An Artist’s Journey…  The Beginning, by Debbie Lee (photographer & painter)

In the fall of 2009, I received an invitation to participate in the Macomb Community College Student Art Show held at the Anton Art Center.  As this was the first time for displaying my work in public, I carefully chose three framed photos and dropped them off at the college.  At the show’s reception I received so much positive feedback!   This gave me the confidence to apply to the Anton Art Center’s annual Christmas Market, which turned out to be a wonderful experience.  Each volunteer and artist I met was open and friendly - willing to share information about selling art and other markets that they thought would welcome my photography.  I volunteered during Christmas Market, and it was an enjoyable way to give back to the center.  

Christmas Market provided a vehicle for the first sales of my art.  I found such joy in watching my photos go home with people, knowing that a part of me would now be part of their home environment.  My photography is now displayed and sold in the center’s Gift Shop.  Each time I look at the art in the store I know that I am in good company.  

Soon, I found myself enrolled in Marianna Defer-Pfeifer’s painting class.  Working with oils opened up a new world of color and texture.  One of my favorite photos, Old Homestead, became the subject for my very first painting, and a photo of an Australian seascape evolved into the next one.  Marianna is a wonderful and effective teacher.  She is able to inspire novices, such as myself, as well as more seasoned artists.  

One Saturday after class I met Nancy, a very talented Anton artist, for lunch at Che Cosa.  I was immediately taken with the eclectic look of the restaurant, and the artwork displayed on the walls.  Through conversation with a longtime customer I learned that Che Cosa’s owner books a different artist each month.  I spoke to John Forlini and he invited me to bring samples of my work the following week.  I did, and am now scheduled to exhibit in September, 2010.  

I‘ve continued to take Marianna’s classes, and I also participated in the Mount Clemens Art Fair in June.  For years I have been telling people that my dream is to have a career in photography after I retire from teaching.  The Anton Art Center, and the wonderful and talented people who make up this community of artists, are an important part of my artistic journey.

Carolee Schmid (painter; drawing & painting instructor)

The Art Center started with a group of artists, those interested in the arts, and their many supporters. My mother, as one of the original artists, supported and volunteered for many years towards the center’s success.

Four generations of the Krause, Edward and Schmid families have enjoyed and participated in many events at the Anton Art Center.  On March 7th, 2010, a granddaughter was proudly chosen to exhibit in the annual student show at the same time that her grandmother was exhibiting on the second floor Community Gallery.

In 2009, I started teaching art to children at the Anton Art Center in hopes of continuing the growth and support of art in the community.

Phil Gilchrist (photographer, ceramicist, printmaker)

All my life, The Art Center has been an amazing resource for artistic inspiration and community involvement. I have memories of taking ceramics classes in the basement, spending an afternoon on the front lawn painting flower pots for my mother, and numerous visits to admire the work on display. My experiences were an early catalyst driving me to become an artist myself.

I studied art in college, where I learned about creativity and how a supportive community can encourage great art. When I returned to the area where I grew up, The Art Center had undergone a metamorphosis; new leadership, newly completed renovations, and new ideas about why art is important in contemporary society. The new Anton Art Center (AAC) became a place where artists and community members come together to exercise and celebrate creativity. Though I had always been a patron of the AAC my involvement with the Mount Clemens Art Association (MCAA), another community-based arts organization, showed me opportunities for involvement that I never really knew existed.

As I worked with the AAC on MCAA’s behalf, it became clear to me that being directly involved with AAC would benefit me in numerous ways. I began to volunteer and found many other possibilities revealing themselves to me. I was invited to join AAC’s History Gallery committee, a steering committee for a potential arts incubator in Mt. Clemens, and eventually was hired to work as Grant Coordinator, helping to find funding necessary to provide programming that benefits our community. AAC has given me uncountable chances for networking with other artists, sharing ideas and solutions for issues local and national, being involved with a constituency that has supported me and deserves my support. Through the years, the Anton Art Center has treated me well, and I will continue to play a part so that others might have the same experiences and opportunities I have found here.