Farmington area creatives gathered April 12-14 at the Costick Center in Farmington Hills for a celebration that included art shows and demonstrations, youth performances, an awards ceremony and more.
The 2018 Festival of the Arts began Thursday, as every Farmington Public Schools 4th grade classroom made their own art and listened to performances by middle school musicians. The field trip as made possible through sponsor Farmington/Farmington Hills Education Foundation.
During Friday’s reception and awards ceremony, artists of all ages stepped into the spotlight. The evening opened with scenes from the Farmington Hills Youth Theatre’s production of “Beauty and the Beast,” on stage at the Costick Center April 26-29.
The Farmington Art Foundation presented awards to the winners of its juried and senior shows. Top honors went to an acrylic painting, titled “Waiting to Go On,” by Kathleen Boettcher, and a pastel, “Winter Sunset,” by Rosemarie Simonson, respectively.
Ted Hadfield, of Artpack Services in Farmington Hills presented awards to winners of the High School Student Art Competition. Best in Show went to Sojourner Posch, a student at Mercy High School.
Local PTA Reflections program chairs Kelli Carpenter-Crawford and Pauline Kim recognized local Reflections winners whose work will be judged at the national level. Farmington STEAM Academy 5th grader Nina Kobayashi, who has participated in Reflections since kindergarten, performed a dance she choreographed, “The Doll At Night.” Cellist Rosie Burns-Pavlik, a junior in the International Baccalaureate program, and the Harrison High Dance Company also performed.
Other national Reflections competitors are Dayton Kress, Longacre Elementary, and Adriana Lamey, Forest Elementary, whose short films were shown during the event; Nikhil Sheth, Warner Middle School, Literature; Megan Cromwell, Farmington High, and Brendan Callies, Music Composition; and Ella Lindenberg, Kenbrook Elementary, and Carter Tonnies, Wood Creek Elementary, Photography.
Saturday’s free Family Festival offered artists demonstrations and hands-on activities for kids, along with “Art of the Matter,” a panel of professional creatives who talked about their career paths.
Learn more about the festival and other Farmington area arts activities at farmingtonarts.org.
