The Belleville Area Council for the Arts held its 16th-annual Community Art Show Oct. 10-12. At the Opening reception on Friday, BACA president Rhonda Dutton greeted the crowd of artists and their families and dedicated this year’s art show to Autism Awareness.
Dutton introduced AnnaNaiya Parker, who was diagnosed with autism when she was young. AnnaNaiya explained that autism isn’t something to fix – it’s something to understand and celebrate. “When you take the time to see beyond the label, you might just discover a universe of creativity and emotion waiting to be discovered,” she explained. She finished by thanking the audience for being open to seeing the world through her kind of color.
President Dutton then announced the art show winners as follows:
2-Dimension: 1st – Janice Anschuetz, 2nd – Dale Compton, 3rd – Asher Tabatowski-Bush.
3D/Fiber Art: 1st – Loel Gnadt, 2nd – Steven Paulsen, 3rd – Janet Pomann.
Autism Awareness: 1st – Sheena Barnes, 2nd – Sophia (Milo) Rabaa, 3rd – Renee Turner.
Photography: 1st – Genevieve Gregory, 2nd – Gary Washington, 3rd – Jennifer Gunderson.
Children (Ages 6-12): 1st – Alan Lietz, 2nd – Amelia Herring, 3rd – Cyril Gregory.
Teens (Ages 13-17): 1st – Katherine Gregory, 2nd – Elyse McClaran, 3rd – Nicholas Sarkesian.
People’s Choice: Aariel D. Williams’ “NBA Supports Autism”. Aariel Williams will be donating her painting to the Romulus Recreation Center.
Winners in all seven categories were awarded ribbons and cash prizes. More photos of the winning artwork can be seen on Facebook at Belleville Area Council for the Arts – BACA.
A special thank you goes to the judges of the artwork for the show: Tim Marsh, former local artist, also Maggie Spencer and Kathy Talley from Riverside Arts Center in Ypsilanti.
Guest judges were Amy Eversole, Keith Johnston, Steve Jones, Linda Priest, Randy Priest, Mary Jo Suchy and Ken Voigt. They awarded ribbons to the following artists: Robert Balderson, Diane Eissinger, Kim Ensch, Mary Gazdag, Mary Orr, Steven Paulsen and Howard Puchalsky, in no particular order.
If you missed the show, all of the winning artwork will be on display at the Belleville Library until the end of the year.
Special tables were set up for Sophia Rabaa, 2025 Senior Scholarship Recipient, and W.H.A.T. (We Have Artistic Talent), local artist group.
BACA thanks all the art show sponsors: BB’s Belleville Boutique, Belleville Smiles, DeBuck’s Family Farm, Door 2 Door with Deidre (Deidre Rivera-Creal), DiPietro & Day, P.C., Law Office of Amy M. Eversole, Team Designs, Jean Morris, Thom & Cynthia Price, Angel Food Catering (Judy Maynard), The Pumpkin Factory (Linda LeBlanc), Wagner’s Homestead Farm, and Lodge Lanes.
BACA appreciates and thanks the Belleville Yacht Club for the location and Garden Fantasy on Main for decorations. Programs were designed by Michele Montour and printed by Keith Johnston Enterprises.
The organizing committee members were Dreama Arnett, Rhonda Dutton, Elaine Gutierrez, Michele Montour, Cynthia Price, Vera Redden, Harry & Cheri Van Gelder, Cheryl Wagner, and Kathryn Wood.
Other BACA programs include cultural outings, Music Lakeside summer series, community art and student scholarships. For more information go to website: www.bacaart.org .
— Elaine Gutierrez
Editor’s Note: Cash prizes for adults were $200 for first place, $100 for second place, and $50 for third place. For children, the prizes were $75, $50, and $25, for first, second, and third.