You can’t spell “heart” without “art,” and the heart of downtown Mt. Pleasant is picturesque proof.
Walk down Broadway or Main Street on any given day and you’ll see creativity at every turn. Curious eyes peering into gallery exhibit windows. A workshop buzzing with hands-on energy. Live music being played on the corner. Or an art market that’s transformed street blocks into showcasing local talent.
These artistic hubs are fueling entrepreneurship, offering affordable access to the arts, and creating inclusive spaces where everyone—regardless of age or ability—can find a way to connect.
At the center of it all are two organizations with different models but a shared mission: Art Reach of Mid Michigan and For Art’s Sake. Together, they are shaping not only Mt. Pleasant’s art scene, but also its small business spirit—all the while providing increased access to a variety of arts and cultural programming for the area.
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Courtesy Art Reach of Mid MichiganArtists Battle 2025
Art Reach
Since 1981,
Art Reach of Mid Michigan has worked to promote, stimulate, and encourage involvement and appreciation of the arts in the mid-Michigan region.
Amy Powell is the executive director at Art Reach, and has been with the center for the past nine years. She says the organization, located at 111 E. Broadway Street, began as a grassroots effort to keep the arts alive and accessible through art and cultural programs.
“We have continued to do that throughout the years with a real wide variety of programming opportunities with the Morey Family Gallery and a retail operation,” she says. “We really pride ourselves on being a community organization, opening the doors and opportunities for everybody regardless of ability and or financial resources.”
As the only nonprofit art organization in Isabella County, the center provides classes, private parties, community programs and festivals, rotating exhibits in gallery spaces, and a gift shop.
“We also have some tuition-based programming which is anywhere from a one-time fun class for adults and kids of all ages, to some skill-building classes as well, which might run anywhere from four to 12 weeks, based on a specific art medium,” Powell says. “We also do a ton of collaboration and partnerships with other nonprofits and for-profits and municipalities within the area as well.”
Powell attributes part of the organization’s growth to the community input and support over the years. They used to provide four to six classes a month to the public, and now, she estimates they provide an average of six classes a week—if not more.
They’ve also expanded to offer successful overnight adult family and art camps, focused on non-traditional art.
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Courtesy Art Reach of Mid MichiganAdult Art Camp in March 2025
“The other piece I’m really proud of is our
Club Create program, which we launched a couple years ago,” Powell says.
“Initially, it was a once a month program, and we’ve expanded it to twice a month,” Powell explains. “It’s designed specifically for adults with developmental or cognitive impairments to come, make art, have fellowship, and engage in meaningful ways within their own communities.”
“That was an unmet need for many miles around,” she continues. “It is so incredible to see the positive effects of this program on the individuals who are taking advantage of it, and that continues to grow.”
Being a successful nonprofit requires an ability to actively listen to the community’s needs, and to provide solutions for those unmet needs. Powell says the needs of Isabella County are an ever-moving target, and Art Reach works hard to pivot accordingly and accessibly.
“The research indicates that the poverty and the ALICE population are somewhere around 50-55% of the population in Isabella County,” she says. “When we take into account those two populations as a gauge of what our community is comprised of, we know that when families are struggling to put food on the table, put shoes on kids, or get back and forth to medical appointments—having art and cultural programming isn’t always at the top of their priority list. Oftentimes, it’s seen as a luxury.”
“We would rather say that art is not a luxury,” she says, continuing, “it’s a critical component of self-actualization, and we hope that by trying to supplement that part of the arts and cultural experience, that we’re making our community stronger, more well-rounded and giving folks the exposure to the artist when they might not otherwise have that opportunity.”
The small but mighty staff of Art Reach’s passion in advocating for the arts remains strong, even in a world with funding cuts and AI.
“I know that not everybody has access to the arts, and the arts are a critical component for brain development and well-rounded achieving individuals,” Powell says. “Art can be very therapeutic even if it’s not in an art-therapy vein. A lot of individuals find some centering and ability to process stress and crises when we have some of these creative outlets in place.”
