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Book of the Year Award Finalist

Cottonwood Winter: A Christmas Story has been selected as a Finalist for ForeWord magazine’s prestigious Book of the Year Award in the General Fiction category. This award program is designed to discover distinctive books across a number of genres. For this 10th Annual award competition, a record number of more than 1,600 books from 350 independent and university presses were judged.

You may remember that Cottonwood Fall was selected as a finalist for the 2007 Benjamin Franklin Award for Popular Fiction. Cottonwood Summer received the 2004 Award of Excellence from the Printing Industry Association of the South. All three books by Owosso native, Gary Slaughter, are available for purchase in the Arts Center Gift Shop.

Take the Gallery Walk!

During the month of May all participating Gallery on the Go classrooms are invited to take the walk (or school bus) to the Arts Center for a tour and to do an art project. Teachers will be contacted with details the week following spring break. Call 723.8354 or e-mail sac@shiawasseearts.org for more information. Last year 34 classrooms - over 700 children - visited the Arts Center in May! Let's see if we can top that this year!

Riverside Expansion Project

The SAC Riverside Expansion Project is designed by John Dingens, AIA and funded by generous donations from Joanne & Gary Slaughter and Connie & Jerry Voight. Additional improvements to the existing facility will be made through a NCBP Completion Grant Award from the Cook Family Foundation. As shown, the exterior will feature an octagonal design with large windows divided by columns, opening onto a magnificent view of the Shiawassee River, Curwood Castle and the park.

The main floor area will add 816 square feet of gallery and multi-purpose space to the east end of the Arts Center. Moveable walls will allow modification of exhibit space and special events as needed. A terrace directly above will provide an outdoor area for special events. The lower level directly below will house 720 square feet of additional classroom space. A new glass-enclosed exit/entrance Galleria on the north side of the building will provide access to both the lower level and the second floor. Because the expansion area lies within a 100-year river flood plain the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality must give approval to begin construction. We look forward to breaking ground within the next few weeks and will keep you updated as to the progress of this exciting project.

Cottonwood Novels

The Shiawassee Arts Center is the exclusive sales location for the Cottonwood novels by author Gary Slaughter.

Click here for more information

Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen Books

Books signed by Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen, illustrator, are available at the Arts Center Gift Shop.

Gallery on the Go

The Gallery on the Go art appreciation program is off to a great start for the new 2007-08 school year. Nearly all of the classes that have signed up to participate in the program are already having fun and enjoying enlightening presentations by our fantastic volunteers. More volunteers are always needed.
If you enjoy art and would like to spend approximately ninety minutes a month learning more about it and sharing what you have learned with a group of exuberant young students, then we could use your help. Contact the center at 723.8354 or e-mail sac@shiawasseearts.org.

What a Way to Go!

The SAC's Gallery on the Go art appreciation program has been very successful this school year. We have had a record number of students enjoying monthly visits to their classrooms by a record number of volunteers! Now we are wrapping up the year with a record number of those participating classrooms making trips to the SAC for tours and projects. It is always fun and enlightening for the kids to make the connection between the prints they are shown and the gallery they come from. This year they are also creating their own original block print artwork. Thank you to everyone who helped make this year such a success! If you have any questions, comments, or would like to get involved in this exciting program send an email to sac@shiawasseearts.org or give us a call at 723-8354.

Nearly 40 Shiawassee County classrooms are visiting the Arts Center the last few weeks of the school year including teacher Jane Sawer's kindergarten class from Owosso's Emerson School (pictured). Most of the classes also did a related art project at the Arts Center. This year, after viewing artist, Susan Woodard's printmaking exhibit, each student created a block print of his/her artwork to be able to keep.

Volunteer Appreciation Month

April is Volunteer Appreciation Month and to thank the Shiawassee Arts Center's nearly 300 volunteers an Appreciation Luncheon was held at the Arts Center last Monday. Pictured at the luncheon (l to r) are Jessica Thompson, Julie Omer and Sandie Weaver, all Gallery on the Go art appreciation program volunteers. Volunteers for this program and SAC docents are always welcome and are also needed for special events such as Art in the Park during the Curwood Festival. If you would like to help the SAC as a volunteer call the Arts Center for more information (989) 723.8354.

SAC Docent, JoEllen Hartley, is a high energy gal who is excited to meet and talk with visitors each time she volunteers as a docent. JoEllen and Dick Clark have traveled all over the world. They share a love of photography, history, architecture, gardening and tending their own beautiful gardens. JoEllen retired as a teacher from the Corunna School system after 32 years and now gives her time to the community including SAC and as president of both the Owosso Garden Club and Preservation Owosso. The newest adventure she will encounter is taking a beginning watercolor class at the Arts Center. . . transferring her love of flowers to paper. Thank you, JoEllen, for the time you give to SAC!

DeVries Nature Conservancy

On location at the DeVries Nature Conservancy for the Shiawassee Arts Council student awareness worskhop last Saturday, "Art and the Natural Environment" were Ken Algozin (left), director of the Conservancy, and Tom Tomasek, Ovid artist and instructor, his daughter Elizabeth, and 23 students including (l to r) Evan MacKay, Emmitt Spaleny, Max DeCou, Matt Marsh and Jack DeCou. The DeVries Nature Conservancy was created from the vision and generosity of Jack & Fran DeVries. It was their wish that the property be used to educate the community about Michigan's natural heritage and agricultural history. SAC Arts Education Director, Linda Ruehle, is planning a weeklong student summer camp at the Conservancy later this year.

NCBP Update

Over the last year the SAC has been improving its organizational performance and service delivery by participating in a Nonprofit Capacity building Program that is managed by the Shiawassee United Way and funded by the Cook Family Foundation. Through a grant from the Foundation in 2006, the SAC completed the assessment phase of the program with participation of the board of directors, staff, volunteers and consultant. In 2007 SAC has begun implementing the second phase of the program working with two consultants, Tim Swope of Swope Associates and Jamie Czekai of The Scribbling Sage LLC, to help increase our organization's capacity to serve our community.

Former SAC Board of Directors treasurer and current SAC docent, Libby Gibbs, is shown cutting her cake in celebration of her 90th birthday on January 5th. Libby's three children hosted a party for her at the Arts Center with over 100 of her friends and relatives attending.

The SAC Board of Directors welcomed three new members to the board in 2007. Pictured with one of them, George Hoddy, is SAC President, Sue Ludington (left) and SAC President elect, Deb Gregoricka. The other two new members, who were not available for a photo, are Stephanie Motschenbacher and Gary Wilson.

Marrissa McOwen, a student at Owosso's Bryant School, shows off her watercolor painting that she created in the After School Adventure program. Her instructor was Owosso artist, Jackie Bruff. The SAC is coordinating this session of the program featuring a different art project each week taught by local artists at all five of the Owosso Public Elementary Schools. The program is funded by the Shiawassee United Way and with Safe and Drug Free School grants.

Frieseke Book

The book FREDERICK CARL FRIESEKE: The Evolution of an American Impressionist is now on sale at the gift shop and can be ordered online.
See: Frieseke Book

Fall Celebration

The SAC's 34th Annual Fall Celebration was held on a beautiful fall day with good food, music and friends. The SAC appreciates the support of over 1,000 members including everyone who attended the October 1st event, purchased raffle tickets and silent auction items, and renewed their SAC memberships.

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The Garden Pool
Frieseke Painting Sets Auction Record

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