Artist-in-Residence Workshop with Printmaker Nicholas Hill Posted March 26, 2021 2017 Guggenheim Fellow Nicholas Hill will use a small printing press to create printing plates based upon on-sight drawings that he’s created at various sites on the island. His printmaking processes are environmentally-friendly and water-based. He also looks forward to open studio sessions where visitors can come to his studio to see the printing process as he would use hand-made papers and demonstrate a variety of printing techniques with each plate. The press is small enough and portable and he plans to offer these demonstrations at other sites or even out-of-doors in good weather. Printmaking history is rich and complements the historical periods of the history of the island, so he plans to share these parallel histories during his demonstrations. The primary demonstration will take place at the Station 256 Conference Room, located above the Mackinac Island State Park Visitor’s Center. The entrance is located to the rear of the building. Admission to all events are free.
Artist-in-Residence Workshop with Photographer Raymond Gaynor Posted March 26, 2021 Photographer Raymond Gaynor will lead a presentation/workshop on the images he’s taken while in residence. He’ll provide a detailed explanation on what drove him to take that particular shot, what he saw, and what he felt. Additionally, he will also discuss the technical aspects and processing workflow for each image. This is a free workshop presented in the Station 256 Conference Room located above the Mackinac Island State Park Visitor’s Center. Entrance is to the rear of the building. #thisismackinac
Artist-in-Residence Workshop with Woodcut Artist and Printmaker Benjamin Bohnsack Posted March 26, 2021 Woodcut artist and printmaker Benjamin Bohnsack will present a continuous demonstration of block printing during his residency, so keep an eye open for him while on the island! For his scheduled workshop, he will showcase a half hour presentation about the story of literacy and printing, with a visual description of what he does to create his art. He’ll also do a brief show and tell of the work he’s done while on the island, leaving time for questions at the end. This program will be presented in the Station 256 Conference Room, located above the Mackinac Island State Park Visitor’s Center. Entrance is located at the rear of the building. Admission is free. #thisismackinac
Artist-in-Residence Workshop with Constructed Watercolor Artist Elizabeth Spitz Posted March 26, 2021 Constructed watercolor artist Elizabeth Spitz will demonstration how her artwork is made, showing the technique of constructed watercolors. Sheets of solid watercolor paper are painted, then cut and glued in layers to create dimensional images. She will have examples in many stages of completion, to show how the process works from start to finish, because it is a very time consuming series of steps. Having the examples will allow her to talk through the process, illustrating the kinds of questions that arise. This presentation will take place at the Station 256 Conference Room, located above the Mackinac Island State Park Visitor’s Center. Entrance is to the rear of the building. Admission is free. #thisismackinac
Artist-in-Residence Workshop with Poet Elizabeth Klein Posted March 26, 2021 Writer Elizabeth Klein will present a reading of her poetry collection titled Upon a Shoreline Exile. The pieces include: “Bench at Marquette Park,” with context on how Pere Marquette influenced the poem; “Night on Main,” which includes a brief anecdote about the poem’s origins as a scene in one of her fiction pieces; “Freighter at Windermere Point,” with mention of the poem’s connections to Somewhere in Time; “Arch Rock,” with comment on the Native American legend which served as an inspiration for the poem. Workshop will take place at the Station 256 Conference Room, located above the Mackinac Island State Park Visitor’s Center. Admission Entrance is located to the rear of the building. Admission is free. #thisismackinac
