Classes, workshops and camps to spur creativity
It’s June and the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center (BBAC) is in full summer swing. Time to recharge and check out a new set of workshops, classes and camps. The 32nd annual Michigan Fine Arts Competition (MFAC) is dazzling and on display through Friday, July 11. This year’s competition, juried by DJ Hellerman, challenges visitors and art lovers to reevaluate their notion of art with a showcase of 81 contemporary artists and 110 works of art. And don’t forget to dazzle dad with unique gifts ideas from the Gallery Shop.
“Summer at the BBAC is about camps, workshops and a world of art adventures that happen every day,” said Annie VanGelderen, President & CEO of the Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center. “Whether it’s the pre-kindergarten kids, savvy sophisticated high school artists or the inspired adults, we’re impressed every year with the imaginative and creative work that flows from our studios.”
3rd Annual Fine Art of Summer
Join us on Thursday, June 26, 2014, 6-8:30 p.m. (Limited number of tickets available)
Turkel House photo courtesy of Norman Silk & Dale Morgan.
Tour the Turkel House, the only Frank Lloyd Wright house built in 1955 in the Palmer Woods neighborhood of Detroit. It’s a distinctive architectural gem and landmark, owned and restored by Norman Silk and Dale Morgan of Blossoms of Birmingham. Sponsorships are available. Tickets are $150 and on sale, by phone (248-644-0866) or online (BBArtCenter.org). All proceeds benefit educational and outreach programming at the BBAC.
Adult Workshops to Consider in June
4-Day Workshop: Water Media Painting
This workshop is an introduction to the basic techniques of watercolor, gouache and egg tempera painting. Techniques common to this area of study are systematically addressed in various demonstrations and exercises in the simplest form to the most complex. Instructor Bonnie Weir will teach various basic techniques.
2112.54.02.14 All Levels, Monday–Thursday, June 23 – 26, 9:00 a.m.–Noon, 4 sessions $108 Members, $148 Guests, $20 Materials Fee
5-Day Workshop: Jewelry/Metals: Directed Studies
Have unfinished projects, incomplete chain projects, or fabrication just not right? This one week workshop taught by Nancy Clark will help you bring your fabricated or chainmaille project to completion or at least close with instruction tailored to your specific needs. Demonstrations will not be predetermined, but instead will be generated by student requests. Maximum enrollment is 12 students.
2108.34.01.14 Levels 2 & 3, Monday–Friday, June 23 – 27, 12:30–3:30 p.m., 5 sessions, $135 Members, $175 Guests, $25 Materials Fee
2-Day Workshop: Book Art with Laura Beyer: Hard Cover Journal in 2 Days
Students will construct a personal, hardcover journal. 2120.54.01.14 All Levels, Wednesday & Thursday, June 25 & 26, 4–7 p.m., 2 sessions, $90 Members, $130 Guests,
$20 Materials Fee
Summer Camps for all ages- Enroll today- Limited spaces!
Summer multimedia art camps available for Preschool – Grade 12.
It’s not too late to register for summer camps. Be sure to check out specialty art camps in interior design, fashion, animation, jewelry/metals, and high school portfolio preparation and week long drawing skills workshops. For more information, go to: BBArtCenter.org.
Register Now and Throughout the Summer!
2014 Summer: June 23 — August 29
Register Online, By Phone or In-Person
Online: BBArtCenter.org, Phone: 248.644.0866
In Person: 1516 South Cranbrook Road @14 Mile Rd. & Cranbrook Rd. — where Evergreen Road turns into Cranbrook Road. Summer Hours: BBAC Office & Exhibitions 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Mon.–Sat.
DROP-IN WORKSHOPS:
2nd Sunday @ the Center: Sunday, June 8, 1-4 p.m.
Studio 1 Drop-In Workshop – $5 per person includes all materials
PROJECT: Mixed Media Garden Squiggles!
Bring color & art to your summer décor. Create a mixed media garden squiggle with wire and a variety of weather resistant materials to stake in your garden or hang from your tree house. Participants must arrive by 3:15 p.m. No advance registration required for the workshop. An adult must accompany children under 12.
Ceramic Studio – $20 per person includes all materials
PROJECT: Raku Sun Faces
Participants will use resist methods prior to glazing to decorate ceramic discs with fun sun faces to hang in the garden or used as a home decor piece. The discs will then be fired in the outdoor raku kilns and ready to take home at the end of the workshop.
Space is limited to 12 people. All participants must arrive no later than 1:30 p.m. and ceramic pieces will be fired at 2:15 pm. Check in at the LaBan Commons Gallery prior to attending the workshop. An adult must accompany children under 12.
All 2nd Sunday Participants can take a Scavenger Hunt in the BBAC galleries and be entered in a drawing for 10% off a BBAC summer camp for preschool through grades 12. Our current exhibition is the Michigan Fine Arts Competition.
2nd Sundays @ the Center are supported in part by PNC Foundation and happen every second Sunday, September through June. Please join us on September 14 to kick off another season of 2nd Sunday drop-in workshops.
Seniors @ the Center: Tuesday, June 10, 10 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Studio 1 Drop-In Workshop $10 per person includes all materials
Join us once a month for drop-in workshops featuring art projects that entertain and educate. Projects will be completed in 45 minutes.
PROJECT: Batik!
Learn the process of batik, a wax-resist dyeing technique. Design a piece of fabric using this traditional process and display it as a wall hanging or use it for your favorite fiber project. No experience necessary. Participants must arrive by 11:15 to complete a project.
Seniors @ the Center will be on vacation for July & August. Please join us September 9 for a new season.
Advance registration for groups over four people – please call the BBAC, 248-644-0866, at least three days prior to the workshop date.
MEET ME @ THE BBAC: Aging is inevitable but loss of creativity is not.
The BBAC has launched its latest access program, Meet Me @ the BBAC. This unique opportunity provides an expressive outlet and dialogue forum for individuals living with early and mid-stage Alzheimer’s disease, along with their caregivers. The interactive program combines art-looking and art-making. It is based on the highly successful Meet Me at MoMA program, developed in 2006 by the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The BBAC is working with care organizations and residential groups that benefit individuals with Alzheimer’s; fees are on a sliding scale. There are also monthly sessions for the general public. For more information: BBArtCenter.org
About the BBAC
The Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center has been providing “art for all” since 1957 and is a regional non-profit art center committed to promoting visual arts experiences. Each year more than 500 classes are offered for all skill levels and ages preschool to senior citizens. Throughout the year, nearly 5,000 individuals are served by classes, workshops, art camps, outreach programs, special events and exhibitions that are free and open to the public (with an additional 75,000 impacted by Art Birmingham, the BBAC’s annual fine art fair). The BBAC also supports hundreds of artists each year, with opportunities to teach, exhibit, and sell their work. The BBAC is a 25,000-square foot facility, with nine classroom studios, four exhibition galleries, and retail Gallery Shop. BBAC summer hours for the office, exhibitions and Gallery Shop: Mon.-Sat., 9 am-5 pm
The BBAC is supported by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, visit the BBAC at BBArtCenter.org, phone 248-644-0866 or visit our Facebook page. The BBAC is located at 1516 S. Cranbrook Rd., Birmingham MI 48009 between 14 and 15 Mile Rds.
About Sarah Hovis