December 6, 2000
Artists create Building 50 holiday cards
Proceeds from card sales benefit preservation efforts
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
From Angels in the Architecture to the missives in the mailbox, the new series of Building 50 holiday cards serve as ambassadors for the stately landmark.
The holiday cards feature four images by area artists Ken Scott, Kaye Krapohl, Ken Richmond and Dietrich Floeter, who captured the spirit of Building 50 in oils, pastels and photography. With artists donating their work and the proceeds benefiting the Committee to Preserve Building 50, the best-selling cards are a win-win proposition.
More than 20 local retailers, including Tom's Markets, American Spoon Foods, Oryana, and many downtown stores find the cards are selling like proverbial hotcakes. Purchasers comment on their own memories of the State Hospital or want to send them to friends who have moved away from Traverse City.
"I've sold them to people who worked there and had memories of working there, who think they are beautiful and should be preserved," said Shelley Burns, co-owner of the Bookie Joint downtown.
Burns has her own memories of the State Hospital grounds and Building 50, having worked there for Community Mental Health in the final years before the hospital closed. Like many other businesses carrying the holiday cards, she wanted to contribute to Building 50's preservation by carrying them in her store.
"I like to see citizen action and citizen involvement in this issue," Burns said. "Once these buildings are gone, they're gone forever. The spires and skyline are some of the most beautiful things I've seen."
Enthusiasm for the cards started early as the artists who created the images jumped at the chance to contribute to the preservation of Building 50.
"It's a nice way to enjoy the process of making art to actually use it for something like this and put it for good use," said Ken Richmond, an area architect and painter. "With these cards, we're trying to help people see things differently; instead of this big vacant, hulking building, we're trying to show it is a vital part of the community."
Naturally drawn to the unusual architecture of the buildings, Richmond has painted on the hospital grounds before. This time, he created a winter scene including some people at the request of members from the Committee to Preserve Building 50.
"I had to make some things up and I made a fairly large, complicated scene, with many figures in it," noted Richmond, who said his image was cropped to make a small card. "I was really glad to volunteer and be part of such an accomplished group."
A painter, Krapohl finds the grounds of the Grand Traverse Commons in general, and Building 50 in particular, a huge inspiration for some of her work. A city resident living nearby, she has been painting scenes on the grounds for nearly three years on her own. Calling it an incredible place, she wants to see the uniqueness of the grounds and buildings acknowledged by the community.
The chance to create a holiday card was a natural fit, reflecting what she believes is an artist's natural affinity for the property.
"We may be busy in Traverse City, but we still have a passion and appreciation for the sublime beauty over there," said Krapohl, who works as a designer at Corbin Design and also donated time to design and layout the cards. "Building 50's majesty and intimacy is in its close proximity to city life. I love this place as much as the VASA trail."