By MaCayla Jablonski, Staff Reporter.
Saginaw has potential to take over as Michigan’s newest music focal point thanks to Counter Culture’s upcoming festival. The Patchwork Art & Music Festival is held April 8 through 16 in Bay City, Saginaw and Midland.
Counter Culture officially opened its doors in April 2015 as a community based arts collective. Co-owners, Benjamin Champagne and Curtis Dalton, and employee, Rachel LaDrig, have been avid in the arts and music scene for over a decade. Champagne and Dalton created Counter Culture to bring arts and music to the GLBR. They feature music, art, lights, philosophy, jokes, etc. As their Facebook page says, “You think it? Let’s create it!”
Patchwork will feature various cultural exhibits including yoga classes, poetry readings and a film showcase.
The inspiration for the Patchwork festival was that it takes 30 minutes to get from downtown [Detroit] to Ferndale. “Here in the GLBR, people don’t travel from town to town often enough,” Champagne says. “We thought, wouldn’t it be nice if when you had an indie show, and all the indie kids from every town came? Or punk, or art, or Dear Diary or whatever it may be. So, why not throw a festival that incorporates every town?”
Champagne finds himself influenced by ArtPrize in Grand Rapids. “I really like how every nook and cranny of the city has something to offer and most Individuals retain control of content and curation, but they all act as a whole. That’s a great model for life in general.”
Counter Culture hopes to make the festival an annual event, and Champagne says they have more plans in store. “We know financially [Patchwork] has already worked out. The bills are paid. So, all we need is for tons of people to show up.”
Music genres featured in Patchwork will vary from alternative rock to R&B, and rock-rap to folk. The genre differs depending on the show you’re interested in.
The film showcase, Left Field, is a mash-up of amateur indie films created by students and other Michigan locals. Left Field is on April 10 at 4 p.m., located at Counter Culture in Saginaw.
The art exhibit at Patchwork, titled Fun House features artists including Penelope Gazin, Will Laren, Ryan Gregory, Matthew Milia, Rob Rosin, Kate Costea, and Casey Hulzenga. The types of art being showcased will vary from comics, to illustrations, to photography and digital art. Fun House is on April 8 at 8 p.m., located at Counter Culture.
The festival will feature Andy Mozina reading from his novel “Contrary Motion.” Mozina is a short story writer whose books include “Quality Snacks” and “The Women Were Leaving The Men.” He is an associate professor of English at Kalamazoo College in Michigan. Mozina will be reading on April 15 at 1 p.m., at SVSU in Founders Hall. Patchwork includes two other open-mic poetry opportunities. One of the open-mics will be on April 11 at 7 p.m., located at the Red Eye Coffeehouse in Saginaw. The other open-mic night will be on April 12 at 7 p.m., located at The Fix in Bay City.
Patchwork also features Yogaudio: A Sensory Experience. Yogaudio is a yoga class lead by Rachel LaDrig, that is paired with audio effects and visual and sensory stimuli. This will take place on April 13 at 7 p.m., located at The Bradley House Theatre @FCC in Saginaw.
Tickets are available now online at patchworkis.com. Ticket deals include a full event pass, which grants admission to all 13 events, and separate tickets for individual events. A full event pass costs $25 now, but will get more expensive as the dates come closer. Individual event prices vary.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact Champagne, Dalton, LaDrig and the rest of the gang at their Facebook page titled Counter Culture.