Girl Scouts and the Mackinac Island Scout Service Camp Posted March 22, 2021 The Mackinac Island Scout Service Camp has been a long-honored tradition for many scouts within Michigan. Since its creation in 1929 the program has gone through many changes, however none quite as notable as the inclusion of Girl Scouts. In 1929, visitors who trudged up the ramp to Fort Mackinac had a breathtaking view as a reward for their climb, but the fort buildings revealed little of their past. At the time only a small museum of assorted artifacts had been assembled in part of the Officer’s Stone Quarters. Roger Andrews, vice chairman of the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, wanted to create a new way to present Mackinac’s rich history for their visitors. Andrews organized a contingent of eight Eagle Scouts, the highest rank of Boy Scouts, to help at Fort Mackinac for the month of August 1929. These scouts were well trained in the historical background of the island and gave free tours to fort visitors. Their routine included putting the fort flags up and down, firing the sunset gun, and blowing “Reveille” and taps on the bugle. Famously, future president Gerald Ford was one of these Eagle Scouts. After the successful summer, the news of the service camp quickly spread. In 1934 the program briefly went nationwide – scouts were invited from fifteen other states to spend two weeks serving as guides at Fort Mackinac. With the overwhelming response, the Detroit and Cleveland Navigation Company sponsored an essay contest to select scouts within Michigan. By 1947, twelve different troops were coming, with more than 400 scouts each season. During the 1940s, the Mackinac Island State Park Commission received numerous requests for the inclusion of Girl Scouts. Instead of allowing the scouts to join the Mackinac Island Scout Service Camp, the commission offered temporary usage of the Scout Barracks, located behind Fort Mackinac, and land for a Girl Scout camp to construct their own barracks on Mackinac Island. Nothing came of this offer, but the idea of having Girl Scouts as part of the program did not die. Scouts with Governor and First Lady Milliken. In the early 1970s the Girl Scouts again asked to be part of the contingent, this time securing the support of Helen Milliken, Michigan’s First Lady. Since the Boy Scouts and Girl Scout organizations are separate, the request was carefully studied to see if Girl Scouts could meet the camp requirement. In 1974, the scout camp policy was changed to include Girl Scout troops, and Cadette Troops 464 from Ann Arbor and 1463 from Grosse Pointe Farms served with distinction. Over the years the number of Girl Scout troops coming to Mackinac has increased. Today, approximately half the scouts serving on the island are Girl Scouts. Several Girl Scout troops have now had more than forty consecutive years of service since coming to the island. Instead of only providing guided tours of Fort Mackinac, scouts can be found performing duties on the island ranging from flag duties, answering guest questions, assisting with service projects across the park, and many other duties that have been historically completed by their scout counterparts. Occasionally scouts will have the opportunity to participate in special events, including marching in the June Lilac Day Parade and helping with Independence Day events. Sadly, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused the program to be suspended for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The scouts are a vital asset to Fort Mackinac, though, and will be warmly and excitedly welcomed back as soon as it is safe to do so, hopefully in 2022.
Artist-in-Residence Workshop with Muralist Dustin Hunt Posted March 8, 2021 During their residency, muralist Dustin Hunt plans to create a series of three to five eleven-by-seventeen-inch graphite portrait studies of residents and seasonal workers. Incorporating elements of Mackinac Island, Hunt will make the overall body of work people-centric and site-specific. These portrait studies will also contain design elements inspired by conversations with the subjects about what has shaped them. In this way, personal narratives drive the composition and become mediums for storytelling. As with most projects, Hunt will seek out narratives that are often overlooked, perhaps misunderstood, yet worthy of highlighting, that may go unnoticed otherwise. During the workshop, Hunt will: -Present select previous people-centric, community-centered mural projects -Discuss ways that relationships have been built in previous communities visited -Highlight ways Hunt incorporates said relationships into public art projects -Unveil the three to five graphite portrait studies while sharing about process -Allow time for questions This is a free workshop located in the Station 256 Conference Room, located above the Mackinac Island State Park Visitor’s Center. #thisismackinac
