Art Council Recognizes Local Talent

Local talent doesn’t go unrecognized in Alpena, especially when the subject is art. For the months of May and June, featured artist Jacob Kuznicki will have several of his pieces on display in the Thunder Bay Arts Council Gallery. Although many artists have used the platform as an opportunity to sell their work, Jacob says for him, its mostly about sharing his work with the community.

“My goal is really just to be able to show my stuff off. I enjoy doing it, I’m not really into selling my art so much, as just creating it for my own fun and enjoyment and being able to share it,” he says.

As many artists can relate, Jacob says finding inspiration for some pieces can be difficult, but other times the inspiration is right there in front of him, like one piece he created of his wife.

“It’s pretty sparse as far as what our furniture was at the time, she happened to be sitting next to the window and staring out and so I told her to just wait, wait right there! I took a picture of it and later painted it. I think it’s great because it kind of immortalizes our start to where we were at that point in our life.”

Alpena has a vibrant art community, and gallery members, council members, and artists like Jacob hope to share that with the rest of the world by promoting Alpena as an art city, and making visitors feel welcome to peruse the gallery.

“We want people to feel comfortable coming in here. Just to enjoy seeing the art, there’s something…it makes you happy. We don’t expect people to buy, we just want them to come in here and look. And see what’s available in our town,” says Art council member Midge Connon.

This Friday, the Thunder Bay Arts Council and Gallery will be holding an open house reception to celebrate their feature artist, Jacob. It will run from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, and feature his work as well as other exhibiting artists.