First off, the deadline is closing in for student scholarship applications. We've had several come in already, so if your child is interested in having some extra cash this summer to spend on classes or art supplies now is the time to get your entry in before the May 31 deadline. 

Now for the real excitement! With the current ongoing decline of the Covid pandemic we are optimistic enough to tentatively schedule the second Open Exhibit at the Cass County Regional Gallery in Cassopolis, Michigan. This one we are calling, optimistically, "Emergence". Because that's exactly what it will feel like to fill the walls at the County Building once again with art from regional artists in Southwest Michigan. This totally free event for artists and their friends and families is unlike anything else in the area. No entry fee, no commission on sales, no jury fee, and a celebration reception is included! As a bonus, the dates we're looking at--August through October--mean that our summer residents will still be in the area to visit the gallery and appreciate the art. And even purchase some art! 

Links to exhibit rules and entry forms are now posted on the home page and the "forms" page. Dates are tentative at this point, but as mentioned above WE ARE OPTIMISTIC!!! 

Cass Area Artists has already received scholarship applications from hopeful students, so we thought a reminder would be in order to encourage students from grades 1-12 to enter now. The deadline to receive entries is getting closer, May 15 for emailed entries and for the postmark on USPS-mailed entries. There's still time to get your entry in, so keep in mind the entry deadline so you don't miss out!  Winners will be notified by June 15. Downloadable applications and information available here: FORMS

We're happy to announce that we are once again offering youth scholarships for Michiana students grades 1 through 12 to enable them to further their interest in art by either taking classes or purchasing art materials of their choice.

You will find links to downloadable .pdf files on the home page and on the "forms" page. All applications must be postmarked by May 31, 2021 or emailed by that date. Winners will be notified by June 15, 2021.

Here's one of our happy winners from 2020. We love that smile!

A "paint and sip" party. An unexpected opportunity. A pushy friend. What more could you need (well, maybe determination) to turn your personal art "therapy" into a roaring success? Meet Brenda Cline.

Brenda Cline and Jackie Taylor went to school together from 7th grade on.  They were friends throughout their school years.  Although they saw each other only a few times since graduation 43 years ago they kept up their friendship on Facebook. 
 
Brenda never thought about painting until she went to a wine and canvas party at her girlfriend Lori's house in the fall of 2017. She ended up teaching herself to paint and then posted paintings every week that she did for her family and friends. Jackie told her how talented she was.  When the Cass County Regional Gallery exhibit (managed by volunteers from Cass Area Artists) was being advertised Jackie gently pushed Brenda to bring in a painting for the show.  When the gentle pushing didn’t work Jackie did some heavy duty pushing!  Brenda was concerned that her work might not be good enough and that the only reason family and friends said that it was good work was because they loved her. How many of us have harbored those very same thoughts about our work?
 
Jackie finally convinced Brenda to bring a couple of paintings to her office and she would pick one for her to submit for the art exhibit.  She brought in 5 or 6 paintings and Jackie asked some of her coworkers to come and take a peek.  The coworkers “jury” was thrilled with her paintings!!! The one that Brenda picked to submit was the first one in the exhibit that sold!!!! 

Since that time Brenda has gotten more confident and Jackie is still pushing her to take her new “business” seriously. She suggested making business cards, creating a name and logo for her business, and signs. Brenda did all that!! She has been to several shows now at farmers markets, has gotten special requests from friends, family and strangers alike, and her confidence is booming.  Jackie also encouraged her to work on a website and now she is doing that.  She is beyond excited at the turn her life has taken with painting. 

Brenda and Jackie agree that it was God’s timing that brought them back together. Jackie saw the talent Brenda had and also understood her insecurity of stepping out of her comfort zone because Jackie had been insecure like that her whole life. Just goes to prove that even at 59 years old you are never too old to help a friend realize their potential and that friend is never too old to start a new career!!

While this article was being prepared, Jackie asked Brenda how sales had been going. In the time since the gallery exhibit closed prematurely last spring (due to Covid), Brenda has sold 52 paintings!!!! And at a farmers market this summer she had a little boy who wanted to buy one of her paintings but he didn't have enough money so he said he was going to find some odd jobs to do and he would be back at some point to buy a painting. That was special!  We'll be waiting to see more of her work when her website is completed.

Cass Area Artists is very happy to announce our 2020 scholarship winners. They range from fourth grade to high school seniors and their interests include photography, ceramics, architecture, and just having the ability to stock up on art supplies to work with over the summer.

So here are our winners:
Kathryn Shellhorn, Cassopolis, MI
Aiden Pollard, Cassopolis, MI
Loryn Bartley, Niles, MI
MacKenzie Bishop, Marcellus, MI
Ariana Cooper, Cassopolis, MI

Congratulations to our winners. They will be receiving an award certificate and a check for $50. We were able to provide five scholarships this year, up from three last year, thanks to a significant donation from Terry Proctor, whom I met at a Cass County event this past March. We started chatting about art and one of my paintings which he recognized as a landmark from the area he grew up in. Next thing you know, a donation arrived! So many, many thanks to Terry!

Our 2020 art scholarship program for Michiana youth grades 12 and under is still accepting applications until May 31. This scholarship provides funds which can be used for art education purposes, such as classes or art materials. We usually award three $50 scholarships, but since we recently had a donation to our scholarship fund we will be offering five this year.
The application form is simple to fill out, and it's available for download at the bottom of our website home page or on the "forms" page of the website. No fee to apply, just fill it out and mail to the address on the application. Applicants will be notified by June 15 if they have been accepted.

Due to the unpredictable nature of the current Covid-19 virus situation we have canceled the art intake day on April 25 and the reception on May 2 until further notice. At this time the County Building which houses the Cass County Regional Gallery is closed to the public and we cannot predict when the County Administrator will decide that it is safe to allow the public to congregate there.

Also postponed is the scheduled pick-up day for art currently on exhibit in the gallery. The original pick-up was scheduled for Saturday, April 18, but will not be rescheduled until we get word that it is OK to do that. In the meantime, all the art remains on the walls or in the glass cabinets  in a locked and secure condition.

There will be an event notice on our Facebook page with new dates as soon as they can be determined, so keep an eye out for us on the Cass Area Artists page, and check back here on our website News page too.

We sincerely regret the inconvenience to any artists who have work currently in the gallery, but at this point we do not have an alternative. We will contact current artists via email for pick-up information as news becomes available. Thank you so much for your participation, it has truly been a pleasure to feature your art in this space.

Our next TOTALLY FREE TO ARTISTS "open art exhibit" at the Cass County Administration Building in Cassopolis, MI will be accepting artist entries on Saturday, April 25 from 9AM to 5PM. Answers to all your questions can be found on this website's "Forms" page or at the bottom of the "Home" page where the complete .pdf file is ready to download. Just click on the appropriate icon to save your copy of the rules, procedures, entry tags, and important dates.

This new exhibit will run from May 1 through July 31 with an artists reception on May 2. If you were a participant in our inaugural exhibit which ends April 17 and would like to be a repeat exhibitor you may also enter this new exhibit with a different artwork.

All artists who were in the previous exhibit are reminded to pick up their work on Saturday, April 18, so we can get the walls patched and painted during the next week and have storage space for the incoming art. Pickup hours are 9AM-5PM.

We're looking forward to seeing the next great collection of art by Michiana artists at the Cass County Regional Gallery!