September to bring an Art Takeover of The Village

GROSSE POINTE CITY — Village visitors will be able to “fall” for art this September, as autumn starts on a bright note in the Grosse Pointe City business district.

Art Takeover will return for its second year, bringing original works to participating businesses. From Sept. 5 to 30, about 84 local artists will be showing their work at 35 Village stores and restaurants. Some artworks will be outside.

“We are really excited about the event,” said Art Takeover organizer Michelle Boggess-Nunley, owner of Posterity Art & Framing Gallery in The Village. “This year is even bigger and better. The goal is to create an identity for The Village.”

An opening night reception will take place from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 5 in The Village, with many participating businesses offering things like refreshments and door prizes. In addition, Boggess-Nunley said there will be live music, street performers, a caricature artist and a performance from The Amazing Flec, a contact juggler.

“It’s a free event, so it’s a great way to get to know the community,” Boggess-Nunley said.

The artworks were selected from 125 entries.

“It was incredible,” Boggess-Nunley said. “We were very fortunate to have so many creative artists submit.”

Once again, visitors can try their hand at a scavenger hunt. Scavenger hunt participants can find a map to participating businesses in the Aug. 29 issue of the Grosse Pointe Times or inside the businesses themselves. Correctly answered scavenger hunt questionnaires will be entered into a drawing for prizes like art and gift certificates. A child-friendly scavenger hunt will be offered as well. Boggess-Nunley offered a tip for solving the questions by recommending that people follow the map from location 1 to location 35, saying the questions follow each other in numeric order.

Visitors are also encouraged to vote for their favorite Art Takeover work. The winner will receive a solo exhibition at Posterity.

While seeing the art and taking part in events like the scavenger hunt are fun for people of all ages, Art Takeover is meant to benefit Village businesses, too.

“It’s really a good way to bring people into businesses that maybe they’ve never been to before,” Main Street Grosse Pointe Executive Director Cindy Willcock said.

Last year’s Art Takeover did just that.

“It went well,” Boggess-Nunley said. “We brought in a lot of visitors to The Village. It was fun to see people walking around The Village with their maps.”

The artworks on view are available for purchase and Boggess-Nunley said they’re being sold commission-free, so artists will receive all the proceeds.

New businesses are popping up all the time, making a Village visit as exciting for longtime residents as it is for new ones.

“It’s really good that people are discovering — or rediscovering — our businesses,” Willcock said.

Posterity is located at 17005 Kercheval Ave. in The Village. For more about Art Takeover, visit posterityartgallery.com or call (313) 884-8105.