The 2023 Young Artist Exhibit opens with a public reception from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 6, at the gallery, on the third floor of the Center Building, 109 N. 2nd Ave. in downtown Alpena.

The exhibit will feature artwork from students including Alpena Public Schools, ACES Academy, All Saints Catholic School, Alpena Partnership Program, Alcona Community Schools, Posen Consolidated Schools, Rogers City Area Schools, and Onaway Area Schools.

“The exhibit is back in full force,” said Art in the Loft Executive Director Justin Christensen-Cooper. “Last year, in 2022, we did a condensed version. We did have some work online, and we had about half the schools that we typically do.”

This year, 19 schools are participating, and Christensen-Cooper is excited to present all the beautiful artwork to the public.

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Above is a brightly colored turkey wearing flip-flops, created by students at All Saints Catholic School in Alpena.

“We anticipate between 500 and 600 pieces up here,” he said on Tuesday while readying some of the pieces for display. “We transform the whole entire gallery. We’re actually going to make it an immersive exhibit as well, meaning there are lots of hands-on things you can do while you’re here.”

NEMROC (North Eastern Michigan Rehabilitation and Opportunity Center, Inc.) will be making large letters that spell “ART” which visitors can paint at the gallery.

“We’re going to have some sensory walls that people can interact with, and they change colors,” Christensen-Cooper added. “And we might have a community mural going up on one of our walls as well. It’ll be colorful everywhere. Bright, colorful, fun, interactive, hands-on.”

He said the exhibit is not only fun, but a great opportunity for the young artists to show their work to the public and be proud of themselves for displaying their art in a professional gallery.

“It’s kind of a testament to the teachers, too,” Christensen-Cooper said. “Being able to not only commit to doing it, but bringing the artwork, where it’s matted and ready to hang. Every piece of artwork has their name and grade and what school they’re coming from on it, so they can really get their recognition, which is, I think, the part that the students really like.”

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Above is a paper sculpture by Madison Ellis, a senior at Alpena High School.

The Young Artist Exhibit is underwritten by Alpena Alcona Area Credit Union and supported by the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan and the Michigan Arts and Culture Council. The artwork will be up through May 6.

Also in April, Young Artist Exhibit Workshops are being offered for $10 per class on Saturday, April 15, and Saturday, April 29.

April 15 sessions are for ages 12 and up and include: Zentangle with Taishaw Thomas from 10 to 11:30 a.m., Handmade Crepes with Anna Brindley from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Abstract Acrylics with Mariah Brancheau from 1 to 2:30 p.m., and Art Journaling with Melissa Burns from 2:30 to 4 p.m.

April 29 sessions for ages 5 and up include: Mixed Media with Alison Rae Campbell from 10 to 11:30 a.m., Spin Art with Justin C-C from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Kids in the Kitchen with Brooklyn Martin from 1 to 2:30 p.m., and Standout Styling with Ellie Siegert from 2:30 to 4 p.m.

Art in the Loft is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Above are two sculptures by Onaway Community Schools students Mallory Tosch, left, and Zach Schultz, right.

To register for the workshops, call Art in the Loft at 989-356-4877 or visit artintheloft.org.

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Above is a rainbow drawing by Violet Olson, a second-grader at Rogers City Elementary School.

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Above is a drawing by Vesper Stutzman, a student at Thunder Bay Junior High School in Alpena.

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Above is a colorful paper collage by Rogers City High School senior Alyssa Jo Hein.

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Above is a chickadee on a birdhouse by Charlotte Chappa, a sixth-grader at Posen Consolidated Schools.

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Above is a piece by Trevor Florip, a fourth-grader at Ella White School in Alpena.