Ludington Area Center for the Arts
107 S. Harrison Street
Ludington, MI 49431
Phone: 231-845-2787
Business Hours
Open - Tuesday thru Friday –11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday - 10 am. to 3 p.m.
www.facebook.com/LudingtonArtsCenter
LACA receives MCACA
grant for 2019 fiscal year
The Ludington Area Center for the Arts (LACA) has been awarded a grant of $15,000 from the State of Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA). The grant was awarded through the MCACA peer review process and was one of 561 applications to compete for MCACA fiscal year 2019 funding.
Organizations receiving a MCACA grant award are required to match those funds with other public and private dollars. LACA receives significant funding and volunteer support from our local community.
The MCACA peer review process allows for each grant application to be competitively considered by a panel of in-state and out-of-state arts and culture professionals. This ensures the taxpayers, who support this project through legislative appropriations, and all other visitors or residents in Michigan will have access to the highest quality arts and cultural experiences.
Art Critique Groups
Evening Art Critique Group will be held each month on the FOURTH MONDAY from 7-8:30 pm in the Main Gallery. All artists all welcome to attend and to bring a piece of their work to discuss in a positive environment with other artists.
Morning Critique meets every THIRD FRIDAY from 11-1 pm in the Main Gallery as well.
Video hobbyists and professionals are invited to join the Ludington Center for the Arts AV (Audio/Video) Club at noon on the second Tuesday of each month. AV Club participants will have the opportunity to discuss individual productions, learn new techniques, and collaborate on community projects. The club aims to be a support system for local video producers by encouraging the use of video as a communication tool. The AV Club welcomes Ludington area video hobbyists and professionals,13 and up. The group meets the second Tuesday of each month from noon to 1 p.m. in the LACA Main Gallery, 107 S Harrison St, Ludington, MI 49431. There will be a short meet and greet, a club goal discussion, and an opportunity to showcase past projects. The AV Club can stream videos from YouTube or participants can bring their projects on a flash drive.The AV Club will be hosting a weekend movie-maker competition in the fall to raise funds for shared equipment and resources. Club members may choose to compete or may volunteer to help with the event.
Open Mic nights
First and third Fridays of the month. Sign-up begins at 6:30 p.m. followed by performances at 7 p.m.
Free to perform or listen; show your support for local up-and-coming talent.
First Firday is 'Family Friendly' and third Fridays are 'Adult Themed.'
Weekly figure drawing
sessions at LACA
The Ludington Area Center for the Arts' new figure drawing group meets each Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the art center located at 107 S. Harrison St., in downtown Ludington. The group shares in the cost of the model fee. Models are both clothed and nude depending on availability.
Anyone interested in modeling for the group is asked to contact John Marek at 231-239-0176.
LACA Photography Group to meet monthly on the 3rd Wednesday
LACA's Photography Group meets the third Wednesday of every month at 6 p.m. in LACA's main gallery Meetings are free and open to anyone who would like to discuss all things photography.
Each gathering of the group will include a brief highlighted topic followed by open discussions among attendees.
Occasional "field shoots" may be scheduled at various locations around the Ludington area on weekends.
Ukulele group
to meet at
LACA monthly
All Ukulele musicians are welcome and encouraged to attend. Sessions are divided into a beginner session from 1-1:30 p.m. followed by an "experienced" (can play 4 chords ) session from 1:30-2:30 p.m.
.jpg "ludington writers 1")
June 18 - 3rd Tuesday Salon
June 25 - 4th Tuesday: West Side Writer's Group
July 2 - First Tuesday Movie: TBA
July 9 & 23 - 2nd and 4th Tuesday: West Side Writer's Group
July 16 - 3rd Tuesday Salon
July 30 – Fifth Tuesday .edu Night: TBA
LACA to host free summer concert series Wednesday’s in Waterfront Park
LACA Summer Concert Series
to debut June 19 with the Paul Nelson Band
The Ludington Area Center for the Arts (LACA) is excited to announce the inaugural season of the LACA Summer Concert Series, a free public concert series Wednesday evenings (7-9 p.m.) in downtown Ludington’s Waterfront Park.
