Dennos Museum Sign Up Information

New Exhibits Open Sunday!

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Each exhibition explores some aspect of bravery and resiliency: from Howard G. Buffet’s photographs that document world hunger in 40 Chances, to artist Karen Bondarchuk’s struggle to make sense of Alzheimer’s disease in Ergo Sum: A Crow a Day, artists translate and decipher the world around us in ways that are relatable and meaningful. And in Pulped Under Pressure: The Art of Handmade Paper, seven contemporary artists experiment with one of society’s most ubiquitous of materials—paper— to “address some of the most pressing issues facing civilization today.”

40 Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World

In this powerful exhibit featuring the photography of Howard G. Buffett, 40 photographs document the world hunger crisis as part of a global awareness campaign. Traveling to more than 137 countries, Buffett turned his camera lens on the powerful forces that fuel hunger and poverty. A philanthropist and farmer, Buffett believes that each of us has about 40 chances to accomplish our life goals, just as farmers have about 40 growing seasons to improve their harvests. His photography is a call to action to find lasting solutions to the world hunger crisis.

Ergo Sum: A Crow a Day
On August 1, 2014 Canadian-born artist Karen Bondarchuk set out to mark the passing time that her mother – diagnosed with dementia in 2010 – no longer could. For 365 days, she produced a crow a day on a hand-cut, hand-gessoed panel, remembering her mother as she once was and grieving her loss. The resulting work explores communication and an artist’s relationship to the world; it resonates for its depth, beauty, and elegiac and potent whimsy.

Pulped Under Pressure
With traditional hand papermaking at its core, PULPED UNDER PRESSURE underscores important contemporary issues steeped in history and craft. Enticed through touch, these works encourage a contemplative slowing down even as they urge acknowledgement of some of the most pressing issues (environmental crisis to global marginalization) facing civilization today. Each of the artists, Jillian Bruschera, Julia Goodman, Reni Gower, Trisha Oralie Martin, Melissa Potter, Marilyn Propp, Maggie Puckett, starts simply with a foundation of pulp made from natural fibers. Their multifaceted results incorporate a rich range of printmaking, letterpress, papercutting, and installation with a diversity of recycled disposable materials (junk mail, egg cartons, old cotton t-shirts, ripped denim jeans) as well as old bedsheets, beetroot, heirloom plants, and illuminated el wires. In very unique ways, these artists consider paper beyond its most common function as a passive surface of record or craft. Instead, the material is transformed and imbedded with content that turns communication into a public practice. By challenging assumptions, the artists of PULPED UNDER PRESSURE create artworks that are both beautiful and brave.

Creative Paper Cutting Workshop

Saturday, February 8, 2020 - 10AM

In this full day workshop, you will create your own intricate paper-cut design from start to finish, learn about the tools and techniques of design, and visit the exhibition Pulped Under Pressure to see paper art firsthand. Artist Reni Gower will lead you through each step of the process and offer some tips and tricks along the way. Bring your own materials or use those provided by the NMC Art Department. Paper will be provided.

Complimentary soup and salad provided for lunch.
$100 for Dennos members / $120 for non-members

See the full list of materials here. 

Workshop tickets are available online here, or call the museum at 231-995-1055 during our regular business hours. 

Second City

Saturday, February 1, 2020 - 8PM

We have a sold out show! For those that purchased tickets and selected home print or e-tickets as your delivery method, please be sure to have your tickets printed or available on your phone. Will call tickets will be available at the box office under the name of the ticket buyer. Due to changing over our ticketing system earlier this month, please be aware that it may take additional time to recall and reprint any lost or misplaced tickets. 

If you have any seating requirements such as a need for a wheelchair accessible seat, please contact the museum at 231-995-1055 as soon as possible so accommodations may be made for you. We look forward to seeing all of our ticket buyers at the show and encourage you to see the rest of our line up on our website here. 

Check Out Our 2020 Lineup!

Tickets on Sale Now!

Our 2020 lineup of performances includes comedy by Second City, blues with Khalif Wailin' Walter, Inuit pop with Nive and The Deer Children, traditional song and dance with the Mystical Arts of Tibet, and folk music by Loudon Wainwright III. Before the concerts, we welcome you to visit our galleries. After the show, you can purchase CDs and merchandise, enjoy light refreshments, and meet and take photos with our performing artists. Be sure to grab a limited edition season poster designed and printed by local artist Clay Maas!

Our first show in 2020 is on Saturday, February 1st. Over half of our seats have already sold! Click here to see the full lineup and for links to purchase tickets!

We would like to remind everyone that we have switched all ticket buying to Brown Paper Tickets. If you have already purchased your tickets through MyNorth, then your ticket purchases have been recorded and your tickets are still valid. We look forward to seeing you at our 2020 shows!

Hearts For Art

February 7th - 14th

Join us as we participate in the Hearts for Art project from February 7th through the 14th, 2020. Museum visitors may pick up a heart from the front desk and place it in front of their favorite work of art in the galleries. Snap a photo of your favorite and share it on social media using the hashtags #dennosmuseum and #heartsforart. We'll keep track of your favorites and share them on our pages. Follow along with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Before you visit, you can check out our current exhibitions by clicking here. 


Free with admission to the museum.

Free Screening of Always in Season

February 13th - 7:00PM

In Always in Season, descendants of the victims and perpetrators of lynching are working together to heal a violent history. Blending observational footage with first-person testimonies and expert input, Always in Season examines the lingering impact of lynching and the link between this historic form of racial terrorism and the racial violence that exists today.

Lillie Wolff will facilitate a discussion following the film drawing on her work of racial healing and cultural somatics, which looks at healing the trauma of racism for both the oppressed and oppressor. You can learn more about her work here. 

Khalif "Wailin'" Walter

February 21st - 8:00PM

Khalif Wailin' Walter without a doubt belongs to the new generation of Chicago's young Blues Players who are carrying on the deep tradition. This definitely ain't your daddy's blues though. Khalif's music while firmly rooted in the Chicago electric blues guitar tradition is infused with modern funk and innovative arrangements to create his own unique musical voice. Khalif's stinging and singing guitar work is reminiscent of Blues greats Otis Rush, Albert King, Albert Collins. His tempermental vocals are in one moment suave and seductive and in the next moment passionately overpowering. This is a beautiful journey through funk, soul, and rock all wrapped in the Chicago Blues.

Tickets are $25 for members, $30 advanced, and $32 at the door (fees included in price). Purchase them online here, or call Brown Paper Tickets 24/7 at 1-800-838-3006 or the museum at 231-995-1055 during our business hours. 

Upcoming Virtual Events featuring Local Artists and Musicians!

The Dennos will present three virtual programs over the next few weeks that feature local teachers, artists, and musicians. Coming up this Wednesday, September 23rd at 10:30 a.m. EST is a free and public program called Artists in the Studio. Presented by NMC Professor Emeritus Paul Welch and our Executive Director Craig Hadley, this program will focus on 20th century artists, their practice, and their studios. We will be going live from our Facebook page at 10:30 a.m. EST. This program is free, and does not require any registration. We will record this program and have it available on our YouTube channel for those who are unable to watch it live. 

The following Wednesday, September 30th at 10:30 a.m. EST is The Art Of: Ron Gianola. Join artist Ron Gianola and Curator of Education Jason Dake for a virtual conversation about Ron’s work in the Dennos Collection. They will also discuss his current and any upcoming projects. Registration is pay what you can $0 - 15 and must be completed by 9:00 a.m. EST the day of the event. After you complete the registration, a member of Dennos staff will email you the details to join us on Zoom. Register here.

Our last scheduled event for the fall so far will be a Live & Local virtual concert featuring Seth Bernard on Thursday, October 8th at 7:00 p.m. EST. Join musician Seth Bernard for a performance and interview with Curator of Education Jason Dake on Zoom. During this wide-ranging program of song and discussion, Bernard will share some of his latest tunes with you and welcome your questions about music, agriculture, community empowerment, and more. Registration is pay what you can $0 - 15 and must be completed by 5:00 p.m. EST the day of the event. After you complete the registration, a member of Dennos staff will email you the details to join us on Zoom. Register here.

Fall Exhibits Open on the 22nd

Our fall exhibitions will open to the public on Tuesday, September 22nd. Instead of a members opening reception, we will hold two separate virtual Zoom events featuring James Haefner, the photographer of Michigan Modern, and Joel Zwart, Curator of Exhibitions at the Grand Valley State University Art Gallery. Both will be joined by Curator of Education Jason Dake to discuss each exhibition and focus on several works in the galleries. Dates are yet to be determined for these events, but more information can be found at: www.dennosmuseum.org/events/virtual-reception

MATHIAS J. ALTEN: AN AMERICAN ARTIST AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY
The German-born American artist, Mathias Joseph Alten (1871-1938) immigrated to the United States in 1889 at the age of seventeen. His family settled in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a premier furniture-manufacturing center and desired location for immigrants in the late-nineteenth century. Here, amidst a rapidly changing world, Alten went on to establish a family, home and studio for the entirety of his career.

