Farmington Art Foundation Names 2012 Spring Art Exhibit Winners

Members of the local arts community will be honored during this year's Festival of the Arts celebration, held April 19-21 at the in Farmington Hills. 

The 2012 Artist in Residence is William Allen Brown, a talented basket weaver whose free-form creations include natural fibers woven into fluent shapes. Brown never creates two baskets alike but lets the materials, which may include horns or antlers, determine the direction of the design. He is a member of the Association of Michigan Basketmakers and the National Basket Organization and has won awards at many shows over the years.

Brown is a retired dentist who moved to Farmington Hills with his wife in 1968 after returning from duty in Vietnam. He established a private dental practice in downtown Farmington, where he worked for 30 years. His beautiful woven artwork can also be seen at the Twisted Fish Gallery in Elk Rapids, MI.

The Distinguished Service to the Arts Award will be presented for the first time to a couple, Cynthia and Brian Tupper. The Tuppers have been core members of the for over 30 years, contributing greatly to the community theater group's goal to bring quality community theater experiences to the area. Their contributions have included directing, set design, costuming, acting, event planning, and fund raising. They are described as creative artists who work with a heart-felt passion and an “ever-present quest to do it right.”

The Awards Ceremony will also include the and Honored Volunteer Awards. The Farmington Art Foundation will also recognize the winners of its 2012 Spring Art Exhibit, which will be on display at the Costick Center.

Artists honored are: 

1st Place Rosemarie Simonton, Farmington Hills - "Grandmother's Girls" - Pastel

2nd Place Dean Rogers, Novi - "Casting A Spell On You" - Colored Pencil

3rd Place Ann Carlson Wheeler, Southfield - "Guardian" - Watercolor

4th Place Robbie Best, Farmington Hills - "Narrative" - Watercolor Collage 

Best is the Farmington Area Arts Commission's .