Past Exhibitions
Mistletoe Market 2020
Virtual Artist & Artisan Gallery
The art center created a virtual market in 2020 full of fine art and artisan work created by artists during quarantine.
Click here to view the virtual gallery and here to read about some of the artists.
Watercolor Illustration by Emily Winkel
Beyond, Behind, Beneath
Narrative Self-Portraiture
10th Annual Juried Exhibition
2020
The South Haven Center for the Arts invited artists from across the nation to create narrative self-portraits. Artists were asked to take inspiration from the exhibition Frida Kahlo’s Garden—a National Endowment for the Humanities traveling exhibit that presents an intimate look at how nature and culture nourished Kahlo's creativity and informed the narrative in her art.
Click here to view the exhibition.
Self-Portrait In The Style of Frida Kahlo, by Kimberly Lyons
"Beyond, Behind, Beneath" was sponsored by the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs.
Setting Stones
71st Annual Member Exhibition
2020
The South Haven Center for the Arts celebrated 71 years of member creativity with an exhibition called Setting Stones.
Our members are our rock.
Stonehenge, Plymouth Rock, (R)rolling (S)stones, rock-n-roll, etched in stone, sticks and stones, rock your world, concrete jungle. You name it. You might just see it.
Click here to view the exhibition.
Artwork by Claire Hamlin
"Setting Stones" was sponsored by the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs.
Marion Anderson and Dorris Akers
What's Next?
2019
An exhibition in honor of the evolutionary artwork of South Haven residents Marian Anderson and Dorris Akers, two extraordinary artists who have been contributing art to our community for many years. Let their work tell you their stories.
Artwork: Detail of a painting by Marian Anderson from a drawing game played with her daughter during a flight to Japan.
"Marian Anderson and Dorris Akers: What's Next?" was sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs.
Innovations in Fiber
Regional Juried Exhibition
2019
Creative explorations in fiber and textile incorporating traditional and non-traditional materials from suede to steel.
Yogi Bodhi Tea Wisdom by Cynthia Boudreau
Visit our blog to read more about fiber art.
"Interpretations in Fiber" was sponsored by the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs.
With (re)Purpose
9th Annual Juried Exhibition
2018
With (re)Purpose features artwork created by regional artists that repurposes recycled materials into something beautiful and sustainable. With this exhibition the artists and the SHCA hope to create an awareness of the importance of responsible consumption to help protect earth’s global ecological footprint. We all live downstream.
Artwork by Theresa and Jeff Heaton
"With (re)Purpose" was sponsored by the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs.
FUSEDChicago Midwest Encaustic
2018
Featured the work of 23 artists working in the ancient medium of beeswax and pigment.
Visit our blog to read more about encaustic art.
Cover Me Again (6) by Cat Crotchett
"FUSEDChicago Midwest Encaustic" was sponsored by the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs.
The Art of Magic
2017
Exhibition that highlighted the world of performance magic and magicians in America and beyond through early lithography, posters, prints, and other 19th and 20th century historical artifacts to explore connections between the art of magic and the magic of art.
"The Art of Magic" was sponsored by the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs.
Great Lakes Pastel Society
Juried Member Exhibition
2017
This exhibition featured 49 pastel artworks by 38 Great Lakes Pastel Society member artists.
The Great Lakes Pastel Society Juried Exhibition was sponsored by the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs.
Fantastical Flora and Fauna
2020
The South Haven Center for the Arts celebrated Frida Kahlo’s garden at Casa Azul in 2020, her lifelong refuge and inspiration. This celebration of indigenous Mexican culture featured a range of plants and animals native to her home country. In her studio, Frida painted still lifes and self-portraits exploding with the colors and shapes of these plants and animals.
What’s growing in your garden?
Click here to view the virtual gallery.
Artwork by MANDEM
"Fantastical Flora and Fauna" was sponsored by the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs.
Frida Kahlo's Garden
Reimagined
Summer 2020
Both the Frida Kahlo's Garden and Exhibition Advisory Committees worked with community partners, art teachers, and artists to put grand and detailed plans in place for our celebration of Frida Kahlo this summer.
Though the art center had hoped to display the National Endowment for the Humanities exhibition, "Frida Kahlo's Garden," due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the art center had to close to the public.
The SHCA is extremely prideful and grateful that the organization was able to pivot quickly and lean into the work that could be done at the time. The art center brought the spirit and inspiration of Frida Kahlo and her garden to South Haven through an outdoor garden and poster exhibition downtown and to the exterior of the art center, as well as online events and virtual exhibitions.
Read the update from Executive Director here.
Image designed by Jennifer Sistrunk
"Frida Kahlo's Garden Reimagined" was sponsored by Paul Hix's Office of Edward Jones, The Greater South Haven Area Community Foundation, and the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs.
BOND: Five Mosaic Artists
2019
Darcel Deneau – Sue Majewski – Joan Schwartz – Michelle Sider – Ruth Tyszka
2D and 3D mosaics created from glass, stone, ceramic and repurposed materials that illustrate the essential, yet often invisible bond between materials and the foundation on which each work is built.
It's All In the Eyes by Joan Schwartz
"BOND: Five Mosaic Artists" was sponsored by the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs.
South Haven Artists of Tomorrow
Student Exhibition
Spring Annual
Each year the South Haven Center for the Arts gives local K-12 art students the opportunity to showcase their work in a professional gallery setting. South Haven High School, Baseline Middle School, North Shore Elementary School, St. Basil Catholic School, St. Paul Luthern School, Bangor Schools, Covert Schools, and Van Buren Tech participate each year.
Artwork by Kyra Gumpert, 2020
"Artists of Tomorrow" was sponsored by South Haven Public Schools and the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs
70th Annual Member Exhibition
Two by Two
2019
30 artists displayed more than 50 pieces of artwork that showcased their talent through creative interpretations of this wide-open theme.
Artwork by David Baker and Judy Anthrop
Two by Two was sponsored by the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs.
Tales of the Sea: An Exhibition of Mythical and Aquatic Art
2018
Juried exhibition that featured a diverse yet cohesive body of work from around the country exploring themes of aquatic beauty, mythology and folklore.
Artwork by Vincent Mattina
"Tales of the Sea: An Exhibition of Mythical and Aquatic Art" was sponsored by the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs.
Exquisite Corpse
Head-to-Toe and In-Between
2018
Featured the unique artwork of the the Southwest Michigan Printmakers (SWMP).
Artwork by Bev Hundley
"Head-to-Toe & In-Between" was sponsored by the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs.
Just Drawing
8th Annual Juried Exhibition
2017
This exhibition explored the arrangement of line and mark in space as the main attraction.
Torso by Joan Bonnette
"Just Drawing" was sponsored by the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs.