Due to the scale of ArtPrize I have decided this week to add two events along the lakeshore for your consideration.
First on Friday night, September 16, is Downtown Holland's annual Live Mannequin Night event where your favorite TV shows comes to life via their storefront windows.
"It has been really fun working with the merchants this year because of the theme," said Cynthia Hagedorn, event coordinator for Live Mannequin Night. "TV offers such a wide range of possibilities and I am seeing a few twists this year. Each business embraces the concept more and more every year and as a result the event seems to get better and better." (and the crowds bigger and bigger, too.)
This fresh on the heels of Fashion's Night Out in Grand Rapids Live Mannequin Night affair encourages visitors to stroll and view each participating business' interpretation of the year's theme. Attendees will also have a chance to vote for their favorite live mannequin display.
On Saturday the little lakeshore towns of Saugatuck and Douglas will present a social study documentary exploring both how and why gays & straights get along so well there.
One of the reasons big cities (and mid-sized places like Grand Rapids) add up to havens for diversity to blossom is often a result of density. So how do you explain why it works in the tiny community of Saugatuck-Douglas, just a few miles south of we-can't-figure-out-how-to-be-more-welcoming Holland?
For the husband and wife producing/directing team Steve Croley and Bridget McCormack (along with Croley's brother Jeff Croley), getting to the answer meant having to film a bunch of the locals and then assemble the footage into a documentary.
The result of their labor of love is the film everydayPeople, debuting at the Saugatuck Center for the Arts this Saturday night.
When one considers the region, which is often judged for being judgmental, it is a perfect time to explore why this region of the state defies the odds and smashes the stereotypes of rural living.
For those who have never ventured to Saugatuck-Douglas, this is a vacation haven in Michigan where the gay and straight communities, along with many other diverse and unique people from many walks of life, just get along.
"People have been encouraging and cooperative during our process and we are very grateful," says McCormack. "The Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Society have an amazing collection of historical photos and information, and the historians who work with the society are really top-notch, so we were able to access fantastic historical material."
This access to the region's massive and detailed historical archive helps the filmmakers frame their conclusions.
The film looks at these historical influences and explores the various possible explanations, including the influence of art and economic incentives combined with the advantages of small-town size, while talking to everyday people from farmers to mayors and how they themselves account for the longstanding gay-straight integration in these small, mainly rural communities.
"In addition, the community generally was just very willing to be interviewed and filmed and offer feedback and ideas about the explanations for Saugatuck-Douglas," says McCormack. "We feel like we have made very good friends in the process and for that, we are very grateful."
The filmmakers were so grateful, they bought a second home in this community.
It is fitting after seeing this film that the theme of this year's fundraiser event is "Village Life," timed with the Heritage Festival and Home Tour, "A Patchwork Village: From Everyday to Extraordinary," also on Sept. 17.
Admission: Live Mannequin Night is Free; Fundraiser/Debut of everydayPeople is $35.
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