Photo Courtesy of Art Ambience
“A Trip to the Garden Center,” a watercolor by Sally Morris, will be on display at the Art Ambience Juried Fine Art Exhibition & Non-Juried Fine Art Miniature Show Friday through Sunday at the Woodhaven Community Center.
By Evelyn Cairns
Art aficionados will gather at 6 p.m. Friday at the Woodhaven Community Center for an hors d’oeuvre reception and awards program kicking off the three-day Art Ambience Juried Fine Art Exhibition & Non-Juried Fine Art Miniature Show.
Prizes of $300, first place; $300, second; and $100, third, will be presented in the juried show. In addition, artists will vie for a $100 Artists’ Choice Award and honorable mentions.
The juror will be Kathleen Montgomery, who holds a bachelor of fine arts degree with a specialization in graphic design. She has participated in numerous shows and has received many awards for her art.
Tammy Trudelle, executive director of the Down-river Council for the Arts, is honorary chairman of the 26th annual show. Trudelle has a bachelor of science degree in business management and an associate’s degree in vocal performance and theater. She was recently named the Wyandotte Jaycee’s Woman of the Year.
A lifelong Wyandotte resident, Trudelle has transformed the arts in the Downriver community by promoting art education at all levels and in all areas of music, theater and the visual arts, said Art Ambience spokeswoman Maureen Keast.
Entertainment will be provided by the Wyandotte Community Theatre, which will present musical hits from its production of “Respect,” which opens May 17 at the James R. DeSana Center for Arts & Culture.
The art show will continue on Saturday and Sunday highlighted by demonstrations including woodburing, woodcarving, needle felting, origami and oil and watercolor painting.
The demonstrations will be conducted by artists including Gloria Dunn, Rita Gazdag, Carl Reid, Mary Lou Reichard, David Matt, Charlene Quiel and Jim Monroe. Others are Cynthia Robertson, Nancy Knapp, Donna Hinson, Betty Trombetta, Cathy Wake, Shirley Ciungan and Keast.
There is no charge for admission to the show or for the demonstrations. The show offers sculpture, jewelry, stained glass and ceramics as well as paintings. Hours are 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, and noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
The Woodhaven Community Center is at 23101 Hall Road off West Road.
Bless Fest scheduled
The third annual Bless Fest, which offers free medical care, health screenings, a job fair and an expo of workshops and agencies, will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Wayne County Community College District Downriver campus in Taylor.
More than 40 agencies, support groups, churches and other organizations will take part in the event, which will include workshops starting every 30 minutes.
According to a Bless Fest spokesman, 24 employers will be ready to hire participants for 850 jobs, and assistance will be provided in preparing resumes. In addition, free groceries will be available.
Bless Fest was established in 2011 with the partnering of many Downriver churches through a Detroit-area movement called EACH.
Among the local partners are Home Depot, the Oakwood Health Care System, the New Hope Food Pantry of Melvindale, the Guidance Center and Forgotten Harvest.
Additional information is available at www.Blessfest.info. The college is at 21000 Northline. According to a Bless Fest spokesman, more than 1,600 people have been served through the program over the last two years.
Coming up . . .
May 5 — The first of a series of Lincoln Park farmers’ markets, which will continue on Sundays through Oct. 27; 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Southfield Road Municipal Parking lot, between 1-75 and Fort Street; coordinated by Friends of the Lincoln Park Farmers’ Market.