Monday, September 8, 2014

Public Art Plan Public Meeting Set

The Downtown Management Board (DMB) contracted with Crooked Tree Art Center to develop a proposed Public Art Plan for Downtown Petoskey.  Their proposed plan is scheduled to be submitted to the DMB in December, 2014 for approval.


Crooked Tree Art Center is in the process of developing the plan.  At the direction of the DMB they are supposed to hold public meetings to gather input.  The first meeting was held in June.  Crooked Tree Art Center has scheduled a second public meeting for Tuesday, September 23 at 5:30 in the Carnegie Building.  If you want to make any input concerning the development of the Downtown Petoskey Public Art Plan, please attend!

To announce the public meeting, Crooked Tree Art Center has issued the following press release:


The Crooked Tree Arts Center has been contracted by the Petoskey Downtown Management Board to develop a plan to manage the future of public art in the downtown district. In order to obtain a clear understanding of the concepts and concerns of the citizens of Petoskey there will be a public forum held on Tuesday, September 23 starting at 5:30 pm in the Carnegie Library Building on upper Mitchell Street adjacent to the Crooked Tree Arts Center. Everyone who is interested in the public art project is encouraged to attend.

Some of the goals set forward in the public art plan are to create a definition of public art relative to downtown Petoskey, identify opportunities for art in the public realm as a way to enhance downtown Petoskey and establish guidelines for setting up a downtown Public Art Commission that will approve future public art projects as they relate to the finished plan.

The process used to create the plan will include the formation of an oversight committee made up of appropriate city staff members, a DMB member, a member of the DMB Design Committee, a planning commission member, downtown arts advocates, and downtown cultural leaders. 
Spearheading this work on this project for CTAC is Gail DeMeyere, Visual Arts Director and Curator “I would strongly encourage people that have any interest in public art to mark their calendars and attend the public forum on September 23rd. We are not being asked to define the content or design of the public art as it pertains to the city, we are only being asked to define the guidelines for implementing the art. The content and creative component of this project will come from the citizens at this meeting and the later public art commission.”

Information gathered from the public forum will be noted in the final report due to the Downtown Management Board before the end of the year. For more information please contact Gail DeMeyere at gail@crookedtree.org. The Crooked Tree Arts Center located in downtown Petoskey at 461 E. Mitchell Street, (231) 347-4337.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Artists Market Colored Pencil Artist E.P. Lewandowski Honored with Three International Exhibitions

Colored pencil artist extraordinaire E.P. (Irv) Lewandowski has long delighted Artists Market customers with his amazing drawings.  Over the last several years, he has built up quite a national following as well.  He has recently added several new accolades to his resume.  We take this opportunity to proudly brag on his behalf.

Pencil Art Society  --Irv is one of  just fifty-nine artists whose artwork has been selected for the Pencil Art Society International Open Juried Exhibition. Artists from eleven countries will be featured at the beautifiul Repentigny Exibition Centre in Repentgny, Quebec, August 23 - September21, 2014

I was especially delighted to hear that the juror, Richard Pedneault of the Lauier Museum chose two of my drawings.  It is quite an honor to share a venue with some of the best pencil artists in the world.  --  E.P. Lewandowski

Irv's entries Crevice Stream II and Landscape VI represent two of Lewandowski's favorite artistic subjects, waterscape and landscape studies.
The waterscape drawing (above) has been an award-winning image at several events in recent years, including Best of Show at both the Southwest National Contemporary Realism Competition and the Michigan Colored Pencil 2012 Competition. 


The landscape study (above) is a part of new series entitled Landscape Images.

International Guild of Realism --  Lewandowski's waterscape, Crevice Stream IV (below), has been selected for the 9th Annual International Guild of Realism Exhibition in Charleston, South Carolina.
The top sixty-nine artists chosen for this prestigious exhibition will be featured at the Robert Lange Studios Gallery  in November, 2014.

Colored Pencil Society of America  --  One of Irv's drawings, Streamside Cove II  (below), has been selected for the  CPSA Twenty-Second Annual International Competition and Exhibition at the Ormond Memorial Art Museum and Gardens in Ormond Beach, Florida.  Irv is also scheduled to receive special CPSA Signature status, accorded to members who achieve recognition as a successful artist in consistent international competition.



Kudos Irv for your recent honors and thanks for remembering all of us here at home in Michigan and at the Northern Michigan Artists  Market!