Your Guide To April Arts Dearborn 2019

DEARBORN, MI — Art, music and theater. Dearborn prides itself in being a community that offers it all and April is the city’s month to showcase it off.

April Arts Dearborn, a month-long celebration, shines a spotlight on the rich cultural life that thrives across the city and encourages all to experience and enjoy it. April Arts Dearborn is a special calendar of events and guide to the art, musical performances, artists in action, lectures, art awards, and hands-on activities across the city all month long.

Find the calendar on Facebook/Arts Dearborn or pick up a copy at a Dearborn Library, the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center, or a variety of local businesses. A downloadable version is available on the Dearborn Community Fund (DCF) website at https://dearborncommunityfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Full-Sheet-April-Arts-Dearborn-Calendar-2019.pdf .

Most events are free of charge, others require a ticket.

Here’s a look at what’s being planned:

The city-wide arts celebration kicks off with the delightful Arty Party at the Black Box Gallery at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 4. Tickets are $25 with proceeds benefitting April Arts Dearborn. Tickets can be purchased at Village Frame & Art Gallery, Black Box Gallery or online at www.dearborncommunityfund.org. Additional information is available at 313-943-5478.

A highlight of April Arts Dearborn is the free “Gallery Rally” on Saturday, April 6, 10 a.m.–5 p.m., featuring 10 art galleries across the city. New this year, participants can hop on a free Gallery Rally shuttle, sponsored by Chariot Transport, which runs from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. from the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center. Art galleries include the Padzieski Gallery (Ford Community & Performing Arts Center); Arab American National Museum (AANM); Artspace City Hall, Headspace Gallery/ Green Brain Comics, Rotunda Gallery (Centennial Library), Sisson Gallery (Henry Ford College); Berkowitz Gallery (University of Michigan-Dearborn), the Glass Academy (25331 Trowbridge St.), Blick Art Material, and the Black Box Gallery. Installations include work from local, regional and national artists and noteworthy collections. Admission is free at each site.

Popular musical performances, from classical to jazz, during April Arts Dearborn include, among others, “Music of the Knights—Elton John, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Paul McCartney” performed by the award winning Dearborn Symphony on Friday, March 29; jazz by Alexander Zonjic on Saturday, April 6; the Henry Ford College Spring Band Concert on Friday, April 7; and the Motor City Brass Band on April 14. Ticket prices vary.

To honor artists and supporters of local art, the public is welcome to attend the annual Mayor’s Arts Awards at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10. Admission is free to attend this event coordinated by the Dearborn Community Arts Council (DCAC) at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.

New this year to April Arts Month and the East Dearborn arts scene is Fishnet Open Studios on Saturday, April 13 from noon to 6 p.m. at 4355 Schaefer. The public is invited to meet the artists, see their studios and view their work which is for sale.

Look, listen and learn more about the arts and their impact on Dearborn students at the annual Youth Arts Festival on Wednesday, April 24 at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center. Hundreds of students will participate in the city-wide art exhibit that opens at 4 p.m. and collage concert at 7 p.m., offering a fast paced variety show of vocal, instrumental and theater performances. All are welcome, admission is free.

A number of local businesses and other locations are promoting art in Dearborn by hosting artists in their establishments during April. The Artists in Action program provides an opportunity to observe and interact with artists working in a variety of mediums including oil, water color painting and rug hooking. All are listed in the April Arts Dearborn calendar.

Who puts on April Arts Dearborn

Support for April Arts Dearborn is provided by the Dearborn Community Fund, East Dearborn Downtown Development Authority, West Dearborn Downtown Development Authority, City of Dearborn and Chariot Transport.

April Arts Dearborn is coordinated by the Dearborn Community Fund in cooperation with community cultural organization members of the Dearborn Recreation Commission Cultural Arts Committee. Committee organizations include: Arab American National Museum; Dearborn Community Arts Council, Dearborn Community Fund, Dearborn Public Schools (Art & Music); Dearborn Public Library; Dearborn Recreation Commission; Dearborn Symphony Orchestra, Dearborn Youth Symphony; Friends of the Dearborn Symphony; Motor City Brass Band; and Players Guild of Dearborn.

For more information, contact the Dearborn Community Fund at 313-943-5478.