Spotify Playlist: TCYP's Sunny Days and Starry Nights Summer Playlist

By Emily Petrovich of NewEra Social Marketing

The blossoms! The blue water! The sunny days! The starry skies!

Northern Michigan is a truly beautiful place to enjoy the springtime. This year’s weather seems to be kinder than in the past few years and we’ve been able to enjoy spring rain showers mixed with warm, sunny days… and it seems the plant life is enjoying, too! The blossoms are beautiful, grass is growing like crazy, Morel mushroom hunting is in full swing, and gardens are happily sprouting.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all work places offered recess so we could all go play outside? Just like when we were kids! The fresh spring air is both spicy and sweet – a mix of trees and blooms plus grills and campfires – and its good for the soul.

Alas, we know there are those who stare longingly out their work place windows as the warm season begins and it becomes harder to stay inside and work the day away without wanting to get outside and enjoy the beauty of our TC area. We hope our brand new (and extra long!) mixtape playlist, Sunny Days & Starry Nights, will put a happy spin on your work days and take you right through to happy hours on outdoor patios, al fresco dinners, drives with the windows down, and summer campfires!

This feel-good mix has something for everyone, from brand new jams by Zac Brown Band and Mumford & Sons to fun cover songs like Passion Pit’s version of "Dreams" to awesome new sounds from Whilk & Misky and Jasia. We had to add Joshua Davis’ "The Workingman’s Hymn," who is back in TC after his awesome run on The Voice, and an all-time personal favorite, Sufjan Stevens’ "Say Yes! To M!ch!igan!" from his swell Michigan album.

Check out our Sunny Days & Starry Nights playlist on Spotify.
Any songs you would add? Let us know in the comments!


 

Dennos Museum Summer Exhibit

As a History of Art major, it should come as no surprised that I'm a big fan of Traverse City's Dennos Museum Center (housed on the Northwestern Michigan College campus). And, even though I technically studied the "history" of art, I'm a big fan of art in the here and now. New artists and fantastic pieces are popping up all the time, and whenever I get the chance to wander about and admire some awesome artwork, I'm all over it. 

The Dennos has two great exhibits going on right now: Sideways (which explores skateboard art and culture) and Perimeter (a photo story filled with portraits taken around the perimeter of Lake Michigan. The high-quality visual images in these two exhibits greatly compliment each other.

 As someone who knows absolutely zero about skateboarding (and probably couldn't make it down a straight road on a board without falling over), I found this exhibit to be so fresh. It's bold, colorful, and rooted in a culture I know nothing about but am now totally enraptured by. 

The Dennos put out a call for skateboard art submissions to the community at large, and in return they received a wide array of clever, original, and downright awesome designs. Artists range from all ages and locations, and there are some really beautiful works on display. I have a few favorites myself, but I don't want to ruin the fun for everyone else, so you should go see it for yourself!

Professional artists are also represented. There's a gorgeous mural covering an entire wall in the gallery room, detailed screenprinted works, plus stunning photographs from Michigander Mike Blabac. Honestly, though, nothing took my breath away like the simple yet powerful works of Aaron Draplin, an NMC alum who is absolutely slaying the graphic design world. There's a whole wall of his latest and greatest designs, and he'll be in TC this Friday giving a special presentation as part of the Dennos' skateboard weekend extravaganza (June 20-21). A few of my favorites from Draplin:

 Skateboarding not your thing? Well, it's impossible to not be a fan of the Great Lakes, and Kevin Miyazaki's portraits taken from all around the border of Lake Michigan remind us just how many people love and live around the majestic Michigan. The portraits hug the whole gallery. It's great to see the lake personified in the faces of all these people: young, old, working, vacationing, in groups or all alone.

 My personal favorite part of the Perimeter exhibit is the wall of pictures depicting Lake Michigan from different points around the lake at different times. The entire wall engulfs the viewer in sky and water, and it creates a really intriguing geometric pattern.

 Both exhibits are on display at the Dennos until early September, so go and check it out! Don't forget about the fun and festivities for the TC Park Jam this weekend, too!