Community Calendar

What if an art space didn’t have to be a gallery, theater, or museum?

Living rooms, vacant storefronts, barns, community spaces, and other unexpected places can create new opportunities for artists and audiences to connect. This Caffeinated Conversation invites participants to expand our thinking about where art can happen and explore the potential for non-traditional art spaces across Northwest Michigan.

Facilitated by Katrina Daniels, the conversation will draw inspiration from successful examples of alternative art spaces while inviting participants to imagine possibilities within their own communities. This is a collaborative conversation, not a presentation. Come ready to share ideas, learn from others, and imagine new places for art to take root across our region.

This session is designed for:
Artists and creative workers
Art & culture professionals / administrators
Community leaders and organizers
Anyone curious about creating new spaces for art

Workshop is free but must register to attend.

This historical display started in August and has been extended until September 29, at the Alden District Library. The free display features materials from the Alden Depot Museum (www.aldendepot.com). View during library hours: Mon, Wed, Thu, Fri 9:30-5:00; Tue 9:30-6:00; and Sat 9:30-2:00. Library is located at the Helena Township Community Center: 8751 Helena Road in Alden. (231)331-4318.

Come on out to help plant native plugs at Misty Acres! Volunteers will learn about and take an active part in the Conservancy’s ongoing habitat restoration projects by assisting with planting native plugs grown in GTRLC’s very own greenhouse.

For more information about this event, please click here.

Directions:
Please meet us at Misty Acres Farm, NOT the natural area trailhead.

Registration is appreciated but is not required. Cancellations due to weather or any other reason will be communicated with registered participants via email.

Thank you for your interest in joining us! If you have any questions, please contact Erica DesJardins at edesjardins@gtrlc.org or 231-929-7911 (ext. 316).

Free, peer-led mental health support groups:

*NAMI Family Support (Mondays at 6pm. Online and in-person at HBA, 3040 Sunset Ln. See website for zoom link.)

*NAMI Connection Group (Mondays at 6pm. Online, see website for zoom link)

Michigan Avian Experience hosts a program on rescued eagles. All are welcome!

The nonpartisan League of Women Voters of Leelanau County is holding a public forum for the candidates in the November midterms for the Village of Empire President of the Village Council, the Village of Empire Trustees, and the Empire Township Trustees.

The candidates are Tom Rademacher and Meg Walton for Village of Empire President of Village Council; Sam Barr and Sue Palmer for Village of Empire Trustees; and Elizabeth Wolterink, Christine Deucher, and Casey Noonan for Empire Township Trustees.

The League's candidate forums are designed to provide voters with accessible, factual information about the candidates and the issues they will consider when casting their ballots. All candidates are invited to participate, and the League does not support or oppose candidates or political parties. The forum is open to the public, and voters from the communities represented by the candidates are encouraged to attend.

Just as we welcomed the Summer Solstice in June, we will be welcoming the Fall Equinox by watching the sunrise at the Jack Mertaugh Nature Preserve. If you joined us this summer, you will get to see how the light changes with the seasons and how the sun moves in the sky as the Earth tilts. If you did not, you get to experience the sunrise from a lakeside preserve with fresh eyes.

Date: Tuesday, September 22, and Wednesday, September 23, 2026
Time: 9 am–1 pm
Registration Deadline: Thursday, September 17, 2026
Location: Glen Arbor Arts Center Classroom
Skill: All

This classic set of just four colors—vermilion, yellow ochre, black, and white—unlocks a surprisingly rich and expressive range. Named after Swedish painter Anders Zorn, the palette is renowned for its ability to evoke mood and atmosphere.

This workshop begins with hands-on exercises in color mixing, value, and theory, designed to deepen your understanding of this elegant palette. Then, you’ll apply what you’ve learned through guided painting projects using landscape and still life imagery provided by the instructor. Along the way, we’ll discuss mark-making, composition, and when and how to thoughtfully expand the palette. All work will take place in the studio.

Objective: Skill Development, Creativity Enhancement

Outcome: Improved Technique, Creation of Artwork

This classic set of just four colors—vermilion, yellow ochre, black, and white—unlocks a surprisingly rich and expressive range. Named after Swedish painter Anders Zorn, the palette is renowned for its ability to evoke mood and atmosphere.

This workshop begins with hands-on exercises in color mixing, value, and theory, designed to deepen your understanding of this elegant palette. Then, you’ll apply what you’ve learned through guided painting projects using landscape and still life imagery provided by the instructor. Along the way, we’ll discuss mark-making, composition, and when and how to thoughtfully expand the palette. All work will take place in the studio.

Come on out to help plant native plugs at the Arcadia Marsh Nature Preserve! Volunteers will learn about and take an active part in the Conservancy’s ongoing habitat restoration projects by assisting with planting native plugs grown in GTRLC’s very own greenhouse.

For more information about this event, please click here.

Directions: Please meet us at the M22 side of Arcadia Marsh Nature Preserve.

Registration is appreciated but is not required. Cancellations due to weather or any other reason will be communicated with registered participants via email.

Thank you for your interest in joining us! If you have any questions, please contact Erica DesJardins at edesjardins@gtrlc.org or 231-929-7911 (ext. 316).