Over his career, Alten created more than 3,000 works of art, initially influenced by the Barbizon and Hague Schools and later by the Impressionism movement. He repeatedly sought out and celebrated traditional laborers and nostalgic settings even as modernization transformed life in the early twentieth-century. This exhibition celebrates Alten’s life and career with works of art, historic photographs and personal artifacts drawn from the collection at Grand Valley State University.

GVSU currently holds the largest public collection of Mathias J. Alten. All artwork and objects included in this exhibition are on loan from the GVSU Art Gallery and the GVSU Special Collections & University Archives.

MICHIGAN MODERN: AN ARCHITECTURAL LEGACY
This exhibit celebrates Michigan’s incredible modern architectural design history from 1928 through 2012. It is comprised of over 50 photographs by James Haefner primarily for the State Historic Preservation Office as part of their Michigan Modern Project and featured in the book by State Historic Preservation Officer Brian Conway titled Michigan Modern: An Architectural Legacy. Several additional photographs from Mr. Haefner’s archives are included. The buildings photographed were selected to represent the best modern architecture in all areas of the state focusing on the work of Michigan architects as well as internationally known architects who completed commissions in Michigan.

The exhibition is arranged chronologically beginning with the work of Eliel Saarinen at Cranbrook and concluding with the acclaimed Eli and Edith Broad Art Museum in East Lansing designed by Zaha Hadid. These photographs and the book continue the work of the State Historic Preservation Office in studying and documenting Modernism in Michigan. Known as the Michigan Modern Project, it began in 2008 with extensive research and context development together with identification of significant Modern architecture in the state. This led to a dozen or so listings of Modern resources in the National Register of Historic Places together with the elevation of three properties to National Historic Landmark status: the Eero Saarinen designed General Motors Technical Center in Warren, the Mies van der Rohe designed Lafaette Park housing complex in Detroit, and Minoru Yamasaki’s McGregor Memorial Conference Center in Detroit. The Eliel Saarinen designed Cranbrook and the Alden B. Dow Home and Studio were already listed as National Historic Landmarks. The project revealed and documented the significant role Michigan played in the development of Modern design and received national attention.

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2020 MINI HOLIDAY ARTISTS MARKET
DEADLINE SEPTEMBER 15, 2020
There is one more day to apply for the Holiday Artists Market. This year we’ve come up with a MINI 2020 version. Artists will have a small display of their works that will be open over an extended time period following Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve and restocked by staff as needed. Limiting the size will allow us to display selected artists in an area that encourages social distancing. Extending the dates will allow more visitors to shop while not exceeding capacity limits currently in place at the museum. Both will also make it possible for our small staff to manage everything well. All displays and sales will be taken care of by staff. The smallest of works will be displayed inside the store itself. 

The Museum Store has recently launched a redesigned website that can feature artists in a new way and offer curbside pickup for customers more comfortable shopping from home. We hope to preserve the feel of meeting and interacting with artists by giving customers a peek into the studio or a glimpse at how art is made. This is as new for us as it may be for you, and it offers fun and creative routes to welcome as many customers as we can.

If you are interested in applying to participate in this 2020 MINI version of the Holiday Artist Market and are able to adapt to tweaks that may be necessary over the coming months, we welcome you to apply or share with someone you think would be interested. Please see application for full acceptance details.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Museum Store Manager, Nicole Zeiler, via email at museumstore@nmc.edu. Our online store can be viewed at https://shop.dennosmuseum.org/.

Mathias J. Alten: In Coversation with Joel Zwart

Wednesday, November 18th - 6:30 p.m.
Join us virtually for a conversation and celebration of the exhibition, Mathias J. Alten: An American Artist at the Turn of the Century, now on exhibit through January 31. Curator of Education Jason Dake will take you on a video tour of the exhibition while discussing its origins with Grand Valley State University Curator of Exhibitions, Joel Zwart. Zwart will also present an illustrated lecture about Alten and the collection on view.

The German-born American artist, Mathias Joseph Alten (1871-1938) immigrated to the United States in 1889 at the age of seventeen. His family settled in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a premier furniture-manufacturing center and desired location for immigrants in the late-nineteenth century. Here, amidst a rapidly changing world, Alten went on to establish a family, home and studio for the entirety of his career. Grand Valley State University currently holds the largest public collection of Mathias J. Alten. All artwork and objects included in this exhibition are on loan from the GVSU Art Gallery and the GVSU Special Collections & University Archives.

Joel Zwart is an accomplished museum administrator and curator with a demonstrated history of leadership and service in the higher education and museum industry for over 20 years. He has extensive experience at a broad range of institutions and has organized more than 200 exhibitions, including Mathias J. Alten: An American Artist at the Turn of the Century currently on tour in Michigan over the next two years. Presently, he serves as Curator of Exhibitions at Grand Valley State University, where he manages exhibition development, design, and installation at all university galleries. Zwart has an M.A. in Historical Administration from Eastern Illinois University and a B.A. with minors in Art and French from Calvin University, and continues to serve on various committees at museums and non-profit organizations.

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Temporary Closure through December 8th
The museum will close to the public on Wednesday, November 18th through December 8th along with Northwestern Michigan College. You can find more information about NMC's COVID-19 policies here. If you have been planning to visit the museum to shop for the holidays or to see the exhibits, then we recommend that you visit us today, Tuesday, November 17th during our open hours from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Please be aware of our current visitation policies here. The Mini Holiday Artist Market scheduled for December 1st - 23rd will move to online only through December 8th. Staff will work with NMC to evaluate the situation in the coming weeks. 

Staff will carry on with fulfilling online orders through the Museum Store Website, and we hope you continue to support the museum during our closure. 

Fakes-Frauds-Forgeries

FAKES-FRAUDS-FORGERIES: THE BIGGEST ART SCANDAL OF THE 20TH CENTURY
Thursday, November 18th - 10:00 a.m.

Provenance, the unbelievably true story about one of the greatest art scandals of the 20th century, is a page-turning thriller. The authors offer us a glimpse into the fake art market, criminal motive, and what it takes for Scotland Yard to put an end to the scandal. The novel raises a whole host of ethical questions: how does the art market function? What happens when the power of museums and curators is knowingly abused? How might a con-artist manipulate this fragile system to their advantage? Join Craig Hadley, Executive Director and Chief Curator of the Dennos Museum Center for a fascinating lecture and discussion. Please obtain a copy of the book and complete the reading in advance: Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo, Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art (ISBN: 0143117408). Zoom link will be sent 2 days before the class begins..

This class is presented by NMC Extended Education. You can register online here or call NMC Extended Education at 231-995-1700 with course ID: 396289122.

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JONATHAN SCOTT'S POWER TRIP
Thursday, November 12th - 7:00 p.m.

Link: https://ovee.itvs.org/screenings/1yp7q
Duration: 63min 30sec

Welcome to the first ever virtual screening of Indy Lens Pop-Up hosted by The Dennos Museum Center. After 10 years of providing on-site screenings and discussions of some of the most powerful documentary films today, we are happy to partner with Independent Lens and Ovee to screen virtually while still allowing for discussion in the chat. Join us online to discuss local energy issues with City Commissioner Tim Warner and Rachel Johnson of Cherryland Electric Cooperative.

The key to environmentally friendly, cost-effective renewable energy is shining down upon us. In sun-soaked Las Vegas, Property Brothers’ Jonathan Scott harnesses that power by installing solar panels on his own home. But when his local public utility commission takes every possible opportunity to suppress that type of competition, Jonathan sets out to answer “Why don’t more Americans have the choice to go solar?” On his journey to learn about clean energy, Jonathan talks with members of the Navajo Nation, who built a utility-scale solar plant; farmers struggling to make ends meet in Georgia; coal workers ready for new, clean jobs in Kentucky; religious leaders fighting to meet their community’s energy needs in North Carolina; and politicians at the forefront of the battle for renewable energy throughout the country.

All you need to participate is a computer or iPad with a good internet connection. Before the event, you can click here (https://ovee.itvs.org/diagnostics) to run a test to ensure OVEE works properly on your computer.

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MATHIAS J. ALTEN: IN CONVERSATION WITH CURATOR JOEL ZWART
Wednesday, November 18, 2020 — 6:30 p.m.

Join us virtually for a conversation and celebration of the exhibition, Mathias J. Alten: An American Artist at the Turn of the Century, now on exhibit through January 31. Curator of Education Jason Dake will take you on a video tour of the exhibition while discussing its origins with Grand Valley State University Curator of Exhibitions, Joel Zwart. Zwart will also present an illustrated lecture about Alten and the collection on view. Learn how to join us on Zoom here. 

The German-born American artist, Mathias Joseph Alten (1871-1938) immigrated to the United States in 1889 at the age of seventeen. His family settled in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a premier furniture-manufacturing center and desired location for immigrants in the late-nineteenth century. Here, amidst a rapidly changing world, Alten went on to establish a family, home and studio for the entirety of his career. Grand Valley State University currently holds the largest public collection of Mathias J. Alten. All artwork and objects included in this exhibition are on loan from the GVSU Art Gallery and the GVSU Special Collections & University Archives.

Joel Zwart is an accomplished museum administrator and curator with a demonstrated history of leadership and service in the higher education and museum industry for over 20 years. He has extensive experience at a broad range of institutions and has organized more than 200 exhibitions, including Mathias J. Alten: An American Artist at the Turn of the Century currently on tour in Michigan over the next two years. Zwart has an M.A. in Historical Administration from Eastern Illinois University and a B.A. with minors in Art and French from Calvin University, and continues to serve on various committees at museums and non-profit organizations.

