Stories at the Center

This past fall, history was made when two NASA astronauts completed the first-ever spacewalk by an all-woman team, what you could say is ‘one giant leap for mankind,’ and more importantly, womankind. These two astronauts made history only 35 years after the first woman to spacewalk, and now more than any time in our history, women are entering the workforce for careers in science, technology, engineering and math.

As Midland Center for the Arts quickly approaches its 50^th anniversary next year, Center programs are seeing exciting growth. In its latest edition, Pollstar Magazine ranked the Center as one of the top theatre venues in the world based on ticket sales. Over the past few years, new programs highlighting shows and artists from around the world, as well as newly formulated community-produced events have contributed to the Center’s increasing audiences and growing notoriety within the arts industry.

Remember back to reading your history book as a student, witnessing the portraits of prominent leaders, honored and depicted through the art form of portraiture? Do you remember more portraits of women or men? The Midland Center for the Arts is taking a look at prominent women on a local and national scale who have had achievements in civil rights, public policy, philanthropy, art and science. Seeing HERstory, the role women have played in history.

The Midland Center for the Arts is starting dialogue and presenting programs around the role women have played in history, and their achievements that are impacting tomorrow. Connecting these themes with the bi-annual (Be)causes & Effects symposium, the Midland County Historical Society welcomes award-winning author Daisy Hernandez as keynote speaker to share current disparities in today’s culture on Feb. 1 in the Center Lecture Room below the Alden B. Museum of Science & Art.

The Center is ‘giving a ball’ and one local princess will be perform a solo at the Broadway Princess Party! An iconic trio featuring Broadway’s original Cinderella, Belle, and Anastasia come to Midland Center for the Arts on Feb. 7 for this hit concert, direct from New York City. Princesses of all ages are invited to share a video singing one of Disney’s animated favorites: “Almost There” from The Princess and the Frog, “Just Around the Riverbend” from Pocahontas, or “When Will My Life Begin” from Tangled.

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.

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.