May 15, 2002

Artists paint furniture pieces for school scholarship

Community Art Project fund-raiser for Montessori Children's House and Elementary

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
       Get out your Thesaurus, because describing 17 pieces of furniture decorated by area artists is a challenge. For starters, how about stunning, vibrant, daring, innovative and dazzling?
      For the second year, the results of the Community Art Project will light up downtown with chairs, tables, dressers, stools and benches on display in the former Stage-Milliken department store windows through May 31.
      With colors and themes as varied as the artists who contributed them - about half of the 16 are professional artists - the furniture features a Goddess box, a Caribbean theme table and nature galore. Contributing artists include Joe DeLuca, Sandra Carden, Julie Pearson and Ruth Conklin.
      Valerie Kirn-Duensing, project coordinator for the Community Art Project, noted that the Community Art Project has two benefits: helping the Montessori children and providing an art exhibit for the whole community to enjoy.
      "I was really proud of how that exhibit turned out in the windows," she said. "I drove downtown this weekend and it was like Milliken's is back in business."
      The Community Art Project is just one facet of the Montessori Children's House and Elementary School's 10th Annual Spring Fundraiser, albeit the most colorful one. The spring fund-raiser features a variety of auctions and raffles, plus entertainment and gourmet food. This year's fund-raiser features a Caribbean theme and will be held on Saturday, June 1, at the school's new location on North Long Lake Road.
      All funds raised go toward the school's scholarship fund - 17 percent of the school's students receive scholarship assistance - and support programs. Organizers hope to raise $90,000 during the event.
      Last year's Artists Chair-ity Auction featured 15 decorated chairs and kicked off the school's annual artist-furniture connection. With some chairs going for $700-800, netting a total of nearly $5,000 for the school, organizers knew they had a winning idea.
      When planning this year's event, Kirn-Duensing said she searched for a new twist.
      "With our parent body of 200 people, how many chairs can you sell to basically the same group of people year after year," noted Kirn-Duensing, who recruited the artists courtesy of the Traverse Area Arts Council's online newsletter. "We kind of brainstormed into how about painted furniture?"
      Lisa Wilkins Schulte contributed the Caribbean-theme two-drawer table, painting it a vibrant green with macaws on the tabletop. An artist and the parent of a Montessori student, Schulte drew on her Caribbean heritage for her inspiration.
      "It was satisfying, a fun project - furniture is just a different surface, more nooks and crannies to work with," said Schulte, who has worked in many media over the years and currently concentrates on hand-painted floor mats. "I also did a floor mat that matches the piece of furniture."
      Jennifer Hay Martin used plaster, dried grasses and a blue agate for a drawer handle on the decorative end table she created. Martin, a licensed builder and the parent of a Montessori student, said her work with raw materials motivates her art.
      "It's about the beauty of nature, I've always done pieces that involved bugs, nature and earth tones," she said. "I'm kind of implying the harmonious living between building elements and nature. The two can co-exist together if it is done properly."
      Martin added that contributing a chair last year and a table this year forced her to slow down and create, instead of her usual rush, rush, rush life.
      "Art is a great way to express yourself, especially in today's lifestyle where we don't even take time to breathe," Martin said. "Asking to contribute a piece makes you do that."
      The furniture created for the Community Art Project may be purchased during a silent auction at the school's 10th Annual Spring Fundraiser, scheduled for Saturday, June 1, at the new school location at 5363 North Long Lake Road. For more information on the furniture or the fund-raiser, call the Montessori Children's House and Elementary School at 929-9325.