Essay’d, The Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center (BBAC), and Anton Art Center today announced a new partnership formed to present a monthly series of free artist talk events, featuring conversations with 10 renowned Detroit-area artists, specially-selected by the Essay’d editorial team. The talks, which will be held alternately at the BBAC in Birmingham and Anton Art Center in Mount Clemens, are free and open to the public.
The series, which kicks-off on Feb. 9, 2017, will include talks from:
All talks take place at 6:30 p.m. Attendance and parking are free of charge, with no advance registration required. Images of work by Mike McGillis, Jo Powers, Melanie Manos and Saffell Gardner are available here.
Essay’d (essayd.org) is an online writing project by Dennis Alan Nawrocki, Steve Panton, Matthew Piper and friends, which publishes short, illustrated essays about contemporary Detroit artists on a regular basis. If it continues at its current pace, it will reach 100 artists by early 2018 – an unprecedented survey of Detroit art. The first 30 essays were published in print form by Wayne State University Press in August 2016, and a second volume is scheduled for publication in August 2017.
Steve Panton, co-founder of Essay’d, said, “Regional art centers like the Anton Art Center and the BBAC, and the communities they serve, are a vitally important part of the Detroit art scene. Essay’d is delighted to help present a diverse group of Detroit artists through this series of talks.”
The Anton Art Center, which has a mission to enrich and inspire people of all ages through the arts, is located at 125 Macomb Place in Mount Clemens, Mich.
“After last year’s series of successful talks by Essay’d artists at the Anton, we were excited for the opportunity to engage Essay’d again this year, and happy that we were able to partner with the BBAC to offer an extended schedule of talks at both locations. These talks are a great opportunity for our community to connect with world-class artists who are living and working right here in southeast Michigan,” remarked Phil Gilchrist, Executive Director.
Celebrating its 60th anniversary, the BBAC, located at 1516 S. Cranbrook Rd. in Birmingham, Mich., is a regional, non-profit art center that promotes visual arts experiences and provides access to “art for all.”
“At the BBAC, we don’t see 8 Mile Road or Oakland County as boundaries,” said Annie VanGelderen, President & CEO. “Our goal is to make thoughtful and deliberate efforts to showcase as many regional artists as possible and give them space to tell their stories.”
For more information on the artist talk series, visit www.BBArtCenter.org, www.TheArtCenter.org or www.Essayd.org.
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About Essay’d
Essay’d is an online writing project by Dennis Alan Nawrocki, Steve Panton, Matthew Piper and friends, that publishes short, illustrated essays about contemporary Detroit artists on a regular basis. If it continues at its current pace, it will reach 100 artists by early 2018 – an unprecedented survey of Detroit art. The first 30 essays were published in print form by Wayne State University Press in August 2016, and a second volume is scheduled for publication in August 2017.
Essay’d has also mounted six exhibitions (each featuring 10 of the 60 artists written about to date), and a writing workshop at MOCAD in conjunction with their fall exhibition. Essay’d is a 2017 Knight Arts Challenge winner, and will shortly begin providing visual art programming at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra facility, the Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Music Center.
About Anton Art Center
The Anton Art Center has a mission to enrich and inspire people of all ages through the arts, and has served our community for nearly 50 years through exhibitions, classes, outreach programs and community engagement. As a strong advocate for artists, the Anton Art Center offers numerous opportunities for artists to show and sell their work, from professional gallery and Gift Shop settings to our annual street art fair (ART! Macomb). The Anton Art Center is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10am until 5pm; admission is free and open to the public. For more information about the Anton Art Center, visit www.TheArtCenter.org or call 586-469-8666.
About the BBAC
The Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center, supported by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the National Endowment for the Arts, has been providing, “art for all” since 1957, and is a regional 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 9,000 individuals are served by classes, workshops, art camps, ArtAccess programs, special events and exhibitions that are free and open to the public. 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 classrooms studios, five exhibition galleries and retail Gallery Shop. For more information, visit www.BBArtCenter.org.