News Photo by Darby Hinkley Mitchel Dipzinski, Art in the Loft director of outreach, stands in front of artwork by Kamara Marsh in "Hello Yellow" which opens with an artists' reception at 6 p.m. Thursday.

ALPENA — Art in the Loft’s “Hello Yellow” juried art exhibit opens at 6 p.m. Thursday with a reception, open to the public, with live music, appetizers, a chance to talk with artists, all in a beautiful gallery atmosphere.

The 10th annual juried art exhibit features artwork in a wide range of mediums with the common theme of yellow, “a hue that evokes warmth, optimism, and creativity.”

The exhibit will feature the work of about 50 artists, with more than 90 pieces, as each artist was allowed to submit up to three pieces.

“We’re really excited about the turnout,” said Mitchel Dipzinski, director of outreach at Art in the Loft.

“The art had to be yellow-themed,” Dipzinski said, adding that 50% of each piece needed to be in shades of yellow. “A good chunk of it had to be yellow, or the main focal point had to be yellow, or evoke the emotions of yellow in some way. Those were juried in by Pam O’Neil, and she will be selecting the best in show, as well, which will be announced on October 2nd.”

He added that the winners will be announced at Thursday’s reception.

“Every year we alternate between a more abstract theme and a color theme,” Dipzinski said, adding that past themes have included “Emerald,” “Red,” “Metals,” “Food for Thought,” “The Five Senses,” and more.

He said the freshness and newness of the yellow made perfect sense for this year, as new leadership has come on board at Art in the Loft, where they are also making some renovations, adding offices in a portion of the gallery space.

Rich Ryder will be playing music at the reception.

“Hello Yellow” will be on display through Nov. 1 at Art in the Loft, on the third floor of the Center Building at 109 N. 2nd Ave., Alpena.

“Hello Yellow” Juror Pamela O’Neil describes herself as a self-taught abstract realist — inspired by spiritual guidance. Her forte expresses life from color, shape, experience, love and pain. With an extensive resume of poetry, awards, gallery shows, professional art fairs, business and commissioned work, she remains humbled by compassion and humanism. Growing up in Owosso, she always remains grateful for her simple heritage. She has owned her interior design business for over 40 years. Having received her degree in Chicago and traveling throughout the Eastern U.S., she continues to use her creativity while doing professional display, design work and her art. She continues her education through workshops, research, teaching, and experiences.

Fresh Faces Annual Fundraiser

The Loft’s annual signature fundraiser, Fresh Faces, is coming up on Saturday, Oct. 18.

Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $75 per person, available at artintheloft.org.

Fundraiser attendees are encouraged to come dressed their best yellow flair and get ready for live and silent auctions featuring art, experiences, and fun. There will be flavorful tastings from four top local chefs, as well as interactive games and creative activities. The Reverend Jesse Ray will provide soulful, high-energy music. The silent auction opens online a few weeks prior to the event.

“Our signature yellow-themed celebration brings together creativity, community, and a whole lot of fun — all to benefit Art in the Loft,” a description on the Art in the Loft website states.

Dipzinski explained that the fundraiser is very important, especially this year, as state and federal funding for a variety of arts programming has been pulled back.

He said the fundraiser will “help us make up for what has been frozen at the state and federal levels … We need community support to get those back.”

“This year, MACC, or Michigan Arts and Culture Council, put a freeze on all operational budgets,” Dipzinski explained, “because, from the federal level, they weren’t receiving those funds because there’s a pause on the federal arts programming, so we entered into this year with a $50,000 deficit.”

He said Alpena is a very generous community, and many people support Art in the Loft. He hopes more people consider supporting the arts in Northeast Michigan.

“We’ve been able to offset some of that deficit by bringing in tours, by bringing in different events, and our Director of Programming, Lane Olsen, has been doing a great job bringing in those types of programs, and our new Executive Director Kendra Neumann is really doing a great job making sure that we’re upcycling a lot of our materials,” Dipzinski said. “So all of the construction that you see up here has been little to no cost. We’ve upcycled all the materials from materials that we’ve already had in house, and it’s been done by volunteer work. We’re trying to keep costs as low as possible.”

For more information, visit artintheloft.org, or call 989-356-4877.

Reach News Community Editor Darby Hinkley at 989-358-5691 or dhinkley@TheAlpenaNews.com.