History of Bay Area Art Association

Bay Area Art Association was formed in 1974.  At that time it was known as the Delta County Council for the Arts.  It’s  purpose  was to convince the Catholic church, the City of Escanaba, and Delta County that there was a need for a unique opportunity to develop an Arts Center.  From this action the William Bonifas Arts Center was born.  Bay Area Art Association then went on to build a community amongst the local artists, to support their creativity, and to offer an environment where they could display and perform their work.

During the last 34 years we have given our members the opportunity to showcase their art work, and the public the opportunity to be exposed to local artists, through the annual Membership Show.  We have also provided a venue in the Waterfront Arts Festival for artists to display and sell their work.  We have seen this event grow into one that provides hands-on demonstrations, children activities, musical performances and much more.  We have also seen the Arts Center grow into an entity providing art workshops and exhibits of a wide-range to our community.

We continue to outreach into the artists and general public by providing enrichment and learning opportunities through Artist Gatherings.  These evenings showcase a certain medium of interest and allow artists to demonstrate their expertise to others.

The audience is then given the opportunity to produce some type of hands-on project to take home.  It is our goal to inspire people to learn something new, try a new avenue of interest, and expand their own interests.

We are always open to new ideas for the festival in August.  Some of our ideas are to expand the food vendors with a high end coffee bar. Also to have a professional “masseuse” for people attending the festival & also for the artists.  This would be great for everyone’s aching back & sore feet.

We are always open to new & different ideas for the festival.  If you have any suggestions for the Waterfront Art Festival committee, please email Janie at dreamweaverbasketsup@charter.net  

WHAT'S NEW with Bay Area Art Association??

Website: Well if you’re reading this, you’ve already found us. This is our new web page linked to the Bonifas but yetkeeping us and identifying us as a separate organization. Check back frequently on dates for upcoming artists gatherings, new opportunities, dates for BAAA Membership Exhibit and the Waterfront Art Festival dates. 

Brochure Rack: There is now a brochure rack located in the entrance of the Bonifas for BAAA Members’ brochures.  We encourage you to take advantage of this Rack for your brouchures & to let people know about your work.  Our hope is with the traffic flowing through the Bonifas for their exhibits, visitors/tourists will also have access to information on our local artists.  So, if you don’t already have one, we encourage you to produce a brochure and /or business card showcasing your artwork (hint: don’t forget to list local stores and galleries where your work can be seen) and plan on dropping them off in our new brochure rack. There is also information about upcoming art shows & classes.

This is another good reason to join Bay Area Art Association. The membership fee is only $15.00 per year. Membership also gives you a discount on entries into the Waterfront Art Festival of 10%.  Also an opportunity to showcase your artwork in the Membership show in May. This is another free event for our members & gives their artwork the exposure it deserves.  Also the Barb Symon scholarship is available to Bay Area Art Association members to apply for in the spring of every year. Contact a board member for an application

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Artist Gatherings-Bay Area Art Association started having "Artists Gatherings"about 4 years ago.  It was an idea Mollie Larsen had during her time as a  BAAA Board member. We have them four times a year beginning in September.  We ask different artists to come & share their expertise and knowledge  in whatever field of artwork they choose.  We are able to get grants to do these events which makes them free to the public. It also lets us pay the artist for theeir time.  Thanks to our Vice President Valarie Norman who writes these grants, we have been very successful with the attendence. To find out when they are happening, check under the BAAA  information page on this site. If you are interested in teaching a "gathering" give a board member a call.

"Barb Symon Scholarship: Once a year we give out a $200 scholarship to one artist wishing to take a workshop to advance their skills.  Applications are available by calling 786-3102.  This year the scholarship went to Janie Paulin. Janie attended an Antler Basketry workshop on Washington Island with Rich Prange, nationally known basketweaver.  It does help to defray the costs of class fees & room and board.

Email List: If you would like to receive emails of upcoming events and opportunities, please send your email address to Janie at dreamweaverbasketsup@charter.net .  We are trying to save on postage by using emails to share information with our members.  Please send me your email address. Thanks, Janie

Please email any comments or suggestions regarding our web site to: dreamweaverbasketsup@charter.net