The Old Art Building in Leland will host its inaugural Community Tweed Ride on Saturday, May 4, from 2-4 pm. The free event is sponsored by Suttons Bay Bikes, Dam Candy Store, Cherry Republic and the Leland Lodge. A Tweed Ride is a leisurely, non-competitive bicycle ride where participants don vintage-inspired clothing, often featuring tweed fabrics, plus fours, bowties, and other attire reminiscent of the early 20th century.
Leland resident Scott Craig, an award-winning documentary filmmaker who worked for CBS, NBC, PBS, Turner Broadcasting and HGTV—and later moved to Leelanau County where his plays, radio features, and stories have been omnipresent on the airwaves, at local restaurants and cafes, and on stage at the Old Art Building—died on Thursday, April 18, at age 89. A celebration of Scott’s life will take place on his 90th birthday, Monday June 24, at 4 pm at the Old Art Building, a place where he helped create a lot of theater magic. “I’m never happier than when I’m working on a creative project,” Scott told the Glen Arbor Sun in 2020. “I’ve only been bored a half a day since I retired … because I’ve always found something creative to do.”
“Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense.” Those are the prescient, portending words of Gertrude Stein, the American 20th century expatriate, novelist, art pioneer, and culturalist extraordinaire. Her words are still deeply salient—a century later. Divisiveness is easy currency—globally, nationally, locally. We have become, regrettably, media saturated and disconnected. The Leelanau Community Cultural Center at the Old Art Building (“OAB”) in Leland, most fortuitously, has provided a counterpoint — an antidote of sorts — to this malaise: the Blue Lantern Tea Room program — a reimagination of the historic, communal salon experience.
Leelanau County-based chamber music ensemble Manitou Winds will perform on Friday, Aug. 25, at 7 pm at the Old Art Building in Leland. The organization’s new Song & Story concert series will combine music, poetry, and storytelling. According to Manitou Winds founder Jason McKinney, the performance will feature an eclectic program of traditional works and original songs bridging Classical, Celtic, and Folk styles, interspersed with inspiring spoken word.
“Wow, this is good! I did this?” exclaims Michelle Leask, after writing a poem as part of the Consenses art project, a multi-genre game of telephone hatched by the Old Art Building in Leland. Starting with the purple glass Infinity Disk in front of the OAB, artists were invited to take inspiration from and respond to the creation of only the previous artist in the series, resulting in multiple expressions in a linear creative conversation. The show opened in July, and viewers can walk from work to work to see the multi-media series as it was created, one art form at a time. Michelle’s poem is her response to “a nice soft watercolor of flowers in a vase. The poem is called Beauty in Brokenness, because I saw so many contrasts of old and new.”
Nestled amid the picturesque landscapes of Leelanau County, artist Kristin MacKenzie Hussey has made a name for herself with her charming watercolor paintings that capture the whimsical and nostalgic essence of this beautiful region. A gifted designer and co-owner of The Warren Collective in Leland, Hussey’s art has blossomed in popularity, captivating locals and visitors alike. One of the most awe-inspiring experiences for Hussey was her participation in the Consenses Walks project in Leland. “Participating in the Consenses project was such a beautiful experience. I was so honored to be asked to join a handful of incredible local artists to play a game of Art Telephone, so to speak,” she said.
When Leelanau County singer-songwriter Joshua Davis introduced his song “Up to the Light” at an April concert at the Old Art Building, he shared the story about the song’s inspiration and announced its part in the Consenses Walks project about to be unveiled in Leland, an artistic game of “Telephone” including seven local artists. The game challenged another artist, anonymous to him, to respond to his song in their own creative format, just as he’d sat down with the Infinite Disc sculpture on the Leland River to form his own creative response to it. The chain was to continue until all of the artists formed creative interpretations in their own mediums. Davis, sculptor Charlie Hall, painter Kristin MacKenzie Hussey, poet Michelle Leask, potter Benjamin Maier, fabric designer Maggie Mielczarek, and ice cream maker Joe Welsh are part of Consenses, a challenge for artists of varying mediums living in the same community to work together in an anonymous chain of inspiration until all five senses are represented. Leland is home to the second completed Consenses Walks founded by Sally Taylor, an artist, musician and former music professor at Berklee College of Music.
Tickets are still available for Leelanau County resident Joshua Davis’ concert on Saturday, April 15, at the Old Art Building in Leland. “There are so many reasons I love the Old Art Building besides the fact that it’s a quick drive for me,” Davis told the Glen Arbor Sun. “I love the history of the building. I love the community that supports it. I love that it embraces all mediums of art, and the sound (there) is killer. It’s one of those really special venues.”
Andrew Dost, the Frankfort native and Grammy Award-winning member of the indie rock band Fun., whose hit single “We Are Young” topped the charts for six straight weeks in 2012, will headline a sold-out Christmas Variety Show at the Old Art Building in Leland on Friday, Dec. 23. Read our full interview with Dost, who talked about why he returned to northern Michigan, therapy dogs and his beloved Pitbull named Carly, his love for cooking and foraging, his support for LGBTQ activism, and what he envisions for future Christmas variety shows at the Old Art Building. Spoiler: Dost wants fun, silly pet tricks including rats dressed in basketball jerseys all going after a meatball.
The Old Art Building in Leland will present the 21st annual Focus on Fiber event over the weekend of October 7-9. This year’s event highlights the work of Chicago-based artist Georgina Valverde and her exhibition entitled Atavia. An artist conversation will take place on Friday, October 7. The free reception opens at 5:30 pm with the artist talk beginning at 6:00 pm. The exhibit will continue from 10 am-4 pm both Saturday and Sunday.