The 11 week LACA Summer Concert Series will debut Wednesday, June 19 with a performance by the Paul Nelson Band and will continue through Aug. 28. This free family friendly concert series features world class Jazz, Blues, Pop/Rock and R&B music from internationally acclaimed touring artists.
The Paul Nelson Band features power house guitarist and 2015 Grammy Winner Paul Nelson, long-time guitarist for the Johnny Winter Band. Touring the world for decades, he has played alongside Eric Clapton, Joe Walsh, Dr. John and many other great. A diverse blues-rock fusion based sophisticated journey of boundless energy, displaying ferocious solo sections, yet showing his control over an emotional side of playing while holding it all together with a tasteful melodic sense.
Musical acts slated to take part in the LACA Summer Concert Series include, Paul Nelson Band, June 19; Chris Buckley Quartet, June 26; Organissimo, July 3; Double Trouble, July 10; Carla Cooke, The Sam Cooke Experience, July 17; Planet D Note, July 24; The Phil DeGreg Trio w/ Petra van Nuis, July 31; Tell Yo Mama, Aug. 7; James Armstrong, Aug. 14; Cheryl Hodge Group, Aug. 21; and Sunset Groove, Aug. 28.
“LACA is thrilled to be able to offer our community a free family friendly concert series,” said LACA Operations Manager Andrew Skinner.
“Part of the art center’s vision is to foster a community where arts and culture bring us together, feed the creative spirit and fuel community growth, and this series does just that!” Skinner said. “What could be better than gathering with new and old friends on the lush grass of Waterfront Park and listening to world renowned musicians perform all while taking in ta breathtaking sunset and the evening arrival of the S.S. Badger.
The LACA performance (107 S. Harrison St., in downtown Ludington) will serve as the series’ inclement weather location.
While the concerts are free to attend and open to the public, putting on the series is not free to the art center. LACA is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization that relies on monetary donations to help fund its events and programs. Community members and area business interested in supporting the LACA Summer Concert Series are asked to send their pledges to: LACA Summer Concert Series, 107 S. Harrison St., Ludington MI 49431 or by calling LACA at 231-845-2787.
For nearly 50 years outdoor photographer Todd Reed has been capturing breathtaking scenes from around Michigan. The Ludington based photographer, considered one of the best in the United States, will display images from throughout his illustrious career at the Ludington Area Center for the Arts (LACA), 107 S. Harrison St., in downtown Ludington.
‘Todd Reed’s Photography Retrospective: 49 Years and Counting’ will be on display in LACA’s main gallery June 4-29 during normal business hours (Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday’s 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.) or during the many special events taking place at the art center during the month of June. LACA will host an artist reception Friday, June 7 from 5-7 p.m. to allow the public to visit with Reed and view his work.
Prior to opening Todd & Brad Reed Photography Gallery with his son, Brad, Todd spent the beginning of his photographic career (23 years) as a photojournalist for the Ludington Daily News, where he won dozens of industry awards for his photos portraying the beauty and telling the stories of everyday life in small towns and rural areas. Todd’s love of the Great Lakes was enriched by 33 years of service in the Coast Guard Reserve. In 1988, the U.S. Coast Guard honored him as top “Outstanding Enlisted Reservist” in the nation.
In 1998, Todd’s image “God’s Light,” which shows a lightning bolt hitting near the Ludington North Breakwater Lighthouse, won third place overall in the Nikon International Photography Contest. The North American Nature Photography Association has featured both Todd’s and Brad’s images. Many magazines, including Traverse, Michigan Blue, Bay Life, and LAKE, have also featured the Reeds’ photographs and galleries in their publications. The Reeds had the cover image and the main feature story in Outdoor Photographer magazine in October of 2016, which is one of the world’s most popular photography magazines.
Todd and Brad have a simple approach to photography. They choose subjects that touch them in emotional ways, and strive to convey their emotions through the photographs they make. They are both known for saying that good photography is all about feeling. To see and appreciate a scene in the natural world is one thing; the artists’ challenge is to capture visually the emotions of that scene and that moment. It is simply a matter of being present at those rare moments and letting the heart guide the composition.
