Spotlights Market art fair coming to The Village of Rochester Hills

Art. Entertainment. Food. It can all be found at The Village of Rochester Hills when Meadow Brook Theatre Guild will hold its annual Spotlights Market, a fine art and gift show, on Oct. 2, 3 and 4. This is a new location and new date for the show in its 24th year. Affordable and creative art mediums including paintings, sculptures, clothing, photography, jewelry and much more will be featured at this popular event. “The juried show will feature 115 artisans from near and far, almost half of which are new to the show this year, along with the return of many favorites” according to Suellen Parkes, Spotlights chairperson. Admission is free.

C.L. Schneider Jewelry will be selling hand-tooled, one-of-a-kind sterling silver jewelry with semiprecious gemstone accents. “My creative process,” says Carl Schneider, “ begins with selecting unusual materials – unexpected color stories and textures – then allowing those elements to ‘speak’ to me as I construct the piece. I rarely sketch a design as I find that working in real time with natural elements enables the piece to reflect balance and movement that embodies the organic composition of say, a river bed or a bird’s nest.”

Joseph Ferris is traveling to the show all the way from Boca Raton, FL, with his metal art designs that he aims to engage the viewer with visual stimulation created by his metal finishing techniques. “These advanced metal finished processes”, Ferris says, “involve etching the metal surface with various tools that will reflect light in an infinite array of beautiful moving reflections. I also combine various coloring applications which add vibrant colors to further engage the viewer.”

Garden art is always a popular gift item, and buy one for yourself to enjoy. Grape Wood Designs features bird houses and feeders that are individually designed and built in Iron Mountain. Even though there are many types of designs, each one is different and unique because of the vine roots. The roots gives each design a good place for the birds to perch.

Annie’s Dolls are created by self-taught doll artist, Michele Sapp, who has been creating Afrocenric dolls for over 10 years. She is inspired by cultural, historical and family heritage. Her dolls, which are uniquely created, are dressed in a variety of hand-sewn or wrapped garments, accented with beads, baskets, shells, feathers, raffia, and other found materials that provide a natural feel.

Make it a family day and bring the kids because there will be lots of activities including a coloring contest and a chance for kids to create their own fun masks. Entertainment will be on hand throughout the show. Storyteller, Judy Dery, always engages the kids with her delightful stories. Musician Guy Louis performs original musical expressions. The Peanut Gallery Players, a children’s theatre, will be making performances as well as Full Impact Theatre, a youth theatre comprised of youth ages 13 to 19. Show goers won’t go hungry as there will be lots of choices in the food tents while shopping, along with many goodies to take home.

While enjoying a fun-filled day, attendees will leave with a smile on their faces and treasures to wear or display in their homes and gardens. It’s also a perfect place to pick up unique gift items for friends and family. Spotlights Market is a fundraiser organized by the Meadow Brook Theatre Guild to benefit Meadow Brook Theatre, Michigan’s largest producing professional theatre, located on the campus of Oakland University.

Spotlights Fine Art and Gift Market takes place at the Village of Rochester Hills, northeast corner of Adams and Walton in Rochester Hills., on Oct. 2 and 3 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Oct.4 from Noon to 6 p.m. For more information, visit www.spotlightsmarket.com.