The 15th Annual Artfest 55, featuring the work of regional writers and artists aged 55 and older, opened Friday, June 14th at Creative 360. The exhibit features the work of more than 80 visual artists and writers from across the state.

“Artfest 55 is a very popular exhibition and features remarkable work,” said Colleen Reed, Creative 360’s program director and curator. “We had nearly 130 art and writing submissions from all over Michigan. Entries were strong in all categories and that makes for a truly compelling show.”

Jurist for the Visual Arts was Professor Robert A. McCann of the Department of Art, Art History & Design at Michigan State University. Jurists for the written work in the exhibit were writers Sarah Yoder, and Luana Russell, both Midland Public School teachers who are now retired and poet and SASA instructor Jared Morningstar.

“It was such a pleasure to spend time with all of the works submitted to this show,” said jurist Robert McCann. “Art is a kind of practiced obsession, whether observed in intricate planning and labor or realized in flashes of inspiration. The artwork in this show has such admirable diversity, depth, and creative ambition.”

Winners were announced in the following categories:

Writing:

Best Poetry – “A Quickening: by Sarah Gorman from Midland.

Best Memoir – “The Couch Wars” by Sharon Withers from Saginaw.

Best Short Story – “Portrait of a Dog” by Jeannie Dellar from Midland.

Visual Arts:

Best Photography – “Old Soldiers Never Die” by Mark Winslow from Standish.

Best Two-Dimensional Art – “Special Delivery” by Daryl Griggs from Midland

Best Three-Dimensional Art – “Gathering Basket” by Marti Liddle Lamenti from Sanford.

Best in Show – “In my Head” by Julie Wells from Harrison.

Honorable mentions included:

Don Bennett (Freeland) for “#1749 Ha Long” -Acrylic, Mike Buller (Saginaw) for “Wood Stork Triptych”

Photography, Roger King (Midland) for “The Sanitation Engineer”

Metal & Paint, Dorothy Kolhoff (Gladwin) for “The Unseen”

Mixed Media, Priscilla Olson (Midland) for “I Spy 1 and 2”

Oil, Wilma Romatz (Saginaw) for “ Harold’s Tobacco Patch”

Oil, Marilyn Whitworth Soules (Midland) for “Pacific Palms”

Photography, James MaloneBeach (Mt Pleasant) for “Too Many Trumps” 

Mixed Media , Joanne Rummel (Midland) for “Adiel”

Graphite , Jan Wegner (Saginaw) for “Transformation” -Mixed Media

The work will be on display through July 28th and, like all of Creative 360’s gallery shows, is free and open to the public.

Many of the works on display are available for purchase.

Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 9 am until 5 pm. Call for weekend hours – 989-837-1885.