Nive and the Deer Children

Canceled

Due to unforeseen circumstances, this show has been canceled. Ticket holders have the option to exchange their tickets for one of the upcoming concerts, or receive a refund for the show. Please contact the museum at 231-995-1055 to request an exchange. If we have not heard from ticket buyers by March 6th, we will process a refund on that day. 

We thank you for your understanding and hope to see you at future events.

Closure Extended

The Dennos Museum Center will be closed to the public through April 13th following Executive Order No. 2020-20 by Gov. Whitmer. You can find more information about the Executive Order here. For more information about NMC and COIVD-19, please click the link here.

Concert Series Update

The Mystical Arts of Tibet is still postponed until further notice. Our staff is coordinating with the performers and with Arts Midwest to reschedule their residency and evening performance for next concert season. Please consider paying it forward and keeping your tickets. We will record your seats for next year's Concert Series through our new ticketing service, Brown Paper Tickets. If this event cannot be rescheduled and must be canceled, ticket refunds will be issued promptly for all ticket buyers. If you would like a refund for this event now, please email our Audience Engagement Manager, Chelsie Niemi at cniemi@nmc.edu.

Loudon Wainwright III will be rescheduled for Thursday, September 3, 2020 at 7PM. All Brown Paper Ticket buyers' seats will be updated for that date. If you purchased your seats through MyNorth Tickets, your seats have already been recorded in Brown Paper Tickets. Your tickets for the show will be available at will call at the Dennos box office the night of the event.

Next concert season, we will no longer be accepting MyNorth Tickets at the door.

If you are unsure of which ticketing site you used to purchased tickets and would like more information or a refund, please email Chelsie Niemi at cniemi@nmc.edu.

Online Programming

Be on the look out for more online programming. We will be working with and helping support other area arts and cultural organizations to present Draw NoMI programs on social media. To find out more information, please visit our website here. 

More Live & Local Concerts and Other Updates

The Dennos Museum Center will remain closed through May 15th due to the extension of Stay Home, Stay Safe order by Gov. Whitmer. For more information about NMC's policy and updates regarding COVID-19, please follow the link here.

In addition, we have added more concerts for the Live & Local Concert Series featuring Levi Britton on Wednesday, April 29th at 5:00 p.m. and Miriam Pico on Friday, May 1st at 5:00 p.m. These concerts help support Crosshatch's Artist Emergency Fund and are sponsored by Chateau Chantal. Learn more about the Live & Local Concert Series here.

You can visit crosshatch.org/emergency to support their local artist relief fund, and Chateau Chantal will donate 15% of their online sales to the fund from April 25th through May 1st.

Finally, there have also been some updates regarding our exhibition schedule. Environmental Impact was originally going to open in June, but has been reschedule for Summer 2021, and 40 Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World has been extended through May 24th. 

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Mystical Arts Reminder

The Mystical Arts of Tibet has been canceled at this time. Although we are still working on rescheduling this event, we have been unable to confirm the evening performance for their week-long residency. Therefore, we felt it was most appropriate to cancel at this time.

All ticket buyers will be issued refunds. Please contact our Audience Engagement Manger, Chelsie Niemi at cniemi@nmc.edu if you have any questions, or have not received a refund after several weeks. Both MyNorth and Brown Paper Tickets are experiencing high volumes of cancellations and refund requests, so your refund may take a few weeks to process.

Thank you for your understanding, and we hope to see you at future events.

 

NMC Fall Summit

Friday, October 9th - 9:30 a.m. 
It's a Small World After All...The year 2020 has inspired us to come together to talk about the influence a global crisis has on our community. Northwestern Michigan College has always been a connector between our region and the rest of the world. The current state of our global health and economy has brought home just how connected we are globally. Join us for a day of meaningful discussions as we examine global issues, talk about impactful change around diversity and inclusion, and the effect all of this has on our individual and community health. This event is jointly organized by NMC Extended Educational Services, International Affairs Forum, and The Dennos Museum Center.

This event will be moderated by Marguerite Cotto, NMC Vice President for Lifelong and Professional Learning with presentations by Lindsey Dickinson, Ken Warner, Rachel Plum, Sharon Neuman, and more!

Dennos Members receive a special discount for this event when you use the code: SUMMIT20DENNOS

Meet the presenters and find out more at nmc.edu/ees.

Loudon Wainwright III Canceled

The Loudon Wainwright III concert on Thursday, September 3rd at 7 pm has been canceled. We are working to reschedule this concert for our 2021-2022 Concert Season.

MyNorth Ticket Buyers

A request for your refund has been submitted on your behalf by the museum on Monday, July 27th. Please allow up to 10 business days for your refund. If you have any issues regarding your refund, please contact our Audience Engagement Manager, Chelsie at cniemi@nmc.edu. 

Brown Paper Tickets Ticket Buyers

Your tickets will be refunded in full by Brown Paper Tickets. Please note that their refund processing is significantly delayed, so your patience is appreciated. See their COVID-19 response and sign up for updates at https://covid-recovery.brownpapertickets.org.

If you are still waiting to receive your refund from Brown Paper Tickets, please email refunds@brownpapertickets.com and include your confirmation number. The museum never received revenue for this event and is unable to process your refunds directly.

All ticket buyers were emailed on Monday, July 27th regarding the cancellation of this event and will be refunded in full. If you have any issues regarding your ticket refunds, please email our Audience Engagement Manager, Chelsie at cniemi@nmc.edu.

Thank you for your understanding, and we hope to see you at future events.

Dennos Staff

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Holiday Artists Market Update and Application

During a normal summer, the Museum Store would soon be opening applications for the Holiday Artist Market we host each fall. While planning has been underway for months, this summer is far from normal. Our staff has continued to rework our plans in response to the pandemic and the guidelines put in place by the State of Michigan and NMC for the safety of our students, staff and community. After much deliberation, we sadly must cancel our largest event of the year.

While we are disappointed to make that decision, we have not given up on finding a way to offer artists a safe place to showcase their works and create a welcoming holiday shopping experience for our visitors. We hope to host a mini 2020 version of the Holiday Artist Market that will be open over an extended time period following Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve. Limiting the size will allow the Museum Store to display selected artists in an area that encourages social distancing. Extending the dates will allow more visitors to shop while not exceeding capacity limits currently in place at the museum. Both will also make it possible for our small staff to manage everything well. All displays and sales will be taken care of by staff. 

If you interested in participating in this 2020 version of the Holiday Artist Market or know an artist who may be, we welcome you to apply or to share this application link (application does require a gmail account for the purpose of uploading photos of artwork and displays). Application deadline is September 15th, 2020. If you have any issues regarding the application, please email museumstore@nmc.edu.

Michigan Modern: An Architectural Legacy Reception and Discussion 

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, January 13, 2021 at 6:30 PM EST and join us for an online discussion with photographer James Haefner and historian Brian Conway about Michigan Modern: An Architectural Legacy, on exhibit through January 31, 2021. The program will include a walkthrough of the gallery, brief presentations by each guest speaker, and a chance for you to ask questions. Tune in on Zoom for the full experience, or check it out on Facebook Live.

Michigan Modern celebrates Michigan’s incredible modern architectural design history from 1928 through 2012. It comprises over 50 photographs by James Haefner, primarily for the State Historic Preservation Office as part of their Michigan Modern Project and featured in the book by State Historic Preservation Officer Brian Conway, titled Michigan Modern: An Architectural Legacy. Several additional photographs from Mr. Haefner’s archives are included. The buildings photographed were selected to represent the best modern architecture in all areas of the state focusing on the work of Michigan architects as well as internationally known architects who completed commissions in Michigan. Follow the link to learn more and join us on Zoom. 

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We want to thank our Dennos community for their out pouring of support for the Mini Holiday Artist Market. We have just over a week left! Remember, members do get a 10% discount when they use the code MEMBER at checkout. We highly encourage curbside pickup if you are able to during our pickup hours Sunday - Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. We also have $5 flat rate shipping during the duration of the market.

A note on shipping orders:
Please remember that our college campus is currently closed to the public and orders will only be shipped on week days Monday-Friday. Because our college shipping department handles our packages, we do not have immediate access to tracking numbers at the time they actually ship. Please be patient with us. Ready to ship orders are picked up daily on weekdays from the museum store and shipped the following morning. Tracking numbers are returned to the store the morning following that. Tracking numbers are then entered into the system and you will be notified. That means tracking numbers are provided a day or two after the package has been shipped.

Orders are generally shipped Fedex or USPS with shipping times between 2-5 days.

While orders up until the 18th may arrive in time by our shipping standards, we cannot guarantee there may not be a delay by carriers due to the holiday and Covid-19. Order early!

Mystical Arts Canceled, Launching Additional Online Programs

The Mystical Arts of Tibet has been canceled at this time. Although we are still working on rescheduling this event, we have been unable to confirm the evening performance for their week-long residency. Therefore, we felt it was most appropriate to cancel at this time.

