Art at the Mill Pond Returns for its Ninth Year

Brighton Art Guild member and Hamburg Township resident Peggy Brewer has been a regular every Thursday during Art at the Mill Pond since the event was launched in 2003.

Brewer said she returns week after week and year after year because it combines two of her favorite subjects: figures and nature. As a former nature photographer, she said she appreciates the scenic atmosphere of the Mill Pond.

Now, in its ninth year, Art at the Mill Pond is returning to downtown Brighton - hopefully with more Brighton Art Guild members in tow, according to organizer Betty MacLeod.

It all started when a few art guild members wanted to interact more with the community, according to MacLeod. About 10 art guild members attend each week for 18 weeks through the summer, but MacLeod said she is hoping to recruit more this year.

"All they have to do is bring a lawn chair and their art," MacLeod said. "We also have a few of them give demonstrations. As the people go by, they like to talk to the community and promote the Brighton Art Guild and all the stuff that we do. It's such an easy, beautiful venue. We've had some artists come down and sell some of their work to people just passing by."

Brewer said she loves being at the Mill Pond because there are so many subjects she can sketch - from children feeding ducks, bicyclists passing by and different downtown buildings like the .

"I began sketching people doing ordinary things at the Mill Pond," Brewer said. "This is really what life is all about - these ordinary moments that bring together couples and families and people enjoying life at the Mill Pond - whether they're walking or jogging along or walking their dogs, taking a bike ride, taking children to the Imagination Station. I see now, a limitless supply of content.

"I see so many of these features slipping away," she said. "Life is moving so fast and change is happening so fast, I really want to preserve these moments. That's become my motivation."

Art at the Mill Pond will be held every Thursday through the end of September, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., weather permitting.