As August enters its latter half, so too does Art Walk Central. The month-long event is the signature piece of programming for Art Reach of Mid Michigan.
Art Reach was founded in 1981. Since then, the Mount Pleasant-based arts organization has worked to keep the arts accessible and alive in the community.
Now in its seventh year, Art Walk Central is the organization’s main event. An art competition is being held throughout the month, with local artists’ work installed throughout 23 venues downtown and beyond. On Aug. 29, an art auction will be held at Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort. It acts as the organization’s primary fundraiser for the year.
This year’s art competition features more than $10,000 in prize money. Winners will be selected by both a panel of judges and in a people’s choice vote.
"Art Walk Central is our largest event of the year. A lot of human resources go into planning the event," says Amy Powell, Executive Director for Art Reach. "We’ll probably start planning next year’s event by the end of September."
In addition to the art competition is a series of arts programming events that are mostly free of cost. These include:
- Saturdays, Aug. 18 and 25, 7 to 8:30 p.m.: Make-n-take craft events for children before the City of Mt. Pleasant’s Movies by Moonlight events at Mt. Pleasant City Hall
- Tuesday, Aug. 21, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.: A Paris-themed painting class at the downtown Art Reach building
- Thursday, Aug. 23, 5 to 7 p.m.: International Art & Culture Expo at Mt. Pleasant Town Center
"Having a month of programming allows us to really engage with the community in a public forum," Powell says. "It gives them access to the arts and exposes them to different types of mediums."
To learn more about Art Walk Central events, visit them at www.artwalkcentral.com.
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