All ticket buyers will be issued refunds. Please contact our Audience Engagement Manger, Chelsie Niemi at cniemi@nmc.edu if you have any questions, or have not received a refund after several weeks. Both MyNorth and Brown Paper Tickets are experiencing high volumes of cancellations and refund requests, so your refund may take a few weeks to process.

Thank you for your understanding, and we hope to see you at future events.

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K-12 DENNOS VIRTUAL EXHIBIT

We’re looking for your digital photo entries for our first ever Dennos Museum Center virtual exhibition. No fancy cameras needed--just a good smartphone camera and a photo of your pet--real, imaginary, or even a stuffed pet friend. We will be using artsteps virtual exhibit software to present the first 30 entries, and we look forward to hosting a “live” reception for our young artists and the community on Facebook Live!

A few helpful guidelines:
-Please submit between April 14 - 21, 2020 to chadley@nmc.edu
-Entries limited to one per child
-Please include the child’s first name, child’s age, and a title for the exhibit “label”
-The first 30 entries will be displayed in the virtual galleries--so don’t delay!

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INTERNATIONAL SCULPTURE DAY ARTIST CONVERSATION
Saturday, April 25, 2020 - 2:00PM

Two arts organizations in Northern Michigan are uniting in digital-celebration of International Sculpture Day, an annual worldwide event April 25th organized by the International Sculpture Center. Normally there would be international public tours, events, and workshops but this year, most of us are sheltering in place.

The Dennos and Michigan Legacy Art Park will co-host a live roundtable of talented Michigan artists who will engage in a lively conversation about sculpture, their process, and the big picture but also how this emergency is shaping or influencing the creative sector. Pour a cocktail, sit back and follow this unique chance to explore this fascinating medium.

Join Lois Teicher from Detroit, Maureen Bergquist Gray from Interlochen, Brian Ferriby from Maple City and a TBD guest led along by moderator John Sauvé from Detroit.

HOW TO CONNECT

This livestream event will take place Saturday April 25 at 2:00 PM EST. Space is Limited, Please Register in Advance here: https://bit.ly/ISDAY2020

The live program will last 45 minutes and guests online can submit questions for the artists. The event will be recorded and archived after.

Closure Extended, Join Us Online

The Dennos has been carefully coordinating with the college to determine whether to reopen in some capacity on December 9th. However, it has been decided to extend our closure at this time through the 20th in line with the extension of the pause from the Governor.

There are still many ways to enjoy Dennos related content online. Please be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram for nearly daily posts. Our Youtube channel has excerpts from our virtual programs from the past six months as well as over 30 DRAW NoMI videos which are great drawing prompts for both kids and adults.  

At this time, we are offering 1 hour virtual tours for groups anywhere from 2-75+ people. Tours are priced according to group size. With at least 2 weeks notice, you can request specific works from permanent or temporary exhibitions, or let us design something special for you and your group. Purchase your tour online here, and a member from our staff will email you to arrange your tour. Tours are unavailable December 24 - January 2. 

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The Mini Holiday Artist Market will continue to be available to shoppers online, and staff is adding more items almost daily to the store website. Remember, members do get a 10% discount when they use the code MEMBER at checkout. We highly encourage curbside pickup if you are able to during our pickup hours Sunday - Thursday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. We also have $5 flat rate shipping during the duration of the market.

A note on shipping orders:
Please remember that our college campus is currently closed to the public and orders will only be shipped on week days Monday-Friday. Because our college shipping department handles our packages, we do not have immediate access to tracking numbers at the time they actually ship. Please be patient with us. Ready to ship orders are picked up daily on weekdays from the museum store and shipped the following morning. Tracking numbers are returned to the store the morning following that. Tracking numbers are then entered into the system and you will be notified. That means tracking numbers are provided a day or two after the package has been shipped.

Orders are generally shipped Fedex or USPS with shipping times between 2-5 days.

If you want to receive your order before Christmas Eve, please place your order by December 16th. While orders up until the 18th may arrive in time by our shipping standards, we cannot guarantee there may not be a delay by carriers due to the holiday and Covid-19. Order early!

Join Us for Our Online Programs

While we remain closed, our staff has been working hard to make programming available online for you and your family. 

The Live & Local Concert Series is presented by the Dennos Museum Center and Crosshatch Center for Art and Ecology to bring some much needed musical entertainment to your living room. We believe strongly in supporting our local musicians, and invite you to join us on Facebook Live to do the same. Featuring four local singer-songwriters, this could be the beginning of an ongoing series, so stay tuned. You can also visit crosshatch.org/emergency to support their local artist relief fund.

Tune in on our Facebook pages, our performers’ Facebook pages, or on the event page here to watch Facebook Live concerts. The Live & Local Concert Series kicks off this evening at 7PM with May Erlewine!

DRAW NoMI is a collaborative event that brings together arts organizations from all over Northern Michigan. During this time of staying home and being together only virtually, DRAW NoMI's partners are all working hard to connect you and your family with the arts on social media and the web. We recently began publishing twice-weekly videos with fantastic how-to-draw demos that are fun for the whole family. Narrated and drawn by Jason Dake, Curator of Education, these videos offer brief demonstrations and tips on a variety of drawing topics. They are posted to the Dennos Museum Center’s YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts on Mondays and Thursdays for the time being. Everyone is encouraged to share their creations on the Dennos Facebook page, facebook.com/thedennos.

 

Additional Partners Include:

Crooked Tree Art Center - Traverse City

Michigan Legacy Art Park

Oliver Art Center

Twisted Fish Gallery

Northwest Michigan Arts & Culture Network

Concert Series Reminder

The Mystical Arts of Tibet is still postponed until further notice. Our staff is coordinating with the performers and with Arts Midwest to reschedule their residency and evening performance for next concert season. Please consider paying it forward and keeping your tickets. We will record your seats for next year's Concert Series through our new ticketing service, Brown Paper Tickets. If this event cannot be rescheduled and must be canceled, ticket refunds will be issued promptly for all ticket buyers. If you would like a refund for this event now, please email our Audience Engagement Manager, Chelsie Niemi at cniemi@nmc.edu.

Loudon Wainwright III is rescheduled for Thursday, September 3, 2020 at 7PM. All Brown Paper Ticket buyers' seats will be updated for that date. If you purchased your seats through MyNorth Tickets, your seats have already been recorded in Brown Paper Tickets. Your tickets for the show will be available at will call at the Dennos box office the night of the event.

Next concert season, we will no longer be accepting MyNorth Tickets at the door.

If you are unsure of which ticketing site you used to purchased tickets and would like more information or a refund, please email Chelsie Niemi at cniemi@nmc.edu.

COVID-19 Update

Dear Dennos Museum Center Community,

With careful consideration for the health and safety of our community, The Dennos Museum Center at Northwestern Michigan College will close to the public effective Sunday, March 15th through Sunday, April 5th. Events scheduled during that time have already been canceled. 

The Dennos Museum Center will carefully assess the situation with NMC and reevaluate in the coming weeks. We hope to have resources available online in the coming days so that visitors, students, and community members may continue to enjoy our collections during this temporary closure.

Museum employees will still report to work for their regularly scheduled hours. For the most up-to-date information from NMC on COVID-19, please click here.

Take good care and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

 

Sincerely,

Craig Hadley
Executive Director

Jonathan Scott's Power Trip

Thursday, November 12th - 7:00 p.m.

Link: https://ovee.itvs.org/screenings/1yp7q
Duration: 63min 30sec

Welcome to the first ever virtual screening of Indy Lens Pop-Up hosted by The Dennos Museum Center. After 10 years of providing on-site screenings and discussions of some of the most powerful documentary films today, we are happy to partner with Independent Lens and Ovee to screen virtually while still allowing for discussion in the chat. Join us online to discuss local energy issues with City Commissioner Tim Warner and Rachel Johnson of Cherryland Electric Cooperative.

The key to environmentally friendly, cost-effective renewable energy is shining down upon us. In sun-soaked Las Vegas, Property Brothers’ Jonathan Scott harnesses that power by installing solar panels on his own home. But when his local public utility commission takes every possible opportunity to suppress that type of competition, Jonathan sets out to answer “Why don’t more Americans have the choice to go solar?” On his journey to learn about clean energy, Jonathan talks with members of the Navajo Nation, who built a utility-scale solar plant; farmers struggling to make ends meet in Georgia; coal workers ready for new, clean jobs in Kentucky; religious leaders fighting to meet their community’s energy needs in North Carolina; and politicians at the forefront of the battle for renewable energy throughout the country.

All you need to participate is a computer or iPad with a good internet connection. Before the event, you can click here (https://ovee.itvs.org/diagnostics) to run a test to ensure OVEE works properly on your computer.

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Thanksgiving Hours
The Dennos Museum Center will close for the duration of the Thanksgiving weekend to prepare for the Mini Holiday Artists Market. More details about that event will be released soon. We will close the day of Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 26th - Sunday, November 29th. We will resume our normal business hours on Monday, November 30th from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. As a result of our closure for Thanksgiving weekend, the Annual Cape Dorset Print Collection exhibition will close at the end of the day on Wednesday, November 25th at 4:00 p.m.

