Stay Home, Stay Safe–An Artful Collaboration at Leland’s Old Art Building
Photo by Joseph Beyer, Michigan Legacy Art Park
From staff reports
More than 350 middle and high school art students from around Leelanau County are currently utilizing paper mache masks to create artworks that reflect their individual responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. An exhibit of these works will take place at the Old Art Building in Leland in May, which is National Mental Health Month. The exhibition dates will be May 16-May 27.
This is a project of the Michigan Legacy Art Park (MLAP) in collaboration with the Leelanau Community Cultural Center (LCCC). Participating schools include Glen Lake Community Schools, Leland Public School, Northport Public School, The Pathfinder School, Lake Leelanau St. Mary School, and Suttons Bay Public Schools.
Using various materials, participants are creating works of art by altering or enhancing the masks to relate how the conditions imposed by the COVID pandemic have affected them mentally, physically, socially and in other ways. Another hopeful outcome of this project is to demonstrate that art is both a bridge for social consciousness and a means of communication that connects people.
Prior to the countywide exhibit taking place at the Old Art Building in May, participating schools may choose to exhibit their own students’ masks either virtually on school websites or in real space at schools. Both MLAP and LCCC will post links on their own websites to these various exhibitions.
