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Arts organizations in Northern Michigan are uniting in celebration of International Sculpture Day, an annual worldwide event on April 27 organized by the International Sculpture Center to advance the understanding of sculpture and its unique contribution to society.

Throughout the month of April, Michigan residents are invited to join five cultural institutions in commemorating the global celebration with special events and a social media contest. Participating organizations include: Dennos Museum Center (Traverse City), Michigan Legacy Art Park (Thompsonville), Crooked Tree Arts Center (Traverse City and Petoskey), Oliver Arts Center (Frankfort), and Walk of Art (Elk Rapids).

As an incentive to encourage residents to explore and discover the rich sculptural heritage in the region, one lucky individual will win an annual membership package to all five organizations (valued at over $400) and a year of Sculpture Magazine by posting a photo from any of the five locations on Facebook or Instagram during the month of April using the hashtag #NoMISculpture.

Utilizing the popular blogging platform Medium, staffers from these various arts organizations will also be sharing content about their own sculpture collections, artist videos, and new ways to discover sculpture in places across northwest lower Michigan and the upper peninsula. Posts can be found medium.com/@nomisculpture

The month-long effort culminates with International Sculpture Day on Saturday, April 27 when the public is invited to special tours, events, and social mixers at these participating organizations:

Dennos Museum Center

Join docents to take part in a guided experience of the Dennos Museum Center’s indoor and outdoor sculpture collection from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. in Traverse City. The event is free to the public and no reservation is required. The outdoor collection features 11 works from artists such as Hanna Stiebel, David Barr, Louis Teicher and Michael Hall, among others.

Oliver Arts Center

Join artist and sculptor K.W. Bell at 12:30 p.m. for a special hosted tour of her exhibit "Body of Works" featuring projects in clay, copper, metal, acrylic and watercolors at the Oliver Arts Center in Frankfort. The event is free and open to the public and no reservation is required.

Michigan Legacy Art Park

Enjoy free admission all day and join a special guided tour at 2:30 p.m. followed by a social mixer for all artists and art lovers at nearby Iron Fish Distillery at 4:30 p.m. The collection features more than forty major works of art and thirty-one poetry stones, expressing the Michigan experience, and giving each visitor a more personal connection to the people, events and natural resources that continue to shape our great state.

ABOUT THE COLLABORATORS

The Dennos Museum Center seeks to engage, entertain and enlighten its audiences through the collection of art, and the presentation of exhibitions and programs in the visual arts, sciences and performing arts. Located at Northwestern Michigan College, the center is a premier cultural facility in northern Michigan offering a dynamic array of exhibitions and programs in the visual arts, sciences and performing arts. Opened in 1991, the Museum Center features three changing exhibit galleries and an elegant sculpture court; a unique hands-on Discovery Gallery and a renowned Inuit Art Gallery.

Michigan Legacy Art Park is a nonprofit arts organization founded by internationally acclaimed artist David Barr in 1995 to enrich lives through experiences that connect art, nature, and Michigan’s history. Contemporary Art comes to life in the park’s permanent collection of almost 50 works, located in the midst of a 30-acre forest preserve. The Art Park hosts thousands of visitors and students each year, features miles of trails, world-class concerts outdoors, art and nature workshops, and extensive education programs. It is open every day of the year.

For nearly five decades, Crooked Tree Arts Center has developed excellent visual and performing arts programs, community outreach, and opportunities for artists and art lovers alike. Managed by a professional staff with guidance from the board of directors and the helping hands of numerous volunteers, the organization is recognized as one of the community’s more important assets. With its two locations, Crooked Tree is now able to serve not only residents in Charlevoix and Emmet counties, but also the counties of Antrim, Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, and Leelanau, providing artistically rich programming for all interested in the arts.

The Oliver Art Center, a non-profit organization, is the primary community art center and cultural organization in Benzie County and has become one of the most active and promising art facilities in Northwest Michigan. It has enriched the region with a lively venue and program of arts and events. Given the Center’s location, it also acts as a premier event rental facility that attracts and anchors tourism for downtown businesses including adjacent hotels, restaurants, and shops in Frankfort.

In cooperation with Antrim County, Art Rapids! has created a “Walk of Art” outdoor sculpture gallery in the county’s Elk Rapids Day Park on South Bay Shore Drive. In addition to the sculptures, the park is also host to classes and workshops, concerts, and various other activities. The concept is an extension of the organization’s mission to enhance and promote the arts in the Elk Rapids area. The park comprises about 15 acres of forest, dune and a quarter mile of beach frontage along East Grand Traverse Bay on Lake Michigan. It has public restrooms, a picnic pavilion with handicap access from a 90-car parking lot, numerous foot trails and picnic sites with charcoal grills and tables.