Come In From The Cold And Play On Sunday Afternoon
Sunday January 18.
BBAC Winter Community Open House
Staff and faculty at one of SE Michigan’s most active art centers know that each day people pass their facility on Cranbrook Road, unaware that inside hundreds of people with messy hands and dirty smocks are learning while “playing.” They are participating in the annual 500 classes and enjoying dozens of art exhibits and family-friendly events. In short they are having fun. On Sunday January 18 the BBAC hopes to share the secret at the Winter Community Open House.
The Winter Community Open House is designed just for that. Individuals can try their hand at creation, maybe get their hands messy, and get inspired - ideal activities for a blustery winter Sunday. The entire community is invited to explore the art center from 1 PM to 4 PM on Sunday January 18. All activities are free of charge.
The BBAC’s Winter Community Open House includes two free drop-in workshops: one, in honor of Martin Luther King Day, to create one’s own dream box; the other an Action Drawing Workshop by graphic artist and faculty member Chris Girard. In addition, it’s “Spoken Word Sunday,” a free Poetry Slam with a team from Detroit Youthville, led by poet Saleem Ameer Hakim. All afternoon there are refreshments and tours of the art center, which includes four art exhibits in separate galleries.
The BBAC is located at 1516 S. Cranbrook Rd. (Evergreen Rd.), Birmingham, MI 48009 between 14 and 15 Mile Roads. More information is available by calling (248) 644-0866 and visiting www.BBArtCenter.org.
The art center, a former waste treatment facility, celebrates 52 years in 2009, and is indeed a cultural resource. ”Many communities across the country could only dream of a professional resource like this”, says CEO Jane Linn. “Under the guidance of 100-plus instructors, our students, from pre-school to seniors, are exploring their creativity.” They may be preparing portfolios for art schools, competing for statewide awards or just taking time out in an art camp. “At the end of the day, every day, the activities at the art center are all about creativity – making, seeing and/or appreciating art,” continues Linn.
BBAC memberships are good for 12 months; basic benefits include $40 off each class and early-bird registration. At the $100 Community Membership level and above, benefits increase to include 12 complimentary passes to the Sundays @ the Center Drop-In Workshops and everyday discounts in the Gallery Shop and on exhibited work. All member fees support the BBAC’s educational and community programming.
Friday
December 5 through Monday, December
8
Just
in time for lovers of ceramics and
those who appreciate a great deal,
the semi-annual Student Pottery
Sale at the Birmingham Bloomfield
Art Center features the works of
artists with up to 30 years experience.
They exhibit and sell their wares
for four days only from December
5-8.
Items
are all made by ceramics students
of the regional art center but range
from porcelain to stoneware, from
raku-fired to molded slabs and pieces
adorned with decorative items. Styling
ranges from traditional to contemporary.
Special orders are welcome.
They
include serving pieces such as pots,
dinnerware, casseroles, mugs, teapots,
trays and platters. Items for the
home and family include an assortment
of critters, and useful items for
gardens and porches like pedestals,
bird houses, planters and vases.
Unlike
a retail setting, visitors to the
BBAC looking to purchase and collect
ceramics can meet the artists and
ask about their inspiration or technique
as they browse.
The
sale runs from Friday December 5
through Monday, December 8. Hours
are 10AM - 6 PM, Nov. 30, Dec. 1
and Dec. 3; Noon-4 PM Dec. 2. There
is no charge to attend and parking
is free.
Also
that weekend is a drop-In workshop
that is ideal for the holiday season.
On Sunday December 7 as part of
the Sundays @ the Center from12-4PM
is a workshop on Printmaking &
Greeting Cards. Kids under 12 need
be accompanied by an adult. The
workshop $5 per person (children
under 4 are free) and participants
will make and take hand made cards
and prints. Sunday drop-in workshops
are a regular part of the BBAC’s
programming; on Dec. 14 & 21,
gift-making projects continue.
The
BBAC is located at 1516 S. Cranbrook
Rd. (Evergreen Rd.), Birmingham,
MI 48009 between 14 and 15 Mile
Roads. More information is available
by calling (248) 644-0866.
Also
concurrently at the BBAC is the
annual Holiday Shop featuring works
of art for sale from more than 160
juried artists from around the country.
Items include jewelry, apparel,
home furnishings, paintings, metalwork
and an extensive ornament gallery.
Prices start at $8. The Holiday
Shop runs from December 5-20.
SUNDAYS @ THE CENTER GIFT MAKING
DROP-IN WORKSHOPS
Dec.
7 -- Printmaking & Holiday Cards
Make prints with a real printing
press using block printing inks,
"winter objects" (like
pine branches) & other textural
objects. Finished product will be
suitable for framing or can be made
into a card. Expect to turn out
at least a dozen prints.
Dec.
14 -- Silk Scarves
Splashes of color transform a plain,
white scarf into a wearable piece
of art. Decorate silk scarves using
a simple Shibori technique that
dates back to eighth-century Japan.
It involves folding & tying,
while dipping in paint. (Limit 1
scarf per person.)
Dec.
21 -- Journals & Photo Albums
Using decorative papers with different
folds or simple stitch-binding,
create a journal or photo album.
For
the complete one-stop shopping experience
on Sundays December 7 and 14 visitors
can also shop for gifts at the BBAC
Holiday Shop which runs December
5-20.
The
BBAC is located in Birmingham at
1516 S. Cranbrook Rd., just north
of 14 Mile Rd. For general information,
visit www.BBArtCenter.org or phone
248.644.0866.
The
Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center
is a regional nonprofit art center
that promotes the visual arts with
classes for all ages and levels
in a wide variety or programs for
more than 100 communities in the
Detroit region.
1516
S. Cranbrook Rd. Birmingham 248-644-0866