 

Dennos Concert Series Postponed

The Dennos Museum Concert Series has been postponed until further notice. Our staff is working with performers to look at rescheduling these events. 

Details should be available in the coming weeks. At this time, our staff is working remotely per NMC policy, but know that we are doing all that we can during this unprecedented time. If you need to contact staff please email our Audience Engagement Manager, Chelsie Niemi, at cniemi@nmc.edu. 

For the educational performances, please contact Jason Dake at jdake@nmc.edu.

Ticket buyers, we appreciate your support of the Dennos Concert Series and ask for your patience as we determine whether we can reschedule these events. If our shows must be canceled, details for refunds will follow. 

Join Us for The Art Of: Jean Larson

THE ART OF: JEAN LARSON

Wednesday, September 2, 2020 — 10:30 a.m. EST

Join artist Jean Larson and curator of education Jason Dake on an international call between Traverse City and Iceland, to discuss the artists work in the Dennos Museum Center collection. They will also talk about Larson's current artistic endeavors in her studio in Iceland.

A native of Northern Michigan, Jean Larson was born in Ishpeming, a small mining town in the Upper Peninsula. She grew up in Traverse City on the shores of Lake Michigan where she established a small studio and worked until 1984 when she moved to Boston in order to broaden her exposure to the art world. In 1992, Larson left the United States to settle in a small village in Southern France where once again, the natural environment provided further inspiration for her art. This was followed in 2010 by extensive periods spent in Iceland. She now expects to spend her time between Iceland, France, and Northern Michigan.

Registration tickets are pay what you can, $0 - $15. After your ticket is reserved, a member of Dennos Staff will email you the details to join us on Zoom. A reminder email will go out the day of the event to all registrants 30 minutes prior to the start time. Register here. 

Learn more about Jean Larson on her website.

The Art of:__ is generously supported by Art Bridges.

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While planning has been underway for months, this summer is far from normal. Our staff has continued to rework our plans in response to the pandemic and the guidelines put in place by the State of Michigan and NMC for the safety of our students, staff and community. 

This year, we hope to host a mini 2020 version of the Holiday Artist Market that will be open over an extended time period following Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve. Limiting the size will allow the Museum Store to display selected artists in an area that encourages social distancing. Extending the dates will allow more visitors to shop while not exceeding capacity limits currently in place at the museum. Both will also make it possible for our small staff to manage everything well. All displays and sales will be taken care of by staff. 

If you interested in participating in this 2020 version of the Holiday Artist Market or know an artist who may be, we welcome you to apply or to share this application link (application does require a gmail account for the purpose of uploading photos of artwork and displays). Application deadline is September 15th, 2020. If you have any issues regarding the application, please email museumstore@nmc.edu.

Live & Local with Blair Miller

Thursday, October 29th - 7:00 p.m.
Join us for a performance and conversation with local bluesman Blair Miller and Curator of Education Jason Dake. Miller will play a mix of blues originals and covers to frame the conversation about the history and importance of the music. They will discuss Miller's background and influences, and open up for Q & A with the audience.

Blair Miller's voyage through the blues started by listening to covers by the British and American bands of the 60's. Then he heard John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Lightnin' Hopkins and Howlin' Wolf. Searching for the roots of the blues, he discovered Robert Johnson, Son House, Charlie Patton and many more great bluesmen and women of the 20's and 30's.

Miller picked up a steel resonator guitar and a slide and started working on playing the blues of the Mississippi Delta. He also plays a parlor guitar and a cigar box guitar. Now, Blair Miller is a confirmed bluesman. He says," I want to share and keep the blues alive. No music reaches me as deeply as Delta Blues."

Registration is pay what you can $0 - 15 and must be completed by 5:00 p.m. EST the day of the event. Register here. After you complete the registration, a member of Dennos staff will email you the details to join us on Zoom.

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TRICK-OR-TREAT-OR-DRAW WITH BRIANNE FARLEY & EM RANDALL

Instagram Takeover Follow us @dennosmuseumcenter 

Wednesday, October 28th — 12:00 p.m.
Wild Faces: How to Draw Emotions

Friday, October 30th — 12:00 p.m.
Outdoor Adventures in Patterns, Colors, & Textures

Saturday, October 31st — 12:00 p.m.
Monster Day: We Need Your Help Drawing the Creepiest Monster Ever

Join Brianne Farley and Em Randall as they take over the Dennos Museum Center Instagram account for live, interactive drawing sessions. Topics will include outdoor adventures, emotional expressions, and of course, MONSTERS! These all-ages sessions will also allow you to ask questions directly of two of our favorite local illustrators. And there will be prizes, so get out your pencil and paper, and draw along!

As part of DRAW NoMI, this program is supported by the Linda O'Meara Fund for Arts Education. Find out more at dennosmuseum.org/draw-nomi.

Brianne Farley is an author and illustrator of picture books. Her debut, Ike's Incredible Ink, was awarded the Marion Vannett Ridgway Book Award Honor for debut authors and was selected for the Society of Illustrators Original Art Show. She also illustrates the picture book series Charlotte the Scientist is Squished by Camille Andros, which was a Portland Best Book, a Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award, and was on the LITA Notable List. Find more at briannefarley.com.

Em Randall is a painter, illustrator, and designer who works from a constantly messy desk in Northern Michigan. Inspired by whimsical  nostalgia and magical verity, her work often features strong women in a combination of both authentic and impossible realities. Find more at emrandall.com.

Last Chance to View Our Current Exhibits

Our current exhibitions, Pulped Under Pressure and 40 Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World, will close at the end of day on Thursday, August 13, 2020. See them for the first time, or again, during our open hours Tuesday - Thursday from 1:00 - 5:00 p.m. More information about each exhibition is listed below. Please visit our website before your next visit for the latest updates. Contactless admission is available through the Museum Store website. Purchase in advance and one of our staff members will check you in at the front desk when you arrive during our open hours.

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40 Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World

In this powerful exhibit featuring the photography of Howard G. Buffett, 40 photographs document the world hunger crisis as part of a global awareness campaign. Traveling to more than 137 countries, Buffett turned his camera lens on the powerful forces that fuel hunger and poverty. A philanthropist and farmer, Buffett believes that each of us has about 40 chances to accomplish our life goals, just as farmers have about 40 growing seasons to improve their harvests. His photography is a call to action to find lasting solutions to the world hunger crisis.

40 Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World was developed by the Newseum in collaboration with Howard G. Buffett Foundation. The Newseum, located in Washington, D.C., increases public understanding of the importance of free press and the First Amendment. newseum.org

The Howard G. Buffett Foundation is the exclusive sponsor of 40 Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World.

The book of the same title is available in the Museum Store and online. 

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Pulped Under Pressure
With traditional hand papermaking at its core, PULPED UNDER PRESSURE underscores important contemporary issues steeped in history and craft. Enticed through touch, these works encourage a contemplative slowing down even as they urge acknowledgement of some of the most pressing issues (environmental crisis to global marginalization) facing civilization today. Each of the artists, Jillian Bruschera, Julia Goodman, Reni Gower, Trisha Oralie Martin, Melissa Potter, Marilyn Propp, Maggie Puckett, starts simply with a foundation of pulp made from natural fibers. Their multifaceted results incorporate a rich range of printmaking, letterpress, papercutting, and installation with a diversity of recycled disposable materials (junk mail, egg cartons, old cotton t-shirts, ripped denim jeans) as well as old bedsheets, beetroot, heirloom plants, and illuminated el wires. In very unique ways, these artists consider paper beyond its most common function as a passive surface of record or craft. Instead, the material is transformed and imbedded with content that turns communication into a public practice. By challenging assumptions, the artists of PULPED UNDER PRESSURE create artworks that are both beautiful and brave.

During the month of July, the Dennos featured three artists from the exhibition in a series of Virtual Chats that are currently available to watch for free on YouTube here. 

Dennos Awarded Art Bridges Grant

Thanks to generous financial support from Art Bridges, the Dennos was recently awarded a $20,000 Phase I grant to support virtual programming, collections care, and museum reopening amidst COVID-19.

Art Bridges is the vision of arts patron Alice Walton. Since 2018 Art Bridges has been creating and supporting programs that expand access to American art in all regions across the nation. Art Bridges supports the creation of collection-based exhibitions of American art at museums of all sizes. They are also actively building a collection, acquiring works of art to be shared with regional museums as long-term loans.

The Dennos Museum Center previously partnered with the Detroit Institute of Arts to bring Visions of American Life: Paintings from the Manoogian Collection, 1850-1940, to Traverse City, MI. The exhibition ran from October 21, 2018 – January 20, 2019 and was included with regular museum admission for all patrons. Art Bridges provided significant financial support to underwrite the touring exhibition.

On May 6, 2020 Art Bridges announced the creation of a special funding initiative entitled “The Bridge Ahead Initiative,” to recognize the unprecedented financial challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and museum closures. In an effort to support its partners during these uncertain times, Art Bridges committed $5 million to help partner museums remain in touch with their audiences during this period and to prepare for reopening in the months ahead. Generous support for reopening the Dennos Museum Center to the public on July 1, 2020 was provided by Art Bridges.