Whether it’s a painting, a sculpture downtown, songs on the radio, TV shows, movies, or cute coffee mugs, art is all around us.
“We need to be aware of and be supporting those creative sectors and creative industries that drive so much of what we as consumers take in on a daily basis,” Powell says.
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Courtesy Art Reach of Mid MichiganTina Vivian Art Gallery Reception
Upcoming classes, camps, and community festivals with Art Reach include:
- Adult art camp at School Section Lake in Mecosta from Aug. 19-22
- Gallery exhibit, Clocking in for Unpaid Labor, on display through Aug. 27
- Call for artists of all ages to submit postcard size art for a September exhibit, Tiny Treasures, in the Morey Family Gallery
- Art From Our Park event, in partnership with Isabella County Parks, at Deerfield Nature Park on Sept. 20
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Photo Credit Sally Rudy / For Art’s SakeFor Art's Sake art market in 2024.
For Arts Sake
Megan Bair is the founder and owner of
For Art’s Sake, a volunteer-run art co-op designed to encourage and support the arts, making it affordable and available for the Mt. Pleasant community.
Coined as “Etsy in real life,” For Art’s Sake is a brick-and-mortar space, showcasing tangible art pieces from regional artists, amidst an ever growing digital world. It began in 2015 with a community of artists, rotating art.
What started off as 24 artists has grown to include over 100 artists within the store’s space.
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Photo Credit Sally Rudy / For Art’s SakeFor Art's Sake art market in 2024.
“Having art to see, touch, and feel and experience in real life is important,” Bair says. “It has an effect on everybody in different ways. Being able to see or shop it in-person, or to create the art in our space using our materials, gives everybody an opportunity to experience art in different ways.”
The downtown Main Street location is in a historical two-story building, formerly the high-end clothing store, The New Yorker. The main floor is divided, featuring room for a maker’s space with materials and elbow room to create art, as well as a space for artists to sell their work. It’s also available for private classes, birthday parties, and artist-led workshops each month. There’s even a rage room in the back.
“To me, having this brick and mortar is more of an experience than a shopping opportunity,” Bair says.
To sell their work in For Art’s Sake, artists pay based on their sales on a consignment basis, making it an affordable option for artists, says Bair. Mediums vary from jewelry to 3D printed items, to craft kits, and something for everyone on every budget.
The annual Market for the Arts event is one of their largest and most popular community get-togethers—and this year’s annual event takes place this week downtown from Aug. 22-24. The event will include 70 vendors, a silent disco, kids market, comedy show, a jigsaw puzzle competition, and more.
This event—as well as For Art’s Sake—have both grown over the years.
“When we opened the store in 2020, we had three artist vendors selling in our maker space, full of materials I happened to have in my basement,” Bair says. “We’ve grown to over 100 artists selling their work, regular class scheduling, [plus] we added the splatter paint room and the rage room, the loft of clothing. We have an amazing team of volunteers that work here regularly to keep the store open. It’s run as a co-op so everyone involved has hands-on decision making, so that relieves a lot of the work and pressure on me, but also makes sure people involved have a hand in the success that’s happening here.”
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Photo Credit Sally Rudy / For Art’s SakeFor Art's Sake art market in 2024.
The goal has always been to build the community, and the community has asked for more field trips, large group outings, and ways to socialize, says Bair.
“As we get older, it can get more difficult to make friends, meet people, and socialize in ways that don’t include the typical socializing scene. Meeting the need to have a community of people in our lives is really important to me,” Bair says.
Upcoming For Art’s Sake classes, camps, and community festivals include:
- Dream in Color: Kid’s workshop on Sun. Aug. 17
- Silent Disco on Fri. Aug. 22
- 8th Annual Market for the Arts event, featuring 70 vendors outside on three downtown blocks, from Fri.-Sun. Aug. 22-24.
- Adult Art Club on Fri. Aug. 29, featuring collage-making