Michigan Blue – Collaborative Community Project
New for the 2023 season at Michigan Legacy Art Park for our annual Community Art Project is “Michigan Blue.” This Community Art Project brings together all things that make you think of your Michigan Blue. That might include water, lakes, streams, clouds, flowers! Everyone from kids to adults are invited to paint or draw anything blue in Michigan onto 3 to 6-inch tree wood “rounds” or “cookies” with acrylic paint, permanent markers, or other permanent material. Individual rounds will be combined to create one large mosaic artwork that reflects the shapes of different types of waves.
Subject matter might include water, lakes, streams, clouds, flowers, cars, clothes, or other things blue. They could also reflect emotional experiences or abstract artwork inspired by the wood itself. Teachers can connect this project to subjects in their grade-level studies. They can also use the rounds as teaching tools before students paint them.
The Art Park will supply the wood rounds which are cut from fallen trees in the Art Park. You may also use your own rounds based on the specifications (rounds must be wooden, 3 to 6 inches in diameter, no more than one inch thick). Rounds become the property of the Art Park to include in the art installation onsite. Michigan Blue will be on display for this summer and into the winter. This project is being led by Michigan Legacy Art Park’s Education Director and environmental artist Patricia Innis with artist Dewey Blocksma as an advisor.
Statewide participation is already underway and Innis encourages all to connect with the Art Park to learn more about being involved. For additional information on how to participate, please call (231) 378-4963 or contact Patricia Innis at [email protected].
To support this project with a donation, visit our donation page!
Exploring the Color Blue
- How do two different colors of blue make you feel?
- If you put the color blue next to a color like orange, does it change how you feel about it?
Imagine:
- How does the color blue feel to the touch? Does it have a texture?
- How might the color blue smell?
- Describe what the color blue might taste like.
- What kind of sound might the color blue make?
This artwork is supported by Benzie Sunrise Rotary Club, Michigan Arts and Culture Council, and National Endowment for the Arts.
