BBAC announces 28th Annual All-Media Michigan Fine Arts Competition

BIRMINGHAM, MI, March 9, 2008 -- The Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center is proud to announce the 2009 Michigan Fine Arts Competition, scheduled for March 20-April 17. The 28th Annual Michigan Fine Arts Competition features two and three dimensional work in a variety of media by Michigan artists. This year nearly 90 entries were selected from the 600 submitted.

The opening night reception for the Michigan Fine Arts Competition (MFAC) on Friday March 20, 6-8 PM, is one of the largest in attendance at the BBAC. The opening reception and exhibit (running through April 17) are open to the public and free of charge.

The BBAC is located at 1516 S. Cranbrook Rd. (Evergreen Rd.), Birmingham, MI 48009 between 14 and 15 Mile Roads. More information and a complete schedule of events are available at http://www.BBArtCenter.org and by calling (248) 644-0866.

The BBAC has proudly hosted the competition each spring since 1982 when the Detroit Institute of Arts turned the statewide competition over to the BBAC. A total of $2,500 will be awarded to winning artists. Many prize winners have gone on to national acclaim as a result of the competition. The Michigan Fine Arts Competition media sponsor is Platinum Magazine.  

This year's juror is Tony DeBlasi, currently living and working in New York City. DeBlasi was a fulltime professor at Michigan State University until 1986. His works can be found in public and private collections around the country, including two of Michigan's most notable museums, The Detroit Institute of Art and East Lansing's Kresge Art Museum. For more on DeBlasi: http://www.eccentrix.com/members/tdeblasi/

There is a free lecture by DeBlasi at the BBAC on Sat., March 21, at 11 AM.

DeBlasi joins a prestigious roster of jurors which includes Romare Bearden, Phillip Pearlskin, Larry Rivers, Nick Cave and Nancy Mitchnick. To see a complete list of former jurors, and learn more about the history of the statewide competition, please visit, http://exhibitions.BBArtCenter.org/extrapage.cfm?extraid=825.

Among the selected artists are those from the following metro Detroit communities: Berkley, Beverly Hills, Bingham Farms, Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, Canton, Commerce Township, Dearborn, Detroit, Ferndale, Franklin, Grosse Pointe, Huntington Woods, Oxford, Plymouth, Royal Oak, Rochester, Shelby Township, St Clair Shores, Troy and West Bloomfield.

 Out state artists come from Ann Arbor, Bath, Bay City, Byron Center, Cadillac, Davison, Dexter, Grand Rapids, Flushing, Ganes, Highland, Howell, Indian River, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Lapeer, Mason, Metamora, Midland, Monroe, Mt Pleasant, Ray, Saline, St Clair, Washington ,Williamston and Webberville.

For information on artists including name and title of work and photo, contact Melissa Bunker marketwrite@comcast.net or (313) 886-9074.

The Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center is a regional non-profit art center committed to promoting the visual arts with classes for all ages and abilities. Each year they offer 500 classes for 4,000 students including year round classes and art camps, as well as a dynamic, growing outreach program. The BBAC campus features nine classroom studios, four galleries with free exhibits open to the public, art camps, special events, and a retail gallery shop.

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.