Workshops in the Museum Posted March 8, 2021 Presented by the Mackinac Arts Council. Join local and regional artists as they share their art expertise. Workshops take place in Marquette Park on the lawn outside The Richard and Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum. Supplies are provided, but you may also bring your own. Class sizes are limited – early registration is recommended through the Mackinac Arts Council. All workshops cost $20 per day unless otherwise noted. Discounts are available for students and Mackinac Island summer employees. Workshops are held after regular museum hours. Workshop Schedule: June 9 – Watercolor Lilacs June 22 – Beginner Knitting with Becki Barnwell and Mary Patay (four week course – June 22, June 29, July 6, July 13) June 23 – Island Instagram with Sara Wright June 29 – Beginner Knitting with Becki Barnwell and Mary Patay – Course 2 June 30 – Plein Air Painting with Maeve Croghan July 6 – Beginner Knitting with Becki Barnwell and Mary Patay – Course 3 July 7 – Felting with Kim Clare July 13 – Beginner Knitting with Becki Barnwell and Mary Patay – Course 4 July 14 – Plein Air Painting with Scott Kenyon July 21 – Island Instagram with Sara Wright August 3 – Printmaking with Cindy Hunter Morgan August 4 – Japanese Stab Binding August 10 – Theatre Techniques with Starling Shakespeare Co. August 11 – Rug Punch with Kim Clare August 18 – Watercolors with Megan Swoyer August 24 – Theatre Techniques with Starline Shakespeare Co. August 25 – Plein Air Painting with Maeve Croghan
Workshops in the Museum Posted March 8, 2021 Presented by the Mackinac Arts Council. Join local and regional artists as they share their art expertise. Workshops take place in Marquette Park on the lawn outside The Richard and Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum. Supplies are provided, but you may also bring your own. Class sizes are limited – early registration is recommended through the Mackinac Arts Council. All workshops cost $20 per day unless otherwise noted. Discounts are available for students and Mackinac Island summer employees. Workshops are held after regular museum hours. Workshop Schedule: June 9 – Watercolor Lilacs June 22 – Beginner Knitting with Becki Barnwell and Mary Patay (four week course – June 22, June 29, July 6, July 13) June 23 – Island Instagram with Sara Wright June 29 – Beginner Knitting with Becki Barnwell and Mary Patay – Course 2 June 30 – Plein Air Painting with Maeve Croghan July 6 – Beginner Knitting with Becki Barnwell and Mary Patay – Course 3 July 7 – Felting with Kim Clare July 13 – Beginner Knitting with Becki Barnwell and Mary Patay – Course 4 July 14 – Plein Air Painting with Scott Kenyon July 21 – Island Instagram with Sara Wright August 3 – Printmaking with Cindy Hunter Morgan August 4 – Japanese Stab Binding August 10 – Theatre Techniques with Starling Shakespeare Co. August 11 – Rug Punch with Kim Clare August 18 – Watercolors with Megan Swoyer August 24 – Theatre Techniques with Starline Shakespeare Co. August 25 – Plein Air Painting with Maeve Croghan
Workshops in the Museum Posted March 8, 2021 Presented by the Mackinac Arts Council. Join local and regional artists as they share their art expertise. Workshops take place in Marquette Park on the lawn outside The Richard and Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum. Supplies are provided, but you may also bring your own. Class sizes are limited – early registration is recommended through the Mackinac Arts Council. All workshops cost $20 per day unless otherwise noted. Discounts are available for students and Mackinac Island summer employees. Workshops are held after regular museum hours. Workshop Schedule: June 9 – Watercolor Lilacs June 22 – Beginner Knitting with Becki Barnwell and Mary Patay (four week course – June 22, June 29, July 6, July 13) June 23 – Island Instagram with Sara Wright June 29 – Beginner Knitting with Becki Barnwell and Mary Patay – Course 2 June 30 – Plein Air Painting with Maeve Croghan July 6 – Beginner Knitting with Becki Barnwell and Mary Patay – Course 3 July 7 – Felting with Kim Clare July 13 – Beginner Knitting with Becki Barnwell and Mary Patay – Course 4 July 14 – Plein Air Painting with Scott Kenyon July 21 – Island Instagram with Sara Wright August 3 – Printmaking with Cindy Hunter Morgan August 4 – Japanese Stab Binding August 10 – Theatre Techniques with Starling Shakespeare Co. August 11 – Rug Punch with Kim Clare August 18 – Watercolors with Megan Swoyer August 24 – Theatre Techniques with Starline Shakespeare Co. August 25 – Plein Air Painting with Maeve Croghan
