Flea Market fast approaching

We're making progress. I'll post more pictures soon but the center is all painted. Debbie has been hard at work building amazing work tables from salvaged lumber and donated tabletops - they're fabulous! We opened our bank account today so will be able to take memberships soon as well.

Our Flea Market Fundraiser is next weekend. We'll be taking your donations at the Art Center tomorrow - Saturday, from 2-4pm at 23 Wabash in Milan.

If you have something to donate and cannot drop off tomorrow or Friday March 5 from 10-2 & 4-7pm please email or call Debbie Gagnon
(313)410-0039 cell
stonemountain AT juno.com
(replace AT with @ and no spaces)
or email me at lasATlesliesobel.com

thanks!

Donated Lumber from Sunshine Marine

Thanks to Sunshine Marine in Milan for letting us have a big load of lumber - you're looking at what will be table bases. Thanks also to Debbie, Arienne, Aimee, John, Sam and David for loading and unloading it all and to John and Sam for spending quite a few hours painting a second coat on the formerly big green wall. Lots of progress.

Don't forget our upcoming fundraiser - we're looking for donations for our flea market.

open art nights at the Art Center

We're thinking about starting open art nights - sort of a variation of open mike nights - where people could come in and share what they're doing. This could take the form of a demonstration, simply bringing in work and talking about it or something else. Interested? Chime in here with your ideas!

Glass Festival

Delphi Glass in Lansing is having their annual Glass Festival this Saturday, Feb 20. Debbie is interested in going and looking with an eye towards what programming we could set up at the art center. Anyone else interested might contact her to talk about joining her.

contact Debbie Gagnon
(313)410-0039 cell
stonemountain AT juno.com
(replace AT with @ and no spaces)

Remember - we're looking for donations for our upcoming flea market and silent art auction on March 6 & & - contact Debbie to make arrangements to donate.

Work session at the art center

Today a group of people got together at the art center to work on the space. This wasn't the first day we worked but it was the first formal work session with a whole group and boy did we get a lot done. Here are some before pix:



The men's bathroom is in rough shape thanks to a flood. Dave and a friend pulled out bad carpet and tile - here you see a re-leveled floor ready for new tile.
The ductwork in the main room was covered with camo netting (the space was last used as a military surplus store. One wall was painted army drab. I wasn't fast enough to capture the front partition wall when it was green or the camo painted reception desk.

Back room area - there will be lockable storage cubbies built here and the kilns will also be back here (glass and ceramic)

Volunteer painters at work!

Working high on the wall and low - painting trim for the bathroom

John working away.

Our intrepid board secretary painting trim.

Dueling rollers - Anna and John.

Debbie cutting trim w/Arienne's help

Arienne painting (Arienne has the new studio gallery around the corner on Main St - art is happening in Milan!)

Teens taking down the camo netting

Netting off wall and on guys

Aimee sanding off gluey mess on backside of reception desk - horrid job!

Green wall getting less green

Much less green! By the end of the day the green was almost completely gone.

Next work session - Monday at 10am - if you have time come in grubbies prepared to help - we'll be painting a second coat among other things.

Art is Happening!

Art happens.

Art happens in Milan too. It has been happening here for a long time.

I am sitting in the Lighthouse Coffee shop on Main Street writing this blog post. I can look out the window and see a fading piece of advertising art on the side of a building. I can walk down the street a bit and look in the window of Arienne Zimmerman’s art studio, Milan’s newest artist in residence. Milan has thriving dance programs, including DanceXplosion where my eight-year old has been dancing for five years. The Lighthouse Coffee Shop hosts a weekly Open Mic night. Milan is home to published authors like Martha Churchill and Vanessa K. Mullins. The community is full of talented people who make jewelry, paint, sculpt and blow glass. So, it seems fitting that Milan is now home to a new nonprofit art organization.

The Milan Art Center is HAPPENING at 23 Wabash. Drive by (or walk by) every now and then and watch our progress. We will keep you posted of our progress on this blog too.

Fundraiser and other progress

Despite last night's blizzard we had a meeting and made progress on a variety of fronts. Most importantly in the short term we have more information to share about our upcoming Flea Market/Silent Art Auction

We are looking for good quality donations - furniture, household items, fine crafts, jewelry, etc. You can drop off your contributions at 23 Wabash Street on Saturday Feb 27 from 2-4 pm or contact Debbie Gagnon (313)410-0039 cell
stonemountain AT juno.com (replace AT with @ and no spaces)

We now have a very limited capacity to pick up donations - again, contact Debbie if you need help getting donations to us.

We are looking for volunteers to help with intake on the 27th from 2pm to 4pm and on Friday March 5 from 10am-2pm and 4pm- to 7pm

The actual event will run Saturday March 6 from 9am to 4pm and Sunday March 7 from 11am to 2pm- we need volunteers to help us staff it for these hours as well.

We have filed our non-profit articles of incorporation with the state the registered with the Federal government so formally exist!

This morning a group of us started painting the space. We will be having work sessions painting and doing other work starting at 10am on Saturday Feb 13 and Monday at 10am - stop by if you have an hour or three to spend painting or doing other grubby work - we could use your help!