Art Flair returns to Mt. Pleasant, a golf destination

Text: R. Collins // Photography: Mt. Pleasant Area Convention & Visitors Bureau | Art Reach of Mid Michigan

For many Michigan cities and towns that double as vacation destinations, there tends to be little distinction between summer activities and who can participate. Visitors will emerge from cozy, local hotels and vacation rentals for a day meandering around town to visit varieties of shops and restaurants, before perhaps catching a sunset with sandals off at the beach; or rising early for an 18-hole round of golf before reserving a table at a best-reviewed eatery.

The same is true for Mt. Pleasant, a noted mid-state golf and vacation spot in Michigan, where summer vacationers can find everything from championship golf to innovative craft fair entries courtesy of the city’s annual Art Flair event taking place downtown.

“I think the thing that’s most interesting to folks who are visiting is that [Art Flair] brings such a colorful and unique sense of community to Mt. Pleasant, and the fact that there’s so much artistry that goes into these makes it a really colorful scene,” said Amy Powell, executive director of Art Reach of Mid Michigan, the Mt. Pleasant arts organization that organizes Art Flair.

Art Flair, acrylic bench | Art Reach of Mid Michigan

Out and around town, visitors can find dozens of entries by builder-artist pairs who have either started from scratch or refurbished the pre-loved to create one-of-a-kind furnishings such as tables, Adirondack chairs, bookshelves, planters, and more. The vibrant array of entries is themed by each artist’s style, which may involve using acrylic paint, wood-burning, or a now-popular technique called fractal burning to embellish each furnishing.

“We don’t assign a theme for this program; we let artists use their strengths. All artists have a different style. Some work in realism and some work in surrealism or animation types of things so we let them really create in a medium that they feel comfortable,” Powell said.

Visitors can see Art Flair in action from June 28th through July 18th, 2021 before it culminates in a silent auction held in the garden of the local favorite restaurant Mountain Town Station Restaurant & Brew Pub. Here, each piece finds a home and auctioned funds are distributed amongst Art Reach’s youth and free programming. It is an interactive, creative event that is easy to peruse and get involved in thanks to a Public Vote option, which offers people across the region a chance to vote for their favorites through Facebook.

For a slice of Central Michigan University pride while in town, visitors can stay on campus, in the Courtyard Mt. Pleasant at Central Michigan University, and experience more sporting fun—and a quality round of golf—nearby at The Emerald Golf Course, a Jerry-Matthews-designed, 18-hole course deemed “the gem of Mid-Michigan golf.” Cap it off with fine dining at Camille’s Prime, a premier steakhouse and wine bar featuring upscale comfort food in an intimate setting downtown, along the Chippewa River.