Community Calendar

UNA Cadillac Plein Air Challenge - Spring and Summer 2026 

Calling all artists!

This summer we’re gathering every Tuesday morning from 9:30-11:30 to paint and sketch around beautiful Cadillac.

Each week we’ll explore a different scenic location — lakes, parks, downtown landmarks, and more. When you join you’ll receive a text or email with each week’s location.

This is a free event for all members of Up-North Arts. Not a member? Join today! Only $35 for an annual membership with many benefits. www.upnorthartsinc.org.

Bring your supplies and join us for:

🎨 Creativity
🌞 Fresh air
👩‍🎨 New artist friends
📍 Amazing local views

The challenge runs May through July, ending with an August community art exhibit.

All skill levels welcome.

Landmark: Less Cancer Hike and Bike America 2026
Walk, ride and roam anywhere/anytime. Enter your photos of local landmarks and favorite adventure places to win prizes!
June 6th – July 6th
The annual event serves as our primary fundraiser, helping fuel our critical cancer prevention initiatives.
Register for FREE today at: https://www.lesscancer.org/

The National Council of Dementia Minds is hosting a free, three-part webinar series exploring how changes in the brain can affect the senses, including taste, smell, touch, and hearing.

Each session is led by individuals living with dementia, offering insight into what these changes feel like.

These interactive sessions are open to all, including family members, care partners, professionals, and others.

To join: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_f267xYYVQGCnIQQ412Cg4w

Discover the beauty and fragility of two of our threatened or endangered Michigan orchids in this watercolor study course. Led by instructor Cheryl Meyer, each session will feature a different species, and this class will guide you in bringing them to life on paper.

Perfect for beginner to intermediate artists, we’ll explore watercolor fundamentals such as wet-on-wet, layering, and texture while also learning how to identify and sketch botanical details, mix colors, and create harmonious compositions. This series helps build your skills and confidence in watercolor.

This 2-week course will be held weekly from 3-5 pm on Tuesday, May 12-19, in the Idonea Hersee Classroom at Art Reach, 111 E. Broadway, Mt. Pleasant, MI. Select from the discounted course or pick individual sessions.

May 12: Showy Lady’s Slipper

May 19: Dragon’s Mouth Orchid

Recommended age: 16 and up

Please note: An active membership is not required to register. Active members receive a 15% discount on classes.

Students interested in improving their drawing skills in portraiture are invited to join instructor Matthew Grimmer for this 6-week course. Students will begin by exploring the basics of structure and linework, sketching small studies as they prepare for more developed portraits in later sessions. We will cover how to build and shape in 3-D using pencils and will cover basic areas of drawing, such as overall composition, cross-hatching to create form, and making the most of light and shadow, all within the context of the figure.

The course will focus on achieving stylized anatomical-realism through a slow-paced practice involving drawing from life using mirrors while utilizing lessons based on measurements, comparison, and thoughtful mark-making. Each session will begin with a short demonstration followed by work time with individual instruction. By the end of the course, students should have an understanding of the anatomy of the head, the complexity of shapes that create the face, and its relationship to drawing their portraiture, as well as improved confidence in their pencil handling.

This course will be held weekly from 5:30-8 pm on Tuesdays, May 5-June 9, in the Idonea Hersee Classroom at Art Reach, 111 E. Broadway in Mount Pleasant.

Recommended ages: 13 and up

Please note: An active membership is not required to register. Active members receive a 15% discount on classes.

Students interested in improving their drawing skills in portraiture are invited to join instructor Matthew Grimmer for this 6-week course. Students will begin by exploring the basics of structure and linework, sketching small studies as they prepare for more developed portraits in later sessions. We will cover how to build and shape in 3-D using pencils and will cover basic areas of drawing, such as overall composition, cross-hatching to create form, and making the most of light and shadow, all within the context of the figure.

The course will focus on achieving stylized anatomical-realism through a slow-paced practice involving drawing from life using mirrors while utilizing lessons based on measurements, comparison, and thoughtful mark-making. Each session will begin with a short demonstration followed by work time with individual instruction. By the end of the course, students should have an understanding of the anatomy of the head, the complexity of shapes that create the face, and its relationship to drawing their portraiture, as well as improved confidence in their pencil handling.

This course will be held weekly from 5:30-8 pm on Tuesdays, May 5-June 9, in the Idonea Hersee Classroom at Art Reach, 111 E. Broadway in Mount Pleasant.

Recommended ages: 13 and up

Please note: An active membership is not required to register. Active members receive a 15% discount on classes.

Students interested in improving their drawing skills in portraiture are invited to join instructor Matthew Grimmer for this 6-week course. Students will begin by exploring the basics of structure and linework, sketching small studies as they prepare for more developed portraits in later sessions. We will cover how to build and shape in 3-D using pencils and will cover basic areas of drawing, such as overall composition, cross-hatching to create form, and making the most of light and shadow, all within the context of the figure.

The course will focus on achieving stylized anatomical-realism through a slow-paced practice involving drawing from life using mirrors while utilizing lessons based on measurements, comparison, and thoughtful mark-making. Each session will begin with a short demonstration followed by work time with individual instruction. By the end of the course, students should have an understanding of the anatomy of the head, the complexity of shapes that create the face, and its relationship to drawing their portraiture, as well as improved confidence in their pencil handling.

This course will be held weekly from 5:30-8 pm on Tuesdays, May 5-June 9, in the Idonea Hersee Classroom at Art Reach, 111 E. Broadway in Mount Pleasant.

Recommended ages: 13 and up

Please note: An active membership is not required to register. Active members receive a 15% discount on classes.

Alternating Tuesdays / 6:30 – 8 pm / $5 drop-in
Jan 13, 27
Feb 3, 17
March 10, 24
April 7, 21

Who doesn’t love to dance? This low-key class taught by local choreographer Kelli Jolly is designed for adults ages 18 and up! A flexible schedule allows you to drop in whenever you want.

Appropriate for ALL levels, from experienced dancer to complete beginner – the class is about having fun and enjoying the rhythm without any pressure.

Classes are 90 minutes and consist of a warmup, skills across the dance floor, and a combination.

Wear any comfortable shoes and clothing.

Wee Wednesday invites babies, toddlers, and young children to explore art in a relaxed, hands-on environment. Held on the first and third Wednesdays of each month, this bi-monthly class encourages curiosity and creativity through simple projects that introduce color, texture, and playful materials. Kids can paint, build, stamp, squish, swirl, sing, and experiment at their own pace while caregivers join in on the fun.

The program starts at 10 am, Wednesday, May 20, in the Idonea Hersee Classroom at Art Reach, 111 E. Broadway in Mount Pleasant.

Designed with ages 0–5 in mind but welcoming to older siblings, Wee Wednesday is a flexible, sensory-rich art experience where every child can create, discover, and make a little joyful mess.

The 1842 historic Dougherty Mission House built by Rev. Peter Dougherty, Chief Agosa, the Ottawa and Chippewa opens for tours on Wednesday, June 12th Wednesdays through Saturdays, 11am until 4pm. Tour the former Inn where the fruit industry began in the Traverse City region.
Discover the ties to the Old Mission Peninsula Lighthouse while you tour the house, summer kitchen, carriage shed, icehouse, and demonstration garden. See the new Old Mission Agricultural Heritage exhibit where Old Mission Peninsula earned its name.