Brian Schorn, an art and design instructor at the college, said this is the first year ACC has hosted NEMAG, but it’s something they plan to continue annually.

The mission of NEMAG is to promote and support art and artists through inspiration, information, and education in our community; to support local artists through exhibits and shows of quality work, and to encourage novice artists, according to a flyer provided at the exhibit.

“They have an active, creative life so they have lots of work all the time,” Schorn said of NEMAG. “(Members) all work in different areas, and are a variety of ages from roughly college students to probably up to their 80s. Many are older and retired, and yet some of them are from our college. Some of the students that have graduated became members.”

Schorn said this is a chance for NEMAG to connect with the students at ACC and offer them an opportunity to see what’s going on in their community.

News Photo by Torianna Marasco The poster showcasing the Northeast Michigan Artist Guild exhibit at Alpena Community College is seen at the gallery entrance on Wednesday. The exhibit can be seen in the Fine Arts Center through Nov. 29.

“This is an opportunity for students to not only see what’s happening out in the community where they live, but also because of the wide diversity of the type of works, formats, and mediums that are being used in so many different perspectives from different artists,” he said. “That diversity helps them to see what’s possible and gives them a broader, wider open eye as to what they can do themselves with their work.”

The exhibit, which is on display until Nov. 29, is organized into sections within the gallery: abstract work, landscapes, people-centric portraits, ceramics, floral arrangements, sculptures, and larger works.

Schorn pointed out the diversity of the mediums, showcasing water media, mixed media, acrylic on canvas, watercolors, collages, sculptures, oil on canvas, ink, ceramics, found materials, and other experimental materials.

ACC’s exhibit has a few pieces from the Harrisville exhibit last month, but a lot of newer pieces are also featured.

The work featured on ACC’s promotional poster, “Lone Bird” by Ellen LaCross, won a recent award in Harrisville, making it a lead contender to promote this exhibit.

News Photo by Torianna Marasco Brian Schorn, an art and design instructor at the college, explains a piece of artwork at the Northeast Michigan Artist Guild exhibit at Alpena Community College on Wednesday. The piece is titled “Legacy” by Erynn Ziegler.

Found object sculptures are a few of those special editions that ACC has on display which are brand new and being shown for the first time.

“We did a found object workshop — myself and a number of the NEMAG artists — this summer, and we worked with finding three-dimensional objects and creating works from that,” Schorn said.

“Legacy” by Erynn Zeigler is one of those projects the community can see at ACC.

According to Zeigler’s synopsis, “‘Legacy’ is an exploration of humanity’s relationship with time and a cultural emphasis on leaving something tangible behind as evidence that we lived. Often, the idea of legacy is pursued at the expense of living in the current moment. Does that enhance or detract from the fully lived human experience?”

Integrated are bits of collage material that Zeigler found, including a clock, woven fabric, pearls, wine corks, coils, and more.

News Photo by Torianna Marasco Floral pieces are seen at the Northeast Michigan Artist Guild exhibit at Alpena Community College on Wednesday.

The idea derived from the project assignment of going to a rummage sale and using found objects to create their art. The students had 40 minutes to select objects and only had around $20 to spend. They had to find things spontaneously, purchase them, and bring them back to the studio to start working on them.

Schorn has been working with NEMAG and teaching workshops over the past few summers, and, as a result, he has developed a relationship with some of the artists and learned more about the organization. He realized it would be a great opportunity for the college to connect with the community through the work that they do and present an annual exhibition of their work here.

“They (students) might see some familiar names and see what they (artists) are working on and how they are developing each year,” he said about continuing the annual exhibition. “That helps the students see how individuals’ styles develop over time.”

Last year, he said, two or three ACC students were brought into the organization. Schorn said he’s happy to see younger generations be interested in the program.

“This gallery is only a year or two old, and we just put these exhibition panels up a couple of years ago,” he said. “Now we have these beautiful panels where we can show work professionally … We will, generally, from now on, have the NEMAG exhibit in one semester and a solo artist in the second. And, at the end of each semester, we showcase student work.”

News Photo by Torianna Marasco Found-object collage artworks are seen at the Northeast Michigan Artist Guild exhibit at Alpena Community College on Wednesday.

Schorn said the opening reception at the beginning of the month for this NEMAG exhibit was a success as it brought in artists, family and friends of artists, previous ACC students, and other community members.

“We hope to increase our awareness within the community, to bring more people to this building,” Shorn said. “We’d like to expand the diversity of our audience, too, to just bring more people and students in. We want to show people what’s possible and what we are supporting here within our community.”

On Dec. 6 from 7 to 9 p.m., the whole building will be filled with student artwork.

“It’ll be hundreds of pieces and hundreds of people,” he said. “We’re a community college inviting the community to come in and see the exhibits.”

News Photo by Torianna Marasco Several of pieces of artwork are on display at Northeast Michigan Artist Guild exhibit at Alpena Community College on Wednesday. A mix of media can be seen throughout the entire gallery.

News Photo by Torianna Marasco A man reads in the Alpena Community College Olin H. Joynton Fine Arts Center gallery on Wednesday. The gallery is currently showcasing art from Northeast Michigan Artist Guild artists.

News Photo by Torianna Marasco People-centric artworks are on display at the Northeast Michigan Artist Guild exhibit at Alpena Community College on Wednesday.