We have all seen the brightly painted portico and cheerful murals on the impressive brick building downtown Ann Arbor and wondered, “What is this place?” The Neutral Zone was founded in 1998 by teens, and for teens, with a simple yet profound mission: to create a safe space for youth in Ann Arbor. Simple, maybe, but not static.
Posts filed under Art & Craft
Kindred Conversations with Hilary Nichols: Filmmaker Christina Morales Hemenway
Courageous, kind, and creative in equal measure, Christina Morales Hemenway may be the most prolific feature filmmaker in Ann Arbor. She has five finished feature films and two more film projects currently in the works—and this is just one of her ongoing careers.
Kindred Conversations with Hilary Nichols and Curtis Wallace
Curtis Wallace introduced his Be Creative Studio LLC in Ypsilanti, Michigan in 2019 after a lifetime of sharing his art professionally and prolifically. Be Creative Studios honors the honeybee and hexagons in their logo.
Handcrafting~ Autumn Wild Crafting
Autumn is the season of bounty, and it’s so easy to end up coming home after a wander into the natural spaces around us with pocket loads of natural treasures. Why not engage in some creative crafting with your harvest? Here are a few of my favorite autumn wild crafts to make the most of your gathering.
Green Living~Foraging and Using Natural Materials for Home Crafting
Nature provides a variety of inspiring materials that can be useful for crafting traditional and useful things. What a joy it is to learn, year by year, a bit more about the qualities of the natural world by foraging and co-creating with nature.
Craft Column: Porcupine Glasses Case
I don’t know about you, but I am constantly misplacing my sunglasses in my bag. I eventually find them, and inevitably the lenses are scratched. I’m determined not to let this happen this summer, so I made a cute little glasses case to help protect them. I made this case on my machine, but you could hand sew it as well.
Intervulnerability: Practicing Love at the University of Michigan Art Museum
Humidity weighted the autumn air as I walked across the University of Michigan Ann Arbor campus. Vermilion ivy coated the walls of the buildings while orange trees stood like flames amid the evergreen shrubs lining the sidewalk. In the distance, I heard chants of a protest on State Street as I sauntered through the prismatic glass entrance of the art museum.
A Handful-- Symbols, Faith, and History: Ancient Art Reveals Spiritual and Cross-Cultural Connections Through Hand Gestures
December gave the world a lot to celebrate: Bodhi Day, Day of Our Lady Guadalupe, Hanukkah, Yule, Christmas, Kwanza, Zarathost Diso, and New Year’s Eve. Colorful lights and crackling fires against a crisp winter canvas always help me find time to ponder spiritual connections and how humanity has attempted to make sense of and, perhaps ironically, immortalize our understandings. The written word and art have always been equally powerful mediums for capturing abstract yet visceral emotions. Even tentatively opening the door to a museum or a used bookstore makes me catch my breath in anticipation and reverence for the sheer energetic power combined in one space from so many inspired, deeply affected souls.
Leaps of Faith, Winter 2024, Whitepine Studios
Fast forward to the summer of 2023, and I stood in an elegant gallery in downtown Saline, Michigan looking at a variety of impressive 2D and 3D artwork. I was there to learn how Whitepine Studios went from that upsetting message in 2020 to a thriving women-founded business that had already outgrown its first studio location (opened in 2021). Here is what I learned about their journey from setback to success.
Know the World, Know Thy Self: Art Reveals All
Benjamin Joseph Suydam isn’t the typical hawker, wheeler and dealer. At festivals, he hangs back unobtrusively — approaching only when the looker is intrigued with a specific work. (Having seen his booth at various fairs, I can attest that something inevitably catches the eye and draws you in for a closer look. It’s then you find your spirit subconsciously crooning in recognition of kinship to a particular print or painting’s motif.)
Ashes in Art Glass: Encapsulating the Spirit of Remembrance
One local artist has found a way to etch a world of fleeting moments into eternal beauty. Nestled in a studio in Ann Arbor’s Kerrytown district, Chris Nordin, the creative mastermind behind the business Ashes in Art Glass, breathes life into the ethereal by transforming the ashes of loved ones into stunning, sculptural remembrance pieces. At the core of this artistry lies a poignant convergence—the intersection of grief and craftsmanship--where glass encases the essence of a human spirit.
Handcrafting: LIttle Bug Faeries -- A Waldorf -style Pcket Doll
Spring brings showers, flowers, and faeries back into our gardens! These cute Little Bug Faeries are great for entertaining little ones during story time, while riding in a car, or waiting to see the doctor. They are so easy to make, you’ll find yourself making one in every color of the rainbow!
Leaps of Faith: Curioser Clay
Zemper made the decision to become an entrepreneur while the Covid-19 pandemic was still looming, and that brave move is already paying off. Curiouser Clay’s reputation has been growing since their first pop up workshop in March of 2022. Since then, they have stayed busy holding workshops and “makin’ parties” in which Zemper and her husband, Drew Zemper, show up to private parties, businesses, and homes throughout the region.
The Art of Spirit Guide Messages and Tarot
Like many, my spiritual journey started at a young age, I felt, saw, and simply just knew. I knew there was more, especially when some of my dreams came to fruition. I simply didn’t understand how to interpret how that came to be. I would lose myself in my art, writing poetry and short stories.
Handcrafting: Puckly Penguin—A Midwinter Playmate
Need a fun project to beat the midwinter blues? Make this cute penguin in a few hours sitting by the hearth. You can add a hanging loop to make an ornament, have fun embroidering his body, use him to brighten your winter table, or just place him in an unexpected spot to give visitors a quick smile.
Making Your Own Magic
At age five, Paula Hampton knew that there was something magical about art. The way her mother would hold a pencil to paper and make a face appear on a blank canvas, unaided by anything save her imagination, blossomed a world of possibility in Hampton’s heart.
Brush Monkeys and TreeTown Murals--Beautifying Ann Arbor & Beyond
Ann Arbor has long had a tradition of downtown businesses featuring window paintings on their store fronts during the holiday season. When in 2006 local artist, John Copley noticed a break in that tradition, “I mentioned to Jim Hart of Seyfried Jewelers, that I had enjoyed the holiday window painting that someone had been doing downtown for a while. That year it was not happening. I asked him why and he said, ‘Well, he died. You want to do it?’ And that is where it all began.”
Body Wisdom from Our Ancestors—Combining Trauma Informed Movement and Art Therapy
Awareness of the universal impacts of trauma on the mind, body, and society—large and small—has been growing over the past few decades. Fortunately, this awareness has promoted understanding of what type of approaches might help support healing as well. Some of these approaches were known by our earliest ancestors, including creating images, movement, dance, music, and singing. Today we call these expressive arts therapies.
Hand Crafting: A Jolly Old Elf
Bring a little magic into your holiday season with this jolly old elf. Made from scraps of wool felt and a bit of ribbon from your stash, he’ll be adorable hanging from your Yule tree, decorating a package, or pinned to your lapel.
Crazy Wisdom Kids in the Community--Country Fall Festivals
I’m excited to explore kids’ events with you that are waiting just outside of Ann Arbor. Perfect for this new phase of expansion of the Journal are the fall festivals around Washtenaw County. You can get outside with your kids, eat a caramel apple, and relax in nature for a day of family fun.
