October Arts Beat

Make Art. MAIL ART. Support Art. A fundraiser for the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum

The Marshall Fredericks Sculpture Museum at Saginaw Valley State University is calling for artists, creatives, and everyone and anyone from around the world to get creative, express themselves, and help raise much-needed dollars for the preservation, education and exhibitions work at the Museum!

Participants can mail their unframed 5 x 7 inches creations, signed on the back, with contact information to the Museum postmarked by Saturday, November 14, 2020. This will ensure it will be included in the sale of artworks to support the Museum. Participants can find more details on how to enter at www.marshallfredericks.org/mailart.

The concept of Mail Art has been documented back to the 1950s,” says Megan McAdow, Director of the Museum, “and has been used throughout the decades for artists and creatives to share their work without having to travel or meet in person. Although the Museum has been temporarily closed since mid-March due to the pandemic, we have continued our mission through online public programming and exhibitions in addition to creating and delivering over 4,500 Art @ Home activity kits to community youth.”

The Museum’s online public programming includes a virtual tour, exhibitions, and art activities for all ages. Visitors can find the Museum’s virtual offerings via the Museum Musings portal on the Museum’s website at www.marshallfredericks.org.

The Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum is a free museum and features a unique collection of more than two thousand objects that span the 70-year career of Detroit-based public sculptor Marshall M. Fredericks (1908-1998). He is known nationally and internationally for his impressive monumental figurative sculpture, public memorials, fountains, portraits, and medals. While the Museum is located in Saginaw, Michigan, Marshall Fredericks’ work can be found throughout the state, country, and around the world!

The Museum also invites the public to help spread the word by sharing the Museum’s social media posts and telling family and friends about this wonderful opportunity! The donated artwork will be available to purchase, December 1 – 15, 2020! It’s a great opportunity to find a new art piece to frame and brighten up one’s home or a special holiday gift for a friend or loved one.

The Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum is located on the campus of Saginaw Valley State University, 7400 Bay Road, University Center, MI. The Museum is temporarily closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic. Regular museum hours are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call (989) 964-7125 or visit the Museum’s website at www.marshallfredericks.org.

Saginaw’s ACE Collaborative Gives Back 

Member organizations of Saginaw’s ACE Collaborative have partnered with Together We Rise and the Saginaw CAN Council to provide back to school backpacks for foster children this fall. 

Board members and staff at Pit & Balcony Community Theatre, the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra, and the Saginaw Choral Society have pledged contributions to sponsor backpacks for the Back 2 School Pack Program administered by Together We Rise which is a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming the way youth navigate through the foster care system in America. The backpacks will be donated to the Saginaw CAN Council for distribution. 

“Even though we are all non-profit arts organizations struggling through this crisis in our own ways, we know that it’s important that we give back to our community as well,” says Bonnie VanVoorhees, CEO of the Saginaw Bay Symphony Orchestra. “We know that getting back to school has been hard for all students this year and students in foster care have even more obstacles to face. We are happy to help remove some of those obstacles and ensure a full and enriching school year for as many students as we can.” 

Each Back 2 School pack sponsored by ACE is provided by Together We Rise and includes necessary school items such as a notebook, binder, pens, and pencils, as well as art supplies such as colored pencils and coloring sheets. The backpacks will be packed by members of ACE and then delivered to the CAN Council offices in Saginaw. 

CAN Council President/CEO, Emily Yeager, says, “The children we advocate for often enter care with little to call their own. Providing these seemingly basic necessities to our little learners gives them a sense of normalcy – like they have what all their peers have. We want our children to succeed, and these tools will help them feel both equipped as well as cared for!” 

For more information about the Back 2 School Pack program and many others assisting youth in foster care, please visit togetherwerise.org. For ways you can help the CAN Council fulfill their mission of building communities where children are free from abuse and neglect, please visit cancouncil.org. To support the ACE Collaborative, please give at https://saginawfoundation.thankyou4caring.org/ace