ESCANABA, Mich. (WZMQ) – All week long, Escanaba is celebrating the community’s creativity.
This year’s Art Week kicked off Sunday night with a special concert by the Marquette City Band, an effort to foster more exchanges between community bands across the Upper Peninsula. The music continues Monday at 7 p.m. with the Bonifas Arts Center’s Music Mondays series, Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. with the Escanaba DDA’s Lunch on Ludington series, and Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. with the weekly Escanaba City Band concert.
Throughout the week, the Bonifas Arts Center will host classes for all ages. Every Tuesday from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m., the Bonifas welcomes kids in kindergarten through fifth grade to Art at the Marketplace. Other classes include Making a Fairy House on Thursday and Intro to Greek Dancing On Friday. Those classes will be held from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Every Thursday from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m., local artisans and crafters set up shop at the Escanaba Marketplace for a Pop-UP Market. Guests can also enjoy live music performed on the nearby stage, which features a mural painted by artist James Finlan.
“Art is important for every community,” said Escanaba DDA Director Craig Woerpel. “It helps to identify who we are as a community. Also, it just makes you feel good to be out and about where you’re at, like this. People just love this mural, and we hope to do a lot more through the years.”
Woerpel says the DDA is excited to host many of the Art Week activities at the Escanaba Marketplace.
“Placemaking is a really important part of community development, so the Marketplace is one of those locations where we want to do placemaking,” he said. “That’s doing all the activities, whether it’s a market, music, or just gathering to have some fun.”
Art Week concludes on Saturday with the Waterfront Art Festival, a tradition since 1973. More than 50 artists will be in Ludington Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., along with live music and food trucks. Afterward, the Marrier Orchestra Revival will perform at the Karas Bandshell, sponsored by a grant through the Escanaba Recreation Department.
For additional information on these and other events, visit escanabadowntown.com.
