On top of the world
Posted May 16, 2008
Local artists share their talents during annual Renaissance Roam
Area art lovers can travel the world this weekend.
Studio 1219 in Port Huron’s third annual Renaissance Roam centers on an international theme.
Visitors can take a trolley Saturday from Studio 1219 to ports of call as varied as New Orleans, Hamburg, Germany; and Sydney, Australia.
The event is an opportunity for area residents to check out paintings, sculpture and other art by local artists, enjoy lively music and sample varied fare, said Deb Maxwell, a local potter and an organizer of the event.
It’s also a chance for local artists to show off work such as charcoal sketches, fused glass and jewelry.
Visitors can pick up a “passport” for $10 that gains them entry into the ports of call. Proceeds benefit Studio 1219, the arts incubator.
One of the featured artists will be Robin Hages, 26, of Worth Township.
Hages, who specializes in blown-glass, pottery and paintings, will be in the former Harris House building at 219 Huron Ave. with six other artists in the Lexington Arts Council.
This will be his first Renaissance Roam. “For me, it’s maintaining contacts with local artists,” he said. “I’d like to see what other people are doing right now, just for the experience, I guess.”
He’s also hoping to sell a few pieces.
Robin Gamache, visual arts director for the Lexington Arts Council, said their Mardi Gras-themed stop “will be a fun party.”
The Roam is not just an excuse to party. It promotes local economic development, said Tara Russel, program director for Studio 1219.
“What we are trying to promote is the idea that supporting arts and culture is good for the community as a whole, because it keeps money circulating in our area,” she said.
At the former J.C. Penney building at 311 Huron Ave., Winnie Schuette of Romeo will display her acrylic paintings on canvas, paper and handmade paper. She normally works in The Shop, an artist’s cooperative in downtown Port Huron.
“People will just be coming and going and looking at the art and talking to us,” she said of the Roam.
Featured artwork will include photos of European architecture by Marcy Gelaude Lenox Township; drawings by Bret Roche, 21, a student at Woodland Developmental Center; and 3-D sculpture and reclamation art by Roger Hansel of Port Huron. There also will be demonstrations at Studio 1219.
Photo Caption: BRUSHING UP: Artists Lee Ann McInnis, left, of Port Huron and Deb Maxwell of Kimball Township unpack passports inside Studio 1219 to get ready for Saturday’s Renaissance Roam.
Story originally printed in the Port Huron Times Herald on Friday, May 16, 2008 by Nicole Gerring