Donna Lenard teaching class. Photo by Miriam Pickens

Every year, first Saturday in December, I look forward to going up to Calumet for the Poor Artist Sale and other art events along Fifth Street; the home of the Calumet Art District. This year the Poor Artist sale runs from 11-4 p.m., with special early bird shopping for members of the Copper Country Community Arts Center (CCCAC) from 10-11 a.m. There will be friends of the CCCAC ready to welcome you and sign you up for membership if you haven’t enrolled, or want to renew. There will be pottery, stained glass, paintings, jewelry and more from local and regional artists; this is always a wonderful show.

Also, check out the happenings on Fifth Street in Calumet. The Calumet Art Center will be having their Market Day, an arts & craft show featuring work by local artists, which will run from 10-2 p.m. Next stop is the Gallery on 5th to check out the new selection of holiday ornaments, cards and gifts. They have an impressive selection of local and regional artwork, including works by Mary Ann Beckwith and Kathleen Conover.

One of my favorite shops is the Copper Country Associated Artist Gallery (CCAA), 205 Fifth Street. This is a friendly space where you can meet the artists and check out their creative works. You can find jewelry, cards, ceramics, quilts and more, and even sign up for a workshop.

I spoke to John Dodge, Vice President of the CCAA, and he announced “The first Saturday in December is the date of the Artist’s Marketplace and Gallery Open House presented by the Copper Country Associated Artists. Along with the customary selection of original artwork, there will be tables set up with unique smaller gift items for sale. Coffee and treats will be served. The Christmas theme of the Artist’s Marketplace sets the tone for the upcoming holidays. Mark the date: Saturday December 3 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.”

“The Copper Country Associated Artists, like many organizations, is feeling the effects of rising costs on their budget. To help offset these increased costs the artists of CCAA are starting a series of workshops to make items that will be sold in the Gallery this winter. Some examples are printed bottles, window/door screen dragonflies, butterfly magnets, pins, and plant sticks.

As inventory of an item builds up, a weekend gallery opening will be scheduled to offer these items in the gallery. Watch the CCAA Facebook page and the website (www.ccaartists.org) for announcement of these weekend ‘pop-up’ openings.”

I have enjoyed taking classes at the CCAA. I remember one class, a few years back, where we learned how to make felted flowers using a wet technique with sudsy water. As a member a few years back, Edith Wiard showed us how to paint on Yupo, a plastic surface for painting which allows for greater movement of watercolor paint and alcohol inks. Recently, the CCAA has been offering many classes.

Linda Dodge from the Copper Country Associated Artists reports that “the CCAA has sponsored many classes and demonstrations this past summer and fall. These classes have been tremendously popular, leading to many classes being repeated. Donna Lenard held a series of watercolor classes including Water scenes, Flowers, Auroras, Moonscapes and Fall Birches. There were seven classes in total. Tammy Gajewski presented a demonstration on card making October 29 and then, due to popular demand, repeated on November 12. Tammy is holding workshops in cardmaking, especially holiday cards. The workshops are November 26 and December 10, 12 noon to 2 p.m. All supplies free of charge.   Donations appreciated.  Card kits will also be available for purchase.”

Linda noted that “one of the goals of the CCAA is to provide facilities and opportunity for the development of skills in the visual arts to groups and individuals in the Copper Country. The class schedule will continue in response to demand.”

You can pick up supper at one of the good restaurants in Calumet like the Michigan House or Carmelita’s, then at 7 pm enjoy holiday songs, a visit with Santa and a tree lighting at the Village Hall, hosted by the Calumet Theater. The Village Hall is at the same location as the Calumet Theater, 340 Sixth Street.

For more information about events in Calumet, check out their website at https://www.mainstreetcalumet.com/, where in the section called “blog”, they have interviews with several of the local artist who live in the Calumet Laurium area.

Mark your calendars for Party with the Arts on Saturday December 17 from 2-4 p.m. at the Copper Country Community Arts Center in Hancock. There will be pottery and letterpress demonstrations, cake and goodies, gift wrapping, and this will be the one opportunity to purchase a small painting from the annual 6X6 fundraiser. The 6X6 show will open on December 7.