The Adams County Arts Council will feature Mike Sanni, Gretchen Shultz and Breaking Silence: A Mental Health Exhibit in our Gallery spaces. A First Friday reception is scheduled for Friday, September 4, 5-7 pm and is open to the public. The shows will remain up through the month of September at the Arts Education Center.
NASA Artist, Mike Sanni, is a self-taught painter, graphic designer, photographer and copy writer. While in college, he majored in astronomy, hoping to get involved in the US Space Program. After relocating to Texas, he joined the aerospace industry at Johnson Space Center and supported many NASA projects as a staff artist. While creating technical illustrations, mission catalogs, emblems, and paintings for NASA, Mike also produced paintings and illustrations of deep space objects, shuttle hardware, and NASA spacecrafts. During the 25th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Mood Landing, Mike presented an original oil painting of President John F. Kennedy to the Kennedy Space Center. This show, titled “LQG and the Planets,” is the result of 2 years of work and will be followed by a commemorating 50th Anniversary Exhibit of the space probes “Voyager 1 and 2.”
Gretchen Schultz is a painter and printmaker whose artistic career spans decades of studio practice, teaching, and professional printmaking. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Painting from Southern Illinois University in 1969 and a Master of Fine Arts in Painting with a minor in Printmaking from the University of Arkansas in 1995. Her additional studies include professional printer training at the Tamarind Institute in Albuquerque and a photogravure workshop at Crown Point Press in San Francisco. Schultz has developed extensive experience in printmaking through artist residencies at Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Colorado and Central Michigan University, where she produced collaborative print editions, taught workshops, and worked with nationally and internationally recognized artists. She has also taught art and printmaking at the elementary, secondary, and university levels, including through the Missouri Arts Council’s Artist-in-Residence program. Her diverse background in painting, printmaking, education, and collaborative studio practice informs her ongoing work as an artist.
Breaking Silence: A Mental Health Exhibit is a show designed to bring people together and create a safe space where individuals can express their experiences through art. On September 12, a program will be held sharing powerful stories of resilience, hope, and healing through creative expression while supporting an issue that affects us all. This immersive community program features artwork from local artists, guest speakers, mental health resources and support, food and refreshments, and opportunities to learn more about the stories behind the art.
Questions regarding these shows and other upcoming Arts Council exhibitions, events, or art classes at the Arts Council’s Arts Education Center, visit www.adamsarts.org, call (717) 334-5006, or email aa@adamsarts.org.
The Adams County Arts Council’s mission is to cultivate an arts-rich community.
Photo Caption: Jupiter by Mike Sanni