MONTAGUE — Janet Andersen is an artist herself, and she, along with friends Clarice Kwant and Jolene King, is part of a local art group that meets weekly. But they want to bring art to the masses, and especially to the tourists that populate the White Lake area through the summers.
That's why the Dune Grass Gallery is now open in Montague, showcasing the work of, Andersen says, 20 local artists. The gallery opened May 23.
"We need more fun things for people to do when they come and visit our town," Andersen said. "This gives everybody a chance to showcase their work. We're having fun doing it."
There's an informal open house planned Saturday, June 28 from 2-5 p.m. to celebrate the new gallery. Local dulcimer player Linda Foley, who also has works of art in the gallery, will be performing during the event.
The gallery is located next to Lipka's Soda Fountain; in fact, there is a door to the gallery inside Lipka's, and Andersen joked that the gallery gets as many people coming in through Lipka's out of curiosity as it does coming in off of Ferry or Dowling streets.
Some of the works on display are those of Andersen, Kwant and King, but there is a varied collection to see. Among the artists showcased are Catherine McClung, a West Michigan resident who was once invited to have a painting of hers displayed in the White House, and Cheryl Butler, whose Endless Devotion painting of a man holding his dog on a city street was entered in the ArtPrize festival in Grand Rapids last year.
The gallery sold seven paintings in its first two weeks open, Andersen said, which she felt was a good start. Art enthusiasts can likely find something for every taste.
"There's some people that are in here who are art teachers, and have studied globally," Andersen said. "Then there's people like me who have never taken an art class. We have a wide variety of styles."
Dune Grass doesn't just display paintings, though; there's also pottery and jewelry to peruse. There are even works of what's called fiber art - using natural or synthetic fibers to create something - and felting, a technique that involves turning loose fibers, often wool, into a single dense fabric. Both require very intricate work, Andersen said.
"That is a lost art," Andersen said of felting. "Remember when your grandmother used to do the teeny, tiny cross-stitch things? She'd work on them for a year, and you'd get a little pillow. That's (a little like) what felting is."
The new gallery offers works to look at and to purchase, but also plans to offer classes to teach aspiring artists how to make some of their own. Three artists are currently lined up to teach. Further details will be shared on the gallery's Facebook page.
Andersen will teach one such class - beginning-level acrylic painting - which she said will be more geared toward hobbyists. King will head up a three-part watercolor class.
"I'm going to give you pointers and you're going to paint a picture," Andersen said of her course. "(King) teaches technique. She would have Watercolor I, II and III, and you really should do all three if you want to get to painting a picture."
Dune Grass also hopes to promote not just itself but other places in the White Lake area that focus on art, such as the Arts Council of White Lake-Nuveen Center. The goal is to sell the area as a destination for West Michigan art enthusiasts.
"We want to have little cards that say, 'Did you know there's an art gallery in Whitehall?'" Kwant said. "We want people to come here, but we want to be reciprocal and let them know there are other places to find art.
"We hope to have something in (Weathervane Lane), where for free, the community comes, sets up their easels and paints. That's an open area we can spread out. We're just trying to get the community to know that they can participate in art, too."
