MACKINAC ISLAND – Mackinac State Historic Parks recently announced the winners of its 2022 juried art exhibition with local Petoskey getting the best of the show.
The exhibit – titled “Mackinac Journeys” – provided an opportunity for submitting artists to explore the idea of traveling to Mackinac Island. A statement on the organization’s website reads “… from lifelong residents to novice to first time, the journey to, around, and from Mackinac has always been unforgettable.”
“We’re excited to hear I won and it’s just one of those things that happened and was super emotional but exciting,” said Petoskey area artist and juried exhibition winner Kelly Heck.
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Heck, an artist who explored many different mediums, including painting and digital art, submitted her piece “The DMC” which she painted for her mother. The piece is surrounded by nautical flags and tells the story of the travels of him and his friends to the island over the years.
“It’s really about them and their experiences,” she said. “Almost every summer I spend there on the island and it has a very special place in my heart because my family really has a strong connection to it.”
Heck, along with the gold medal, will win a cash prize and will be added to a list of gold medal winners displayed inside the Richard and Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum on the island.
Trish Morgan was named second place on her piece “Departure Blues” and Raymond Gaynor with her piece “Morning Cometh II” took third. The juried exhibition also has three honorable mentions, including pieces submitted by Cherie Correll, Tom Lewand and Catherine McClung.
The pieces will be on display at the museum until Sunday, Oct. 9 on the second floor gallery. Admission to the museum is $ 10 for adults and $ 6.50 for children ages 5-12 and includes Biddle House, which features the Mackinac Island Native American Museum, American Fur Co. Store & Dr. Beaumont Museum, and McGulpin House.
More:Petoskey’s Kelly Heck was accepted to the ArtPrize
Admission to the museum is also included on a ticket to Fort Mackinac, and is complimentary to overnight guests of hotels that are members of the Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau.
“I’m just glad my piece is on the island for people to see,” Heck said.
“The island and this piece are very important to me and it all culminated in this special experience,” he said.
More information about the juried exhibition, the Richard and Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum or other offerings on Mackinac Island can be found online at www.mackinacparks.com.
Contact reporter Sean Miller at smiller@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on Twitter, @seanmillerpnrand Instagram, @sean_everest.
