When we experience the traditions and lifestyles of a new culture through the worldly perspective of an artist, we open the window for further dialogue and cultural exchange. This is the purpose of the Windows on the World Series at the Midland Center for the Arts. The Center is proud to partner with the Midland Area Interfaith Friends for an evening of music and conversation with Arab-Jewish ensemble Shesh Besh on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at 7 p.m. at the United Church of Christ, 4100 Chestnut Hill Drive, Midland, MI. The ensemble will perform several selections from both Eastern and Western repertoire, and answer questions while facilitating conversation about life in the Middle East and their goal of building bridges across religion and culture through the art of music. The event is free and open to the public.

Midland Center for the Arts recently announced the addition of Michael Mirto as the new Vice President of Development. Mirto comes to the Center from the Detroit area where he was the VP of Philanthropic Services for the Community Foundation of Southeast Michigan, and before that the Associate Vice President of Individual Giving at Wayne State University.

Imagine if Albert Einstein had met Pablo Picasso, sat down at a local watering hole in 1904 and both disclosed what would soon become their most brilliant ideas. What would happen if these two struggling artists, geniuses you might say, shared tales and new discoveries? Welcome to the brilliant and witty writing of other legendary artist and playwright, Steve Martin.

The biggest night of the year is approaching as we celebrate the start of 2020, and the Midland Center for the Arts is open for a special New Years Eve celebration for the entire family! The Museum of Science and Art will be open for special hours on Tuesday, December 31 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with free admission for museum members, $10 for adults and $7 for children.

Don’t just sit inside this holiday season while your students are home for the holiday break, go outside and explore the wilderness. At the Midland Center for the Arts, they are bringing creativity and imagination to families looking to explore Midland history through the current exhibit, Forever Forest.

Starting at an early age, Blue C. M. Dingman dreamed of assembling her own Christmas village. “I’ve always loved villages, since the time I was little, watching them get assembled for department stores in holiday movies on our families black-and-white television set,” said Dingman, the artist behind Blue’s Christmas Village at the 1874 Bradley Home this December. What started as a childhood memory signifying the holiday season quickly grew into 102 hand-painted homes, storefronts, hospitals and even a cemetery.

The Midland Center for the Arts recently announced Jacob Huss as the new Historical Programs and Exhibitions Manager. Jacob was formerly the Assistant Curator for the Midland County Historical Society and a Museum Generalist for the Alden B. Dow Museum of Science and Art.