On wheels or on foot, residents and visitors may encounter one of 22 ART BIKES on display around town through September 15.
The South Haven Center for the Arts invited the community to decorate bicycles for display this summer to celebrate South Haven's designation as one of the first Pure Michigan Trail Towns and draw visitors to the neighborhoods, businesses and sights of South Haven.
The bikes were part of the Fourth of July parade and are currently being auctioned on the South Haven Center for the Arts ART BIKES Album on Facebook through September 15, with proceeds benefitting the work of the art center to enrich the community through the arts.
Diana Densmore created “Summer Flew by in a Day” to express the fleetingness of the seasons. “I always feel like summer goes by too fast and I wanted to capture that feeling, so I created a bike that represents a summer morning and an autumn night,” said Densmore. The bike is a mixed media collage of paint, leaves, feather butterflies, shells, sand and foam used to make flower arrangements. “I am honored to have my bike on display at Cookies on Call. We have been in South Haven for about a year and the art center has been amazingly welcoming. Their programming has something for everyone in the family in every season, and I’m very happy to contribute to such a great organization.”
Barb and Danny Raudonis created “Mardis Gras Party Gras Bead Bike” in honor of ArtPrize artist Nicole Hondros, who unexpectedly passed away last year at the age of 38. The bike is decked out fender to fender with a carload of beads gathered by Hondros at the 2018 Mardis Gras celebration in New Orleans, which she planned to use for large-scale art projects. The artist’s friends and family started the “Nicole Bead Project" to honor Hondros and her work.
“Nicole was all about spreading smiles and joy and sparkly beads are a great representation of her personality. It’s an honor to carry out her vision and complete a large-scale art project with her beads that can be enjoyed by all,” said Danny.
Theresa Frank created “Beach Dogs”. “I was excited to participate in Art Bikes because I love to paint on different, unique surfaces. Since I have a deep love for dogs and the beach is my happy place, I thought it would be fun to combine the two,” said Frank. She sanded, primed and spray-painted the frame, hand-painted each dog with acrylics, and then clear-coated the bike to protect it from the elements. “I painted my dogs, friends' dogs, Al-Van shelter dogs and my dog friends on Instagram. The proceeds from the auction are going to the art center to fund art enrichment programs, which makes me very happy. Art is good for the soul!”
Rock N' Road of South Haven, Cycle-Re-Cycle of St. Joseph and members of the art center donated the bikes, and Rock ‘n’ Road distributed them to the community. “Art Bikes” is brought to you by the SHCA and the Art on the Town Committee, in partnership with the South Haven Visitors Bureau.
The auction is currently open on the South Haven Center for the Arts ART BIKES Album on Facebook and closes on September 15.
ART BIKE Locations
Rock 'n' Road Cycle - 315 Broadway - Kathy Kreager
Hospice at Home - 05055 Blue Star Hwy. - Cari Copi and Joan Bonnette
Phoenix Farm Market - 71001 Cty. Rd. 388 - Cari Copi
First Congregational Church - 651 Phoenix St.
Crescent Moon - 413 Phoenix St. - Nichole Gulotta
Jaqua Realtors - 513 Broadway - Michele Blackmon
Decadent Dogs - 505 Phoenix St. - Theresa Frank
Cookies on Call - 406 Phoenix St. - Diana Densmore
Maritime Museum - 260 Dyckman Ave. - April Sisters
Captain Nemo's- 407 Phoenix St. - Jakki Fox
Shores Vacation Rentals - 408 Eagle St. - Jenna White
South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce - 606 Phillips St.
Clementine's - 500 Phoenix St.
Deboer Baumann & Co. - 610 Phoenix St. - Joan Bonnette
Six Chicks Scratch Kitchen - 364 Broadway - Danny Donuts & Barb Raudonis
Liberty Hyde Bailey Museum - 903 S. Bailey Ave. - Stella Sutton
Ward One Community Action Committee - Elkenburg Park, 309 Elkenburg St.
Epiphany Church - 400 block of Kalamazoo St. in the courtyard - Theresa Soloma
Community Garden - 408 Huron St. - Jennifer Cohen
Outpost Sports - 114 Dyckman Ave. - Kelly Gleeson
Tipsy Brush - 515 Williams St, - Megan Cannon
South Haven Memorial Library, Children's Section - 314 Broadway - Carol Ellenwood
See all ART BIKES and bid on the ART BIKES Facebook Page through September 15.
