The New McCree Theatre is a vibrant piece of the Flint local arts scene, with shows running from October through May. Performances express African American Culture and history, and programs offer arts education for Flint area youth. Executive Director Charles H. Winfrey, 74, has been with The New McCree since its inception in 2004., “Theatre was something that I fell into,” Winfrey recalls, “but having fell, I fell in love.” When he took the position around 13 years ago, he had not yet experienced the impactful energy that emanates from the McCree stage. He remembers, “even during rehearsals, the energy was something else – and I just got hooked.”
Anyone who spends time Downtown Flint has probably seen the work of Paul Everett adorning many businesses, including the signs he made for The Loft and Churchill’s Food & Spirits. And if you’re out enjoying any local, live music – like jazz at Golden Leaf, Soggy Bottom or Churchill’s – you’ve probably seen Pauly there, drawing inspiration from the ambiance. He’s a full-time artist, curator for ArtWalk at Churchill’s, founder of Flint Underground, and a volunteer for art education programs. For Pauly, art is medicine for himself and the community.
Doug Warner (1930-2013) is remembered as an authentically humble artist who was both elegant and down-to-earth, and his work and life impacted the Flint community. Notably, he created the original Mott Community College (MCC) logo, still used by the school today. Warner’s work was shown steadily in galleries both locally and around the world. According to Patty Warner, his wife of 32 years, he didn’t like going to his own gallery openings, because he preferred that the focus be on his work, not him. Tall and carefully dressed, Warner naturally made an impression when he went out, but preferred to stay home and prepare elaborate meals for his close friends. In his time spent in Flint, Warner’s creative pursuits and ideals helped cultivate growth in the local art community.
Most Downtown Flint dwellers associate Greg Fiedler with the Greater Flint Arts Council, where he has been President & CEO since 1993. It is only natural that he has a collection of his own! Eclectic and unique, his collection is one that rivals the GFAC’s. In addition to practical advice for aspiring collectors, Greg shares his belief that anyone can begin collecting pieces to which they feel personally and viscerally connected.
Khalil Saab of Sorenson Gross Construction Services and his wife, Ann, a retired curator who now does volunteer work in the Cultural Center, reside in a beautiful house in Fenton, amidst their incredible art collection.
The strength and grace that comes from generations of oppression is manifested in local women who love their community. In the Flint Institute of Arts’ latest exhibition, Women of a New Tribe, photographed by Jerry Taliaferro, display the essence of black women in one black and white photograph; a photo intended to capture each one’s physical and spiritual beauty.
Many people in Greater Flint might know or know of John Henry as the Executive Director at the Flint Institute of Arts; but what some might not know is that he and his wife, Janice, an interior designer, are avid art collectors, and have been since the early 1970s.
Greg Fiedler loves art of any kind and was a performing artist for many years. For the last 23 years, he has put that love and passion for art into his position as CEO and President of the Greater Flint Arts Council. The purpose of GFAC, a non-profit organization, is “to be a catalyst of, and advocate for, increased artistic and cultural enrichment in our ethnically diverse community.”
“Since I was a little kid, I’ve always taken everything apart,” says Ryan Gregory, a local found-object artist, junkyard engineer, and musician who is also known as, “Mr. Creepy.” “The best way to figure out how things work is to take them apart,” he continues, explaining how his interest in reverse engineering somehow turned into an artistic outlet.
If you’re in search of truth, it might just reside inside a 15-foot tall, inflatable speech bubble.
The raw talents of young artists are indisputable. What many young people tend to run into is having no outlet for refining those talents. The Flint Youth Media Project, led by Donna Ullrich of the UM-Flint Communications and Visual Arts Department, has recently provided a method for young people to turn their instincts into learned skills.
Born in Muskegon, Wagner’s connection to Flint began when Ridgway and Shannon White approached her Pontiac glassblowing studio – Epiphany – to commission her to create a piece for the Flint Institute of Arts’ annual fundraiser, The pARTy. “I hadn’t known much about Flint, but the more I come here, it’s so great,” Wagner says. “Everyone is so friendly, and there’s such a wonderful sensibility about the arts.”
