Anton Art Center to host December exhibition, holiday market

MOUNT CLEMENS — It is not just you that is busy this time of year. The Anton Art Center is juggling two main events in December, hosting the solo exhibition debut of a Sterling Heights artist and the 45th annual Holiday Market.

“We’ve got over 100 artists featured this year,” said Phil Gilchrist, Anton Art Center executive director. “About 20% of those are new to the organization and to the market. We’re showcasing literal tons of items here for sale for the holidays, encompassing all kinds of stuff. Home decor, holiday decor, gift items, fine art, crafts, jewelry, fiber arts. … You name it, we probably have it.”

The market has evolved over its nearly half-century, going from showing items on shelves made from stacked wood planks and cinder blocks to having the resources and volunteers needed to run a professional retail operation.

“I give a lot of credit to the people in the beginning who had the forethought to pull this together,” Gilchrist said. “Over the years, it’s helped a lot of artists and it’s been a very important program for the Anton Art Center during that entire time. It really was all volunteers. Even today we rely on volunteers to pull it together and every year they do an incredible job, so we’re really happy and proud to have those folks involved here at the Anton Art Center and are thankful of all of the work that they do to bring this together every year.”

Moving up a floor from the market takes guests into the first-ever solo exhibition by artist Darleen Urbanek, of Sterling Heights. Titled “Darleen Urbanek: Peaceful Moments,” the show includes over 60 original works focusing on animals, people and landscapes that reflect moments of peace.

“Darleen’s work tends to be impressionistic,” Gilchrist said. “She really gets into the feeling of the work, and what she’s representing is less about having very specific details and being realistic and more about how the moment makes you feel.”

Urbanek says she has been painting since she was “old enough to hold a pencil,” honing her artistic skills outside of a formal classroom setting.

“I’ve never really had any formal training,” Urbanek said. “I was chosen as a gifted artist through the Detroit Public Schools back in grade school and my grandma used to take me on the bus down to the art museum for classes. Other than that, I’ve really just taken workshops and nothing really formal over the years. I might see an artist that I like so I would go take a workshop with them.”

Most of the paintings on display were made for “Peaceful Moments,” and those moved by Urbanek’s work will have the rare opportunity to bring it home with them.

“Darleen’s work is going to be sold on a cash-and-carry basis, which is kind of unusual for an exhibit,” Gilchrist said. “If anybody were to come here and be really interested in one of the pieces she created, they could buy it and take it home that same day.”

In case the whole exhibition sells out before its ends, Urbanek’s work can be found on sale in the Holiday Market.

Both the market and “Peaceful Moments” end on Saturday, Dec. 23. The Anton Art Center is under seasonal hours for December. The center is open on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. It’s closed on Monday. Admission to the center is free, and parking is free after 3 p.m. in Mount Clemens until Dec. 31.

More information about the Anton Art Center can be found at theartcenter.org.