Shows and events kick off Art Center’s 2025

MOUNT CLEMENS — From two shows to flurry of events, the Anton Art Center is beginning 2025 with a running start.

Beginning Saturday, Jan. 18 is the Sky & Space Exhibition. A collaboration between several Macomb County artist groups — the Lakeside Palette Club of St. Clair Shores, Mount Clemens Art Association, Romeo Guild of Art, Shelby Township Fine Art Society, and the Warren Tri-County Fine Arts, Inc. — Sky & Space shows off what some of the region’s artists can do with limited prompting.

“Each year they have two shows, one in January and another in the fall,” said Stephanie Hazzard, exhibitions manager at the Anton Art Center. “The first show in January always carries a theme of some kind as a challenge for artists. This year’s theme is sky and space and any interpretation of that. Some artists interpreted that very differently from one to the next.”

Garth Glazier, an artist based in Troy, was selected to be the exhibition’s juror.

Aside from jurying Sky & Space, Glazier is one of a record-setting 45 artists with works in the 52nd edition of the Michigan Annual. Opening on Saturday, Jan. 25, the Michigan Annual is the Anton Art Center’s tentpole fine arts competition.

“The selections are a wide variety of the best of the best across the state,” Hazzard said.

Artists are given full freedom to submit whatever works they want, opening the door for numerous kinds of art to be on display.

“We will have everything from fiber artwork to sculpture to photography, oil paintings, (and) illustrations,” Hazzard said. “There’s going to be a wide variety of different types of media, as usual.”

Determining who makes it to the show floor and who takes the top prizes is juror Jeff Cancelosi, best known for his work photographing artists.

Both the Michigan Annual LII and Sky & Space run until Saturday, Feb. 22. The Michigan Annual will be on the first floor while Sky & Space will be on the second floor. Both events will have opening receptions from 1-3 p.m. on their respective opening days.

Alongside the exhibitions, the Anton Art Center has a big weekend planned for the end of January. The Fire & Ice Chili Cook-Off will be held from 6-9 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 30, allowing people the opportunity to stop in a number of Mount Clemens establishments and find out who has the best chili in the city. Tickets are $20 and support the art center and the Mount Clemens Goodfellows.

The cook-off kicks off the Mount Clemens Ice Show on Feb. 1-2, where numerous ice sculptures will be displayed along Cherry Street. Taking advantage of this Mount Clemens Downtown Development Authority event, the art center is hosting free art making activities for the duration of the event. On Friday, Jan. 31, the art center is holding a 55th anniversary celebration from 7-9 p.m.

“We are celebrating throughout this year our emerald anniversary,” said Peggy DiMercurio, education and community engagement manager for the Anton Art Center. “We opened in 1969 and so we are taking the chance to really talk about the history of the Art Center and celebrate the impact that we had and take a look back through the years. We’re featuring a jazz artist, Kathy Kosins, and her band. They’ll be providing a jazz concert that evening and she will be painting an abstract painting during her performance. It will be a great night of music and visual art as well.”

Tickets to the anniversary can be purchased online for $25 at theartcenter.org/55.