Events, Meetings and Programs

Ludington Area Arts Council 2008 Windows Project

The Ludington Area Arts Council saw a wide range of artistic expression during last week’s Friday Night Live event on Ludington Avenue, as 57 children of all ages sat down at the Children’s Painting Project tables in front of Maude’s Gallery to paint a tile to be used in the LAAC Windows Project. Pictures of rainbows, trees, flowers, animals, and people adorned the interior of the gallery, creating an impromptu exhibit of its own as they dried leaning against walls, furniture and even other paintings. Some visitors even had difficulty telling the children’s work apart from that of professional artists, and the children were excited to see their paintings on display.

The paintings will be made weatherproof with an acrylic spray before being hung outside when the LAAC will use the children’s art work in their latest Windows of Our Lives Project. The third Windows Project will be installed on the exterior walls of the Ludington Rec Center building on Ludington Avenue, along with a roster of donors to the Ludington Center for the Arts.

“We’re just amazed at the turn out,” said Shirley Reeds, co-chair of the event. Reeds is also owner of Maude’s Gallery and a LAAC board member, and has worked on the Windows Project in the past.

“We are so happy that the children were able to take time to help us show the community how important the arts are to them,” she said. “It was so neat to see how many different pictures were done by the kids. It’ll be fun to do it again this Friday night.”

Volunteers Marty Cupp, Janet Murray, Rachel Brock, Kari Karr, and Carla Shay were on hand to help the children register, put their names on the back of their tile, and get to the fun part of painting. Preparation work for the project (Primary painting, sawing, and individual board base painting) was done by Marion and John Riedl, Doug Kelly, Christine Reed-Fast, and Carmelitta Tiffany. Carol Rehbein and Kristen and Brian Madl manned the LAAC information table located outside Todd and Brad Reed Gallery during the event, as well.

Reeds has tiles available for those who would like to take one home and spend more time on their project—she encourages any child, including preteens and teenagers, to stop by Maude’s Gallery and pick up a board and get creative.

The Children’s Painting Project will begin at 6:30 p.m. this Friday, August 1, in front of Maude’s Gallery, at the corner of Ludington and Rath avenues. The event is free of charge, although donations can be directed to the arts council’s imminent acquisition of the Ludington United Methodist Church building on Harrison Street. Donation forms and other LAAC information will be available at the event.

Funds are still being sought to pay for the Ludington Center for the Arts, and the council urges anyone interested in helping them in their mission of providing quality arts and cultural events to the public to contact Bill Carpenter, board president, at (231) 510-4147

Current Events

Celebrating Michigan Writers, Baseball, Polish Food, and Polka All in One Evening September 27
Among his many life adventures, Michigan native Gary Gildner coached a baseball team in Poland. His experiences are chronicled in his memoir, The Warsaw Sparks. Gildner will be giving a reading at the new Ludington Area Center for the Arts on Saturday, September 27. You can enjoy some Polish food and a bit of polka music as well. Email the arts council for more information and tickets. If you want to read Gildner's book ahead of time, stop by The Bookmark to order a copy.

Tell Us What Classes You'd Like to Take!
Please take our survey to help plan for future classes at the new Center For The Arts. Classes you'd like to take or classes you'd like to teach, let us know what they are. Download the survey here and send the completed survey to:

LAAC – ATTN: ARTISTS’ SURVEY
P.O. BOX 445
LUDINGTON, MI 49431

The Ludington Area Arts Council is working on a program of events for Fall 2008 at the new Ludington Area Center for the Arts.

Check back soon for updates. If you have questions, email us.

Ongoing:

West Shore Community College Performing Arts Series

Ludington Schools Bands Schedule

Events Archive

• Windows Project - Our 2006 and 2007 highlight was the “Windows of Our Lives” project, featuring a summer-long public art exhibit on a building façade in downtown Ludington. (Photomontage by Stephen D. Miller)

• Scarecrows on Parade, an artistic celebration of autumn in Ludington and Scottville happens every fall!

• In October 2007, LAAC hosted a performance as part of the ‘Big Read’ project at future Center for the Arts. Taylore Mahogany Scott played Zora Neale Hurston, bringing the remarkable author to life in a dramatic presentation.

• Center for the Arts Preview and Open House - In July 2007, hundreds of people gathered at the proposed new Ludington Area Center for the Arts to participate in imagining what we can create together. It was truly a sensational feast of the arts and a great coming together of artists and patrons.