News Photo by Darby Hinkley Thunder Bay Arts Council Member Midge Connon and President Ann Diamond smile for the camera on Monday at the Thunder Bay Arts Council Gallery, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. A Chalk on the Walk event and live music are planned for 2 to 5 p.m. on Friday.

ALPENA — The sidewalk in front of Thunder Bay Arts Council Gallery will be abuzz with activity on Friday afternoon.

The gallery, at 127 W. Chisholm St., is 10 years old, so why not hold a colorful, musical celebration?

Chalk on the Walk is a free, family-friendly public art event open to all ages. Stop by from 2 to 5 p.m. and pick up a free box of 48 pieces of colored sidewalk chalk and get coloring!

Local singer/songwriter Gary Weisenburg of GW Music will perform live music during the event.

“Gary’s eclectic blend of music and original compositions will be sure to entertain,” a press release said.

Plein-air artists are encouraged to participate.

Chalk on the Walk is not a competition.

“It’s strictly for fun,” said TBAC Member Midge Connon. “We want everybody, all ages, to come down and enjoy it.”

Reaching a milestone

Connon recalled the gallery opening a decade ago.

“I’ve been with the Arts Council for a long time,” Connon said. “I was here when (the gallery) first started. I’m very proud that we’ve made it to 10 years.”

She said they had to find the right building, and some members felt that if they got 8 to 10 artists, they’d be doing really well.

“Well, 18 is the lowest number we’ve had,” Connon said. “Our original reason for having this is, we felt we needed to do more for the visual artists.”

It’s all about the artists. Without them, there would be no gallery.

“One of the most important things, too, is that the board is separate from the artists,” said TBAC President Ann Diamond. “The board is the overseer of the gallery, but the artists really run this gallery.”

The gallery features the work of more than 20 local artists.

“We really just wanted to do something to celebrate all the hard work that they do,” Diamond said. “And bring people down, and get people through the gallery to see what we have to offer, because it really is, for a smaller town, a marvelous gallery with so many different things that are rotating all the time.”

Even student artwork is up in the gallery right now.

Diamond explained that the gallery has to be lucrative for the artists, while still adhering to a business plan that remains solvent.

Each artist pays a nominal monthly fee to have their art displayed at the gallery, and, so far, TBAC does not take any commission on sales, so artists are able to keep their prices reasonable.

Getting out and about

Stepping into summer 2021 after 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, TBAC members are excited to get back out planning activities and events.

On July 17 and 18, Art on the Bay will be back in town after the 2020 hiatus, like almost all other events that were canceled or postponed last year.

“People are anxious and excited to get out,” Diamond said.

50th anniversary coming soon

“The Arts Council will be 50 years old in September,” Connon said.

TBAC’s 50th anniversary kicks off in September and continues into 2022.

She said a new TBAC Art Vision Alpena sculpture, “Regatta Sails,” by Ann Gildner, will be unveiled in September at Bay View Park. The latest installation, “The River Intertwined,” by Jacob Moss Idema, was installed near the cemetery at Washington Avenue Park, and dedicated on Sunday.

“I think we’re trying to look at celebrating arts around the world for our 50th anniversary,” Diamond said.

She added that they hope to bring back the holiday chorus this year.

“We’re still going to be very strident with the COVID guidelines, but we’re just really excited to bring back different things than we have in the past,” Diamond said. “It’s going to look different, but the board is fully behind it, and very excited for our 50th anniversary.”

The TBAC consists of 20 hard-working, dedicated volunteers, Diamond said.

“It’s really an honor and a privilege to sit in the chair of president,” she said. “Everybody has their own talents and their own gifts that they offer, and it’s great.”

For further information, call the TBA office at 989-356-6678 or visit www.thunderbayarts.org.