. She lives in West Michigan with her husband, Ray. Archives
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