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Holiday Artists Market Update and Application
During a normal summer, the Museum Store would soon be opening applications for the Holiday Artist Market we host each fall. While planning has been underway for months, this summer is far from normal. Our staff has continued to rework our plans in response to the pandemic and the guidelines put in place by the State of Michigan and NMC for the safety of our students, staff and community. After much deliberation, we sadly must cancel our largest event of the year.

While we are disappointed to make that decision, we have not given up on finding a way to offer artists a safe place to showcase their works and create a welcoming holiday shopping experience for our visitors. We hope to host a mini 2020 version of the Holiday Artist Market that will be open over an extended time period following Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve. Limiting the size will allow the Museum Store to display selected artists in an area that encourages social distancing. Extending the dates will allow more visitors to shop while not exceeding capacity limits currently in place at the museum. Both will also make it possible for our small staff to manage everything well. All displays and sales will be taken care of by staff. 

If you interested in participating in this 2020 version of the Holiday Artist Market or know an artist who may be, we welcome you to apply or to share this application link (application does require a gmail account for the purpose of uploading photos of artwork and displays). Application deadline is September 15th, 2020. If you have any issues regarding the application, please email museumstore@nmc.edu.

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Pulped Under Pressure: Virtual Chat featuring Marilyn Propp
Wednesday, July 22nd at 10:30 a.m. EST
Join us on Zoom and Facebook Live in the galleries as we have conversations featuring some of the artists from Pulped Under Pressure. Jason will be sharing each artist's work, currently on view, and chat with our artists. Ask your questions in the chat on Zoom or in the comments on Facebook to learn more about the artists. If you missed the last two virtual chats, you can watch them now on our YouTube channel.

Join Us for The Art Of: Rufus Snoddy

The Art of:__ returns to bring virtual conversations with artists from the Dennos Museum Center’s permanent collection. Registration is required for Zoom access, which will also allow you to interact with our guest artists. Next in the series is Rufus Snoddy. 

The Art Of: Rufus Snoddy

Wednesday, August 26, 2020 — 10:30 a.m.

Join artist Rufus Snoddy and Curator of Education Jason Dake for a conversation about the artist's work in the Dennos Museum Collection. In addition, they will talk about current and future projects.

Rufus Snoddy moved to Northern Michigan from Los Angeles in 2002. While an adolescent, his family moved to L.A. from rural East Texas in the late 1950's. Watching Los Angeles go from street cars and Hollywood bungalows to freeways and gated communities, gave impetus to his sensitivity to change and perception of place. Growing up in the inner city, where there were often over a hundred languages spoken in a given high school, lent an awareness and keen interest in texture. With a graduate degree focusing on sculpture, Snoddy has spent many years pursuing the act of collecting sundry materials, construction, and painting methods, all for the passion of giving order to chaos in enticing ways.

Registration tickets are pay what you can, $0 - $15. After your ticket is reserved, a member of Dennos Staff will email you the details to join us on Zoom. A reminder email will go out the day of the event to all registrants 30 minutes prior to the start time. Register here. 

Learn more about Rufus Snoddy on his website. 

The Art of:__ is generously supported by Art Bridges. 

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The Art Of: __ series features Bill Allen this Wednesday, August 19th at 10:30 a.m. EST, Jean Larson on Wednesday, September 2nd at 10:30 a.m., and Sally Rodgers on Wednesday, September 9th at 10:30 a.m.

All three artists will join Jason Dake, Curator of Education, online for a conversation about their work in the Dennos Museum Center collection and about current and upcoming projects. Bill Allen will be at the museum with Jason, Jean will join us internationally from her studio in Iceland, and Sally will join us online in Michigan. Visit our website to learn more about our upcoming events and how to register. 

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Dennos Awarded National Endowment of the Humanities Grant

The Dennos  is pleased to announce that it has been awarded $9,062 to purchase critical equipment for the long-term care and preservation of artwork in its permanent collection. A competitive award process, the Dennos Museum Center is just one of 68 recipients from among 142 eligible applications to receive funding during this year’s NEH Preservation Assistance Grant for Smaller Institutions award cycle.

Funding from the NEH will enable the purchase of 14 environmental dataloggers, a UV light meter, and a HEPA vacuum cleaner to enhance preservation efforts. The new equipment will enable the Dennos to provide enhanced care for its nearly 3,000 works of art, with core holdings in 20th century Inuit works on paper and hardstone carvings, along with regional modern and contemporary artists. The collection directly supports teaching and programming initiatives at Northwestern Michigan College, along with exhibitions and programs for K-12 students, tourists, and the general public.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES
Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at: www.neh.gov.

Museum Week Begins, and Other Upcoming Online Programs 

Monday, May 11th — Sunday, May 17th

Museum Week is an international festival for cultural organizations on social media. Each day has a theme and museums around the world create content for their audiences that explore each theme. This year's themes and hashtags can be found on our website here. 

We'll be posting all week, and invite you to participate on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Find our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

How to Care for Artwork and Family Treasures 
Wednesday, May 13th - 2:00 p.m.
Presented by Executive Director, Craig Hadley in partnership with NMC Extended Education 

All of us have family treasures that we have inherited or collected over the years. In this live webinar session, you will learn how museum professionals take care of a wide range of artworks and objects, from sculptures and paintings to photographs and precious newsclippings. We will discuss the different ways in which objects deteriorate, tips for mitigating loss, and what you can do to protect your precious belongings. Bring your questions! Free and open to the public. You can also watch the session live on our Facebook page! Celebrate Wednesday's Museum Week theme #TogetherMW with us by joining us for this online event.

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Artist Talk with Karen Bondarchuk
Wednesday, May 20, 2020 - 2:00 p.m. 

Join us for a live conversation on Zoom and Facebook with Karen Bondarchuk, the artist who created Ergo Sum: A Crow a Day, now on exhibit at the Dennos Museum Center. In 2014, Canadian-born Karen set out to mark the passing time that her mother – diagnosed with dementia in 2010 – no longer could. For 365 days, she produced a crow a day on a hand-cut, hand-gessoed panel, remembering her mother as she once was and grieving her loss. The resulting work explores communication and an artist’s relationship to the world; it resonates for its depth, beauty, and elegiac and potent whimsy.

Our guest host for this interactive conversation is Kathy Kelsey Foley, Director of the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum which organized the traveling exhibition.

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Dennos Virtual Exhibit
Call for Digital Photographs, May 11th - May 22nd

We're looking to grow on the success of our first ever Virtual Pet Exhibit, and that means we need more photos! No fancy cameras needed--just a good smartphone camera and a photo that connects with one of two new themes. Please only submit one photo for one exhibition. This call is open to anyone; all ages, all geographies. The first 50 submissions will be accepted. We'll host a virtual reception online, at a future date and time to be determined.

Exhibition themes (choose one):

Lost & Found in My Backyard
Explore your backyard, however you want, and share a photograph of something lost or found. It could be a surprising view, a lost object, or anything else you capture.

Patterns of Domesticity
Take a look inside your home, and share a unique pattern you find. This could include a tile floor, stacks of dishes, or any other pattern you find along the way.

A few helpful guidelines:
-Please submit ONE DIGITAL PHOTO between May 11 and May 22, 2020 to dennosvirtual@gmail.com
-Include your theme choice in the subject of your email ('Backyard' or 'Patterns')
-All entries limited to one photograph per person
-Please include the photographer's first name, age, and a title for the exhibit label (Adults: If you're uncomfortable about sharing your age, just write "Under 50" or "50 and up")
-The first 50 entries will be displayed in the virtual galleries--so don’t delay!

COVID-19 Update

March 13, 2020

The health and safety of our visitors, students, and staff are our utmost priority. Please refer to the following for classes and events at the Dennos Museum Center (DMC) and Milliken Auditorium.

CLASSES:
After careful consideration, with input from our partners in the Grand Traverse County Health Department, Munson Healthcare and state and federal health and emergency response agencies, Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) will suspend face-to-face classes starting Monday, March 16, 2020. At this time, campus will remain open, including the museum. All classes held at DMC will move online if possible. Detailed information and instructions pertaining to each individual class will be communicated to students directly from the instructor. Please regularly monitor your email for updates. All tours at the museum have been suspended due to TCAPS and NMC closure.

EVENTS:
Following guidelines provided by NMC for the health and safety of our community, all scheduled NMC and DMC events held at the museum will be canceled for the next 30 days. We will also be closing our Discovery Gallery starting Friday, March 13th and will monitor the situation accordingly before reopening.

As of March 10th, NMC has suspended all international and domestic travel for its employees. As a result, the Dennos Museum Center at Northwestern Michigan College has canceled the upcoming Toronto Trip scheduled for May 8, 2020.

Events scheduled at the museum after April 12th are still on, but please be aware that this may change given the nature of this pandemic. For anyone seeking a refund for tickets to the Concert Series, please contact the museum at 231-995-1055.

RENTALS:
All events, including rentals, exceeding 250 people are canceled under Executive Order by Gov. Whitmer through April 5th. Please contact individual event organizers for the most up-to-date information on scheduled rental events held at the museum.

At this time, we remain open. To safeguard the health of others we ask that you postpone your visit if you are ill with flu-like symptoms, or if you have recently traveled to a region that is experiencing widespread transmission of COVID-19. For more information, please visit nmc.edu/coronavirus.

