Albion Arts Center reports busy year as council authorizes grant application

By Maggie LaNoue – Contributing Writer

October 16, 2026

The Albion Arts Center reported a busy year of exhibitions, workshops and community activities during an Oct. 5 presentation to Albion City Council. Council also authorized an application for another year of state arts funding.

Albion Arts Commission President Mary Slater and Secretary Nancy Doyal presented the report. Fellow commissioners Jamelah Vincent and Juanita Solis-Kidder attended. Barbara Lange is the commission’s fifth member.

During the first nine months of 2026, the center held eight major exhibitions, 18 workshops and 10 single-day events, according to Slater. She also reported 17 community partnerships and more than 1,000 visitors. In a follow-up email, she said more than 60 artists, mainly local, have participated in the center’s activities.

The center, at 107 E. Cass St., hosts rotating exhibitions and hands-on workshops, including activities for young people and older adults. Major exhibitions are free, as are many workshops. The commission also organizes the outdoor Art Under the Tower event and a holiday art market. Plans include additional pottery opportunities.

Council authorized the city to apply for $20,000 from the Michigan Arts and Culture Council for 2027, with a required $5,000 match from Arts Commission funds. The commission is a city advisory board, so the city submits the application on its behalf. The commission requested $20,000 for 2026 and received $16,000, with a $4,000 match.

Doyal, project director for the 2026 application, said by email that the proposed 2027 funding would continue supporting Arts Commission activities, Arts Center programming and Albion’s creative economy.

Doyal brings more than 40 years of experience as an arts administrator, advocate and artist. She has served as executive director of the Bohm Theatre and managed city-owned arts centers in Florida and California. Her current grant work focuses on housing and community development in Calhoun County, including federal housing grants through a contract with Summit Pointe and work with MI Path Home, an Albion-based nonprofit.

“That experience has taught me that a strong grant starts with a real community need and a realistic plan to meet it,” Doyal said.

Slater’s Albion arts organizing dates to the first Cozy Up With Art gathering in December 2006, a series that continued for 13 years. She later organized Superior Arts exhibitions in a downtown storefront and events at the Ismon House before the Arts Center moved to Cass Street in 2025.

Sylvia Benavidez documented the Arts Center’s development and efforts to provide a permanent home for local artists in a November 2025 article.

Doyal said what she finds most rewarding is supporting Albion’s creative community in every way she can.

“There is nothing better than seeing people of all ages, mediums and abilities come through the doors of the Albion Arts Center and find a place where their creativity is welcome and encouraged,” she said.

For information about upcoming Arts Center programs, events and visiting arrangements, visit www.albionartscenter.com.