Help Choose the Next MI Great Artist – Public Voting is Open!

Support local artists and cast your vote to help choose the next MI Great Artist! More than 200 submissions were entered in this year’s art competition. Click HERE to view the gallery of artworks and submit your vote online. Make sure your favorites move on to the semifinals by voting for them daily. Artworks include painting, photography, sculpture, glass, metal works, jewelry, and more. Take a look and see the fine talent submitted from artists across eight Michigan counties for this year’s competition.

Vote Now: 2018 MI Great Artist Competition!

Vote for your favorite artists daily from now until noon on Wednesday, September 5th. The 30 entries receiving the most votes will move on to become semi-finalists. A select panel of art professionals will then determine the four finalists, including the overall winner, who will share in a prize package worth more than $16,000. New this year is a “People’s Choice” award, the artist who receives the most votes during public voting will receive $750 in cash and automatically become one of the finalists.

With so many impressive entries to choose from, the public’s help is needed to single out the best of the best. The competition allows individuals to vote for as many artists as they wish each day, but they may only select a particular artist once per day. Use the Artist Promotion Guide for easy instructions on how to cast your vote, and if you’re an artist, how to promote your entry.

 

Take a look the fabulous works from past MI Great Artist Winners:

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Memorable Milford Memories

Crowd at Milford Memories 2018

Milford, Michigan hosted it’s 27th annual Milford Memories Festival the weekend of August 10-12, 2018. Always held the second full weekend in August, thousands of visitors from all over the region flocked to the streets of Downtown Milford for art, food, music, and fun.

Check out some highlights from the 2018 Milford Memories Festival below and be sure to mark your calendars for this free annual event each summer!

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Enter to Win! Are you the next MI Great Artist?

If you’re an artist in Southeast Michigan, don’t miss this opportunity to showcase your work in a gallery and earn prize money for doing something you love. Whether your medium is painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, or print-making, this is your chance to take your artistic talent to the next level.

Beginning Wednesday, August 1st at noon, artists may enter their works in the 2018 MI Great Artist competition, where cash and prizes total more than $16,000. Entries may be submitted to MIGreatArtist.com from now until noon on August 17th.

“We have a wealth of superbly talented artists who enter the competition each year,” Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson said. “We’ve added a “People’s Choice” award this year to reward the artist who makes the biggest impact on the public. I encourage those talented individuals to join us as we begin the search for the next MI Great Artist winner.”

Expose your Art! Get a behind the scenes look at 2015 MI Great Artist Winner Kenneth Hershenson‘s story in our video. Learn how winning the MI Great Artist competition helped him market his craft and launch a successful brand through the gallery exhibition exposure and business consultations he received as the winner.

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Summer Camps and Outdoor Fun in Oakland County

School is out and that means kids all around Oakland County are searching for fun activities to keep them entertained. Luckily, there are a wide variety of summer camps and outdoor entertainment happening in our area. Whether they’re interested in boating down a steady stream, hiking in the hills, crafting pieces of art, or practicing robotics indoors, communities in Oakland County have something for everyone.

For a complete list of summer camps and outdoor activities, visit our master list below.

List of Summer Camps and Outdoor Fun in Oakland County

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Art and the Outdoors in Oakland County

Warmer weather means it’s time to enjoy the many outdoor art fairs that showcase the beauty of Oakland County. These art fairs display the work of local artists, so attend and support your local painters, sculptors, and craftspeople! You won’t want to miss SummerFest Food, Arts, and Fun in Auburn Hills, or Arts, Beats, and Eats in Royal Oak, and Milford Memories to name a few. 

Whether you’re lover of mosaics, colorful statuettes, striking paintings, or pencil drawings, you’ll definitely find beauty at any one of the outdoor arts fairs across the county. Use our master list below to find fairs that are happening June through October:

List of Outdoor Art Fairs in Oakland County

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