The last weekend in April promises extravagant exhibits of art in all forms, from April 29th through May 1st, as the 2022 Art Attack in Harbor Country sprinkles creativity and style all across the area. The Art Attack Launch Party kicks off the three-day event on Thursday, April 28th at The Acorn theatre in Three Oaks, with the reception at 5:30 pm and showing of the film “Rothko: Pictures Must Be Miraculous” at 7pm. Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit Art Attack.
New Buffalo, Lakeside, Three Oaks, Union Pier, Harbert, and Sawyer will all be hotspots for multiple displays and interactive features of art, from live music, mural painting, edible art, pop-up shows, competitions galore, and more.
The “Walk and View” sculpture park in Sawyer features textile works within the studio of artist Janis Kanter, as well as an immersive nature walk through the thirteen acre sculpture park and prairie. Sweet Pea Studio will feature uniquely painted furniture and tasty treats.
Shops in Three Oaks, like Alapash Mercantile, Vintage Goods, Region of Three Oaks Museum, and the Three Oaks Township Library will each offer something different. Art demonstrations, tours, fundraisers, and art raffles can be found in nearly every shop on Elm street, including Arbor 3 Arts, Drier’s Meat Market, Judy Ferrara Gallery, and A Drawing Room Gallery. The culinary arts are represented at Froehlich’s Kitchen & Pantry and Journeyman Distillery, while P&E Bottle Shop shows off artist Kim Pruitt, and Poppy Hill Vintage features live caricature drawings.
New Buffalo presents Native Art in multiple mediums at The Pokagon Fund Art Gallery on Buffalo Street, and Brewster’s Italian Cafe will showcase art by Brewster’s alumni. Create your own art (and then devour it) at Twisted Frozen Yogurt on Whittaker Street, and pop into the Hidden Gem to view an exhibit by local artist Tara Dodge. Customs Imports is holding the first annual pallet art competition in New Buffalo, and attendees can vote for their favorite pallets all weekend long. The pallets will stay up for the entire summer, adding color and a little intrigue to downtown New Buffalo.
The art galleries of Union Pier, such as Piece-By-Piece, Suzanne Koenigsberg Studio, and Local Color Gallery will be buzzing with displays of different mediums like fiber, photography, and paint, and Covert Ceramics will host live demonstrations of wheel throwing techniques. Accessories, decor, and paintings can also be purchased at multiple shops along Red Arrow Highway, from The Plum Tree, Designer Cottagescapes, and Stone’s Throw Interiors on Townline Road.
Pop-up shows will be scattered throughout the area from April 29th through May 1st: in Harbert at the WithInn Artists’ Pop-Up Studio, in Lakeside at Lake Interiors and the Lakeside Inn, and at Goods and Heroes in Three Oaks. As celebration of small businesses is art itself, stop into the Garden Grove Inn in Union Pier to tour the 100 year old Sears Kit home as the weekend marks the one-year anniversary of its conversion into a bed & breakfast.
Harbor Country prides itself on supporting local artists and small businesses every day of the year, but this gigantic event helps spread the news of what our area has to offer. Refreshments and libations will be plentiful during Art Attack, and conversation between friends and neighbors, old and new, will fill your weekend. For the complete list of participating locations, artist receptions, and exhibit times, please visit harborcountry.org.
By Jocelyne Tuszynski, MOTM Contributor
