This year Legacy Land Conservancy is undertaking several projects to explore and celebrate the benefits which connection to the land brings to human beings.  Collaborating with Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Sandhill Crane Vineyards, the Conservancy is presenting two major Art Exhibitions and several Special Exhibits to celebrate the land and all it brings us.

The land that supports all the natural systems people depend on for life is vitally important.  Often, we do not take time to recognize this.  Fostering recognition of the connection between land and people is a key component of Legacy’s mission.

The Legacy of the Land Through Art project is a mixed media juried exhibition that was open to artists active in Washtenaw and Jackson Counties – areas where Legacy Land Conservancy has preserved properties.  Eighty-nine artists applied for inclusion in this project and 43 were selected.  The selected artists represent an array of media, from oil, pastel, acrylic and photography.  Works will be of varying sizes and will include both two and three-dimensional pieces.  Jurors for the project are well known in the community for their expertise in art; they are Deborah Greer, Louise Lutton, Norma Penchansky-Glasser, and Joseph Trumpey.

The first Legacy of the Land Through Art exhibition takes place at the University of Michigan Matthaei Botanical Gardens in their conservatory and exhibition spaces.  Matthaei is partnering with Legacy to present this mixed media art event.  The exhibition will be open to the public from October 12 through November 10 in the Botanical Gardens building at 1800 North Dixboro Road in Ann Arbor.  The opening reception for this exhibit will be a by-invitation-only gala on Friday, October 11 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. (RSVP required.)

The second exhibition takes place at the Sandhill Crane Vineyards on 4724 Walz Road in Jackson, Michigan.  It will be open to the public from February 1, 2014 through March 9, 2014.  The opening reception for this event will be held on Friday, January 31, 2014 from 5:00 to 7:30 pm.  The charge for this event will be $35 per person, which can be treated as a tax-deductible contribution to the Legacy Land Conservancy.