File Art

ALPENA – April is the start of spring, and, up at Art in the Loft, that means it is gearing up for an extravagant exhibit of local area youths’ artistic talents.

Here’s what’s happening:

– The Young Artist Exhibit 2026 opens Tuesday. Art in the Loft is excited to welcome young artists from over 20 schools across the Northeast Michigan to display their work from April 14 until May 16. These talented students worked all year to develop the works of art in several different mediums and styles. Artwork was selected by their teachers specifically to display with us this April.

Art in the Loft also invite its young artists and the community to the Young Artist Exhibit Opening Reception happening today from 6 p.m.- 8 p.m. This is an evening of art and hands-on fun that is free and open to the public. This event is an opportunity to support young artists in the community and celebrate their hard work.

– The fun of YAE 2026 continues throughout the month. This Saturday, local area students ages 6+ are invited to join us for a day of free drop-in style workshops running from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. Four artists are coming into the space to deliver some unique and creative opportunities.

– Gyotaku Printing & Painting with Beth Preston. Enjoy a traditional form of Japanese art that began as a way for fishermen to keep a record of the trophy fish they caught. Experiment with a variety of Great Lake fish molds, ink, paint and stamps to further customize your creative masterpieces.

– Scratchboard Art with Lane Blair Olsen. Experiment with vivid colors and bold graphic patterns utilizing oil pastels, followed by acrylic paint, creating scratch boards to further sketch and doodle on.

– Artist Trading Cards with Abigail Adams. Create unique and colorful artist trading cards (ATCs), while learning the basics of drawing various subjects utilizing a variety of mark making mediums. These cards are not only fun to create, but trade and collect with fellow creatives.

– Live Action Art with Hope Reed. While among the gallery, be sure to pop into our creative classroom between workshops to see an artist in action sculpting with stoneware clay prior to being kiln fired.

All workshops are free and open to all area students ages 6 years old and older They will run from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. or while supplies last. No registration is necessary.

For more information, feel free to contact Art in the Loft at 989-356-4877 or stop in during operating hours Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm.

Art in the Loft will continue normal operating hours starting Tuesday at 10 a.m.