Almanac

Learn diverse dance styles and make new friends in a warm and welcoming environment. Whether you’re a complete beginner or an advanced dancer, everyone is invited to join the fun.

Designed for dancers of all ages and skill levels, our Social Dance Classes offer an opportunity to learn new dance styles and enjoy the camaraderie of other dance enthusiasts. Each week, you’ll explore a different dance genre such as salsa, waltz, swing, or tango. Under the guidance of one of Interlochen’s skilled instructors, you’ll learn the steps and techniques—all while connecting with others and gaining confidence on the floor.

The classes emphasize the joy of moving to the music, sharing laughs, and creating memorable moments. Come dance with us and experience the delight of social dancing.

In recognition of Eileen Kelly's 96th birthday, The Oliver Art Center is excited to host this retrospective exhibit of her work from the past several decades.

The exhibit will be open:
Sundays 12:00-4:00pm
Mondays-Thursdays 10:00am-4:00pm

From pastels to oils, still life to landscape, Eileen has a diverse range of subjects and styles – each brought to life by her keen eye for composition and seemingly effortless brushstrokes. Eileen Kelly had an early fascination with the arts and design. At 19, her design for a women’s fashionable shoe was manufactured under mysterious circumstances. She married soon after and explored drawing and painting with her sons. In her 40’s, Eileen pursued art at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, Manhattanville College in Harrison, New York, and the Silvermine Art Center in New Canaan, Connecticut. She studied with watercolorist, Charles Reid, Russian iconographer Vladislav Andreev, watercolorist Roland Roycraft and artist Charles Murphy.

Join a guided conversation of the Glen Arbor Arts Center’s current exhibit, HIStory/HERstory: Whose Story?, on September 28, 1 pm. GAAC

Gallery Manager Sarah Bearup-Neal leads a Walk + Talk of the exhibition as part of Creative Wellness Month, a program exploring the intersection of creativity and well-being.

The HIStory/HERstory exhibition poses questions about whose voice defines the message, and what happens – socially, communally, personally -- when other voices are muted or silenced. During this Walk + Talk, Bearup-Neal will focus on exhibitors’ visual responses to those questions, and the beneficial effects of being able to express difficult feelings through a visual vocabulary.

As part of the GAAC’s month-long focus on creative wellness, this event highlights the healing potential of visual storytelling, and the way art fosters dialogue, empathy, and personal clarity. Engaging with art -- whether through viewing, discussion, or creating -- can be a powerful tool for mental and emotional health.

In addition, the September 28 Walk + Talk will include a conversation about Something To Smile About, a selection of paintings and collages by Carol C Spaulding in the Lobby Gallery.

This event is free and open to the public.

Join TC based Full Tilt Comedy for a night of improv, sketch, stand-up, and song parody. Enjoy a beer and food with friends, and come laugh with us! Several of our players have performed with Second City, Improv Olympics, UCB, and the Annoyance Theater in Chicago.

This show is presented free of charge, with the opportunity to give a suggested honor cover of $10.

The last Sunday of each month.

The Oliver Art Center's annual juried show highlights impeccable work across a range of media. An independent juror select works submitted from across Michigan, and awards are presented in several categories. Don’t miss this exceptional exhibit!

Every week through Oct 10, 2025.
Sunday: 12:00 PM - 04:00 PM
Monday: 10:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Tuesday: 10:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Wednesday: 10:00 AM - 04:00 PM
Thursday: 10:00 AM - 04:00 PM

Opening reception is September 12th from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm. Refreshments will be served; admission is free.

Beginning October 6th the Oliver Art Center will be closed on Mondays

The Glen Arbor Arts Center (GAAC) is proud to introduce Creative Wellness Month, a new, expanded initiative launching this September. A month-long series of art, movement, mindfulness, and community programs designed to support well-being and inspire reflection, renewal, and creative exploration.

Building on their former Creative Wellness Retreat, this reimagined, month-long series invites participants to slow down, reflect, and reconnect through visual arts, writing, movement, meditation, and nature-based practices.

Program offerings will take place at both the Glen Arbor Arts Center in Glen Arbor and the GAAC Ceramics Studio at historic Thoreson Farm, part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

Programs are open to adults, with a mix of paid and free events available throughout the month.

A full schedule and registration information is available at https://glenarborart.org/introducing-creative-wellness-month-in-september/

For more information, please contact:
Kristie McCaw, Program Manager
kristiem@glenarborart.org

Learn diverse dance styles and make new friends in a warm and welcoming environment. Whether you’re a complete beginner or an advanced dancer, everyone is invited to join the fun.

Designed for dancers of all ages and skill levels, our Social Dance Classes offer an opportunity to learn new dance styles and enjoy the camaraderie of other dance enthusiasts. Each week, you’ll explore a different dance genre such as salsa, waltz, swing, or tango. Under the guidance of one of Interlochen’s skilled instructors, you’ll learn the steps and techniques—all while connecting with others and gaining confidence on the floor.

The classes emphasize the joy of moving to the music, sharing laughs, and creating memorable moments. Come dance with us and experience the delight of social dancing.

Join experts from safe TALK for a 3-hour training in suicide alertness skills. Learn the steps to create life-saving connections. RSVP. Hosted by the Stonisch Foundation.

Professional organizer Ali LeJeune shares her journey to letting go of attachments to physical items, how to cherish fewer things, more, and in the end shows us how to best organize what we chose to keep.

Something To Smile About: Mixed Media Paintings By Carol C Spaulding

Leelanau County artist Carol C Spaulding brings Something To Smile About, a small group of new mixed media paintings, to the Glen Arbor Arts Center’s Lobby Gallery. The exhibition runs September 2 - December 17.

Working intuitively, Spaulding combines cut-paper collage with exuberant painting. She creates lively compositions in a bright, uplifting palette, full of expressive lines, inserting an array of delightful marks and icons. “I like to begin with an open mind and a playful attitude,” Spaulding said.

Something To Smile About may be viewed in the Lobby Gallery or online, GlenArborArt.org / EXHIBITS.

The GAAC is open:
Monday - Friday, 9 am - 3 pm
Saturday and Sunday, noon - 4 pm