New Hours,  2020 Annual Cape Dorset Print Collection

The Dennos will be begin expanded operation hours on Monday, October 5th with the opening of the 2020 Annual Cape Dorset Print Collection. The Dennos will be open Sunday - Thursday, from 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Admission is still available for purchase online or in-person at the museum, and all of our COVID-19 policies are still in place. For more information on planning your next visit, please visit our website here. Current hours will still be listed on the website until our new hours begin. 

THE 2020 ANNUAL CAPE DORSET PRINT COLLECTION
We are thrilled to present a preview of this year’s annual Cape Dorset print collection. Comprised of thirty prints, the collection showcases a diverse selection of stonecuts, lithographs, and etching & aquatints by Kinngait’s extraordinary artists. See works by print collection veterans as well as younger generation artists featured for the first time. 

Come visit the 2020 collection in person at the Dennos Museum Center beginning October 5th in the Sculpture Court. A reservation form will go live at 11:00 that morning. Please understand that prints are limited and reservations will be taken on a first-come first-served basis only beginning at the specified date and time. Inquire to receive an email reminder with a link to the reservation form or with questions on reserving and purchasing artwork.
 
Prints reservations will begin on the morning the collection can be viewed at the museum at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, October 5th, 2020.

Prints officially go on sale Saturday, October 17, 2020.

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UPCOMING VIRTUAL EVENTS
The museum has two upcoming virtual events, with more on the way soon. The Art Of: Ron Gianola is this Wednesday, September 30th at 10:30 a.m. EST. Ron Gianola and Curator of Education Jason Dake for a virtual conversation about Ron’s work in the Dennos Collection. They will also discuss his current and any upcoming projects. Registration is pay what you can $0 - 15 and must be completed by 9:00 a.m. EST the day of the event. After you complete the registration, a member of Dennos staff will email you the details to join us on Zoom. Register here.

The Live & Local Concert Series continues on with Seth Bernard on Thursday, October 8th at 7:00 p.m. Join musician Seth Bernard for a performance and interview with curator of education Jason Dake on Zoom. During this wide-ranging program of song and discussion, Bernard will share some of his latest tunes with you and welcome your questions about music, agriculture, community empowerment, and more. Registration is pay what you can $0 - 15 and must be completed by 5:00 p.m. EST the day of the event. After you complete the registration, a member of Dennos staff will email you the details to join us on Zoom. Register here. Additional Live & Local shows will also be happening this month with details to be released soon.

The Art Of: Sally Rogers

THE ART OF: SALLY ROGERS

Wednesday, September 9, 2020 — 10:30 a.m. EST

Registration tickets are pay what you can, $0 - $15. Tickets must be reserved through the Dennos Museum Store Website. Registration will close at 9:00 a.m. the day of event to allow staff to prepare. After your ticket is reserved, a member of Dennos Staff will email you the details to join us on Zoom. A reminder email will go out the day of the event to all registrants 30 minutes prior to the start time. Registration will close an hour before the event starts.

Join artist Sally Rogers and Curator of Education Jason Dake for a candid conversation online on Wednesday, September 9th at 10:30 a.m. EST about the artist's work in the Dennos Museum Center permanent collection, including indoor and outdoor sculptures. In addition, they will talk about current and upcoming projects.

Sally Rogers grew up in the Grand Traverse region and is an alumnus of Northwestern Michigan College. She received her BFA from The Center for Creative Studies in Detroit, followed by her MFA at Kent State University, Ohio. Rogers has completed many large scale commissions and exhibits her work regularly throughout the United States.

The Art of:__ is generously supported by Art Bridges.

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THE ART OF: JEAN LARSON
Wednesday, September 2, 2020 — 10:30 a.m. EST

Registration tickets are pay what you can, $0 - $15. Registration will close at 9:00 a.m. the day of the event. After your ticket is reserved, a member of Dennos Staff will email you the details to join us on Zoom. A reminder email will go out the day of the event to all registrants 30 minutes prior to the start time.

Join artist Jean Larson and curator of education Jason Dake on an international call between Traverse City and Iceland on Wednesday, September 2nd at 10:30 a.m. EST, to discuss the artists work in the Dennos Museum Center collection. They will also talk about Larson's current artistic endeavors in her studio in Iceland.

A native of Northern Michigan, Jean Larson was born in Ishpeming, a small mining town in the Upper Peninsula. She grew up in Traverse City on the shores of Lake Michigan where she established a small studio and worked until 1984 when she moved to Boston in order to broaden her exposure to the art world. In 1992, Larson left the United States to settle in a small village in Southern France where once again, the natural environment provided further inspiration for her art. This was followed in 2010 by extensive periods spent in Iceland. She now expects to spend her time between Iceland, France, and Northern Michigan.

Generous support provided by Art Bridges.

The Art Of: Bill Allen is Virtual!

The Art of:__ returns to bring virtual conversations with artists from the Dennos Museum Center’s permanent collection. Registration is required for Zoom access, which will also allow you to interact with our guest artists.

The Art of: Bill Allen
Wednesday, August 19th - 10:30 a.m.
Join artist Bill Allen and curator of education Jason Dake as they discuss Allen’s work in the Dennos galleries. They will also highlight the artist’s more recent work, up to and including recent shelter-in-place developments. There will also be a chance for attendees to ask questions about Allen’s process, materials, and themes.

Bill Allen is a sculptor and painter living in Northern Michigan. In addition to the Dennos Museum Center, Allen's works are included in the collections of the Detroit Zoo, the Field Museum, and the Brookfield Zoo, among others. Registration tickets are pay what you can, $0 - $15. After your ticket is reserved, a member of Dennos Staff will email you the details to join us on Zoom. A reminder email will go out the day of the event to all registrants 30 minutes prior to the start time. Register online now.

Learn more about Bill Allen on his website. 
The Art of:__ is generously supported by Art Bridges. Find out more about upcoming events here. 

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Renew Your Membership!
Renewing or becoming a member at the Dennos is the single best way to support the museum during this time. Your critical membership dollars directly fund programming, operations, collections care, and--most importantly--enables us to serve over 60,000 visitors each and every year. Many of our visitors receive free or reduced admission through K-12 scholarships, the NEA Blue Star Museums program for veterans, and IMLS Museums for All.

Your membership contributions sustain these free and reduced programs and help provide equitable access for all.

Member benefits include free admission to the museum for a year, discounts on ticketed events and programs, a 10% discount in the museum store, and invites to exclusive member-only events. Members at the $100 Trailblazer level or above receive the added benefit of reciprocal membership to NARM and ROAM. This benefit provides FREE admission to over 1,400 museums nationwide, while every dollar you contribute stays at the Dennos and strengthens your local museum. Are you a native Michigander or spend significant time in the state? At last count, over 35 museums in the state of Michigan honored reciprocal benefits, including the Detroit Institute of Arts and Air Zoo, among others. 

Join or Renew now!

Bedlam

March 5th - 7:00PM

Filmmaker and practicing psychiatrist, Ken Rosenberg visits ERs, jails, and homeless camps to examine our national mental health crisis. Rosenberg follows the poignant stories of people grappling with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other chronic psychiatric conditions, whose silence and shame often worsen the suffering.

Enjoy light refreshments before the film from our sponsor Morsels of Traverse City. 

Travel to Toronto

May 8, 2020

Each spring The Dennos Museum Store travels to Toronto to hand select its annual collection of Inuit carvings. Guests of the Dennos are welcomed into showrooms generally closed to the public including Dorset Fine Arts to browse and select Inuit sculptures, prints and gifts from various artists and communities for purchase through the museum. It’s a wonderful opportunity for new Inuit art lovers to discover more about the art forms and for collectors to hunt for just the right piece for their collection.  Be our guest for this special day and enjoy your stay in bustling Toronto!

Click here to request registration details:

Registration is $40 per guest.  Special pricing is extended to Dennos guests at The Bond Place Hotel downtown Toronto May 7th-12th. Guests are responsible for travel to and from Toronto. The trip is subject to change based on interest. A fee for travel provided to and from showrooms, if necessary, will be determined based on the number of guests.

With so much to do, taste and see in Toronto, below are just a few stellar opportunities in May at the top of our list.

The Historic Distillery District
Named a national historical site in 1988, the Distillery Historic District offers visitors a glimpse into the 19th century amongst modern-day boutiques, art galleries and restaurants. The pedestrian only district boasts over a dozen restaurants ranging from sandwich shops to fine dining, the Soulpepper Theatre, a wide range of commercial galleries, and over 20 unique store fronts. 
 

Textile Museum of Canada

????????  ??????? Printed Textiles from Kinngait Studios presents the little-known story of a group of Inuit artists and printmakers who produced a collection of graphic textiles in?Kinngait,?(Cape Dorset,?Nunavut)? in the 1950s and 60s?– a period of social change that disrupted traditional language and relationships to the land.? Made for interior décor during a period when artist-designed textiles were popular in North America and Europe, these mid-century designs depict legends, stories, and traditional ways of life. They provide vital points of connection between contemporary Inuit community members and the creativity and resourcefulness of previous generations.?
 

The Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit

Be immersed in 600,000 cubic feet of stunning projection animating the master’s’ oeuvre and illuminating the mind of the genius.  Wander through giant projections that highlight brushstroke, detail, and colour as you have never experienced them from his sunny landscapes and night scenes, to his portraits and still life paintings.  The exhibition is custom designed to the historic space that housed the Toronto Star’s printing presses at 1 Yonge Street — transforming the industrial into the magical. 

 

Stay Home, Stay Safe Extended

The Dennos Museum Center will remain closed through April 30th due to the extension of Stay Home, Stay Safe order by Gov. Whitmer. For more information about NMC's policy and updates regarding COVID-19, please follow the link here.

In addition, we have canceled the last two Indie Lens Pop-Up screenings scheduled for April 23rd and May 14th. Information about how to stream both films online for free is available here. 

Below are reminders for our online DRAW NoMI programming, and for our concert series. The Mystical Arts of Tibet is still postponed at this time. We hopefully will have updates soon for tickets buyers regarding a rescheduled date or cancellation. 

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DRAW NoMI is a collaborative event that brings together arts organizations from all over Northern Michigan. During this time of staying home and being together only virtually, DRAW NoMI's partners are all working hard to connect you and your family with the arts on social media and the web. We recently began publishing twice-weekly videos with fantastic how-to-draw demos that are fun for the whole family. Narrated and drawn by Jason Dake, Curator of Education, these videos offer brief demonstrations and tips on a variety of drawing topics. They are posted to the Dennos Museum Center’s YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts on Mondays and Thursdays for the time being. Everyone is encouraged to share their creations on the Dennos Facebook page, facebook.com/thedennos.

Additional Partners Include:

Crooked Tree Art Center - Traverse City

Michigan Legacy Art Park

Oliver Art Center

Twisted Fish Gallery

Northwest Michigan Arts & Culture Network

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The Mystical Arts of Tibet is still postponed until further notice. Our staff is coordinating with the performers and with Arts Midwest to reschedule their residency and evening performance for next concert season. Please consider paying it forward and keeping your tickets. We will record your seats for next year's Concert Series through our new ticketing service, Brown Paper Tickets. If this event cannot be rescheduled and must be canceled, ticket refunds will be issued promptly for all ticket buyers. If you would like a refund for this event now, please email our Audience Engagement Manager, Chelsie Niemi at cniemi@nmc.edu.

Loudon Wainwright III is rescheduled for Thursday, September 3, 2020 at 7PM. All Brown Paper Ticket buyers' seats will be updated for that date. If you purchased your seats through MyNorth Tickets, your seats have already been recorded in Brown Paper Tickets. Your tickets for the show will be available at will call at the Dennos box office the night of the event.

Next concert season, we will no longer be accepting MyNorth Tickets at the door.

If you are unsure of which ticketing site you used to purchased tickets and would like more information or a refund, please email Chelsie Niemi at cniemi@nmc.edu.

We Want to Hear from You, and A Message about Reopening

CONCERT FEEDBACK
Amidst this rapidly changing environment, we are currently assessing next steps to best serve our community with top-notch performances in our state-of-the-art Milliken Auditorium. Whether you've joined us in person at Milliken Auditorium, online for the Live & Local Concert Series, or have general feedback for types of events you'll be attending in the future, we would love to hear from you. We appreciate your input to help us move toward a new normal. Please fill out this survey at your earliest convenience, and submit the final form to us via the button at the end. Thank you!

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REOPENING
Although currently allowed by the state, the museum is still not open. Our staff is back in the office starting today in a limited capacity to finalize our reopening plans. We are coordinating with NMC to make sure we have the proper PPE in place, relaunching the store website, and creating online ticketing for admission. More details on our reopening will be released soon. We appreciate your understanding, and look forward to having visitors back in the museum soon!

Upcoming Programs, NMC Virtual BBQ and More!

Dennos Virtual Exhibit
Call for Digital Photographs, May 11th - May 22nd

We're looking to grow on the success of our first ever Virtual Pet Exhibit, and that means we need more photos! No fancy cameras needed--just a good smartphone camera and a photo that connects with one of two new themes. Please only submit one photo for one exhibition. This call is open to anyone; all ages, all geographies. The first 50 submissions will be accepted. We'll host a virtual reception online, at a future date and time to be determined.

Exhibition themes (choose one):
Lost & Found in My Backyard
Explore your backyard, however you want, and share a photograph of something lost or found. It could be a surprising view, a lost object, or anything else you capture.

Patterns of Domesticity
Take a look inside your home, and share a unique pattern you find. This could include a tile floor, stacks of dishes, or any other pattern you find along the way.

A few helpful guidelines:
-Please submit ONE DIGITAL PHOTO between May 11 and May 22, 2020 to dennosvirtual@gmail.com
-Include your theme choice in the subject of your email ('Backyard' or 'Patterns')
-All entries limited to one photograph per person
-Please include the photographer's first name, age, and a title for the exhibit label (Adults: If you're uncomfortable about sharing your age, just write "Under 50" or "50 and up")
-The first 50 entries will be displayed in the virtual galleries--so don’t delay!

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Artist Talk with Karen Bondarchuk
Wednesday, May 20, 2020 - 2:00 p.m. 

Join us for a live conversation on Zoom and Facebook with Karen Bondarchuk, the artist who created Ergo Sum: A Crow a Day, now on exhibit at the Dennos Museum Center. In 2014, Canadian-born Karen set out to mark the passing time that her mother – diagnosed with dementia in 2010 – no longer could. For 365 days, she produced a crow a day on a hand-cut, hand-gessoed panel, remembering her mother as she once was and grieving her loss. The resulting work explores communication and an artist’s relationship to the world; it resonates for its depth, beauty, and elegiac and potent whimsy.

Our guest host for this interactive conversation is Kathy Kelsey Foley, Director of the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum which organized the traveling exhibition.

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NMC Virtual BBQ
NMC’s 65th BBQ has moved ONLINE and NMC would love to connect with you! The BBQ will be hosted virtually through May 30th. 

Join us and other NMC departments online with links to our past and upcoming online programming, virtual performances from the Music Department, and more!

NMC asks you to share your best backyard BBQ pictures and your contact information so you can stay in touch with NMC. Share your photos and memories in the Facebook event here! Let’s get our NMC spirit trending with #NMCvirtualBBQ!

Join us at the Virtual NMC BBQ here: https://www.nmc.edu/bbq

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All of our exhibits that opened in January, and have been in the building since our closure, have been extended through the summer. Ergo Sum: A Crow A Day, 40 Chances: Finding Hope in a Hungry World, and Pulped Under Pressure will be on exhibit through August 16, 2020. Even as parts of the state begin phased reopening, there is currently no guidance for institutions of higher education. As a part of NMC, we will remain closed while the college continues to develop plans for reopening. 

 

Thank You for Your Support!

Dear friends,

Thank you for staying in touch with the museum during this unusual time. We’ve been hearing from many of you lately asking: “how can I help the museum?”

Membership is the single best way to support our staffing, operations, programs, and collections for the Traverse City community and beyond--especially now. Please know that we will be extending all new membership and renewal start dates to May 25th. We have also made online renewal more secure through the NMC Foundation.

Click here to renew now, or to make an additional gift to the museum.

In closing, I hope you will join us soon for some of our free online programs, including a forthcoming discussion with Ergo Sum: A Crow a Day artist Karen Bondarchuk, our K-12: Dennos Virtual Tour and Opening Reception, and a free heirloom preservation workshop that I'll be running on May 13th. All of these events and more can be found on our Facebook page while we remain closed through May 28th.

Until we can see each other again, take good care, be well, and thank you
for your generous support.

Sincerely
Craig Hadley

Reopening July 1st, July Virtual Programs

We hope you join us tomorrow, Wednesday, July 1st for our official reopening to the public from 1 - 5 p.m. Our new operating hours after July 1st will be Tuesdays - Thursdays from 1 - 5 p.m. 

Contactless admission (pictured above) is available through the newly relaunched Museum Store website. The Museum Store has new items listed online, and has both shipping and curbside pick-up available for shoppers. For both museum admission and store purchases, credit and debit card is preferred during this time. 

Our COVID-19 Policies:

• Per NMC policy, face coverings are required at all times in the museum.
• Please practice social distancing of six feet.
• The museum has a total occupancy of 50 during our first phase of reopening.
• The museum store has a total occupancy of 4 during our first phase of reopening.
• All patrons will be asked to utilize hand sanitizer stations upon entering the building.
• Please stay home and enjoy our virtual programs if you are sick or symptomatic.
• During this time, the Milliken Auditorium and lobby, Dutmers Theatre, and the Rutkowski Discovery Gallery are closed.
• Paperless Museum Activities for Kids and Adults

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Pulped Under Pressure: Virtual Chats

Wednesday, July 8th featuring Reni Gower
Wenesday, July 15th featuring Melissa Potter and Reni Gower
Wenesday, July 22nd featuring Marilyn Propp 

10:30 - 11:00 a.m. EST

Join us on Zoom and Facebook Live in the galleries as we have conversations featuring some of the artists from Pulped Under Pressure. Jason will be sharing each artist's work, currently on view, and chat with our artists. Ask your questions in the chat on Zoom or in the comments on Facebook to learn more about the artists.