Todd and Brad Reed’s photographic artwork is featured at Todd & Brad Reed Photography Gallery, in downtown Ludington. Visiting their website at www.ToddandBradReed.com. Any image can be ordered in multiple sizes and formats. The Reeds also put on acclaimed weekend workshops in their hometown of Ludington, Michigan. Details on the workshops can be found on their website as well.
Milo G. Beman IV: Gallery Show
on display at LACA
during the month of June
The Ludington Area Center for the Arts will host Milo G. Beman IV: Gallery Show during the month of June in its performance hall gallery. Beman’s show will include over 30 paintings, many featuring scenes from Ludington and the surrounding area.
The art center will host a public artist reception Friday, June 14 from 5-7 p.m. to give community members a chance to visit with the artist. The reception is free and open to the public; refreshments will be served.
Beman’s interest in art began as a young boy, and his early drawings in pen and markers were mainly capturing the likeness of the characters he admired from television. As Beman has grown, so has his mastery of the craft by combining varied artists’ tools and techniques. When drawing today his utensils range from pen and ink, colored pencils and pastels to markers and charcoal; when painting, he enjoys working with pastels, oils, acrylics, and gouache.
Influenced by the work of some of the world’s most renowned impressionists, Beman cites Van Gogh, Cezanne and Toulouse-Lautrec among his favorite painters.
“Whenever I see a beautiful view of a landscape or an interesting individual, I usually sketch it on paper and try to remember it by labeling the colors for the composition of the painting I envision [completing later],” Beman says.
Beman’s passion for the arts is contagious and his vantage point is unique. Diagnosed with autism at the young age of three, through the years he has carefully been guided through proactive steps to cultivate his strong aptitude for the arts. With the guidance, coaching and encouragement of his family, friends and mentors, Beman has long challenged himself always to do his best by laboring over minute details to perfect his work.
Using a variety of textiles ranging from canvas to cardboard, Beman assumed the nickname “The Green Painter” because he saves cardboards to use for oil paintings and pastel drawings. “The paint,” he says, “dries much quicker in only a day or two.”
Inspired by scenery, favorite vacation spots and old postcards, as well as photographs from magazines and newspapers, Beman loves to paint what he knows best and loves most including still life and portraits of friends and relatives. In the last few years, Beman has been commissioned and has sold a number of paintings.
As he works to tell the many distinct stories of life through his own unique perspective, Beman continues to push his skills to the next level. In exploring new opportunities and crafting.
Weekly Oil painting Classes
w/ Justin David Gustafson
Learn oil painting techniques from area artist Justin David Gustafson during his weekly painting class in the LACA craft room. This ongoing class is open to all skill levels and those interested in taking the class can join at any time. Classes are $30 per session of $100 for four. All materials are supplied.
To register call 231-845-2787 or e-mail info@ludingtonartscenter.org
Sponsor a performance
hall chair today!
Over the past few months the Ludington Area Center for the Arts staff and a team of volunteers have been hard at work making a number of improvements to the center's performance hall. Among the upgrades are a new sound system that will allow for a crisper, cleaner sound. With the new sound system LACA's performance hall is now one of the top sounding venues in West Michigan.
Additional changes to the performance hall include freshly painted walls and the removal of the old church pews and carpeting.
The removal of the pews and the subsequent purchase of new seating will allow the art center to use the performance hall as a multi-functional venue that can have a seating capacity of over 3oo people, host an event with no seating to allow for dancing or allow for tables to be set up for a luncheon or meeting.
In an effort to fund the purchase of the new seating LACA is selling annual sponsorships for our new performance hall chairs. Funds from the $100 annual sponsorship and $5,000 forever sponsorship will help LACA purchase new seating and continue to make additional upgrades to the performance hall for years to come. Call LACA at 231-845-2787, stop by the office or print and return the form below if you are interested in sponsoring a chair.
