For a single weekend each June for as long as I can recall, Flint residents are treated to the…read moreFlint Art Fair, sponsored by Flint Institute of Arts and Friends of Modern Art, on the grounds of the cultural center. This two day (occasionally three days, but that's rare) festival of art & crafts is always a special treat for a beleaguered city often plagued by negativity. For that one weekend, the city comes out to enjoy art, music and activities for the kids. It's an eclectic blend of people coming together to support the arts. As a "juried" art festival, every vendor must be approved beforehand by a panel comprised of the FIA/FOMA. In other words, quality arts/crafts, not kitsch, is what the Flint Art Fair is all about. Essentially, everything from oil & acrylic paintings, pen & ink drawings, prints, mixed media, photography, sculpture, pottery/ceramics and blown glass to handmade jewelry, stained glass, clothing, handbags/wallets, leather goods, hammered metal objects, "upcycled" DIY lawn ornaments and everything in between can be found here during any given year. The selection always runs the gamut from traditional to whimsical. This year's event was no exception. I felt that most artistic mediums were well-represented from what I saw at this most recent fair, along the lines of previous years, even if there was perhaps a slight decrease in the number of participating vendors than what I'm used to seeing. In retrospect, I think there were probably 3-5 more booths last year, but it didn't seem to affect the quality of the festival at all. The FAF always has a great turnout in terms of the number and high quality of its vendors each year. The only damper on this year's event was the scorching temperature- the heat index rose to 100 degrees both days, so it was pretty difficult to walk around in such oppressive heat. Sometimes the weather is great and sometimes it isn't, but you can't control Mother Nature. Once again, the cost of admission was $5 per adult. Kids (under 12, I think) get in for free and members of FOMA also receive free admission, but not members of the FIA. I think that isn't fair to strictly FIA members, but the fee goes toward defraying costs of the event, so who cares? Seriously, they haven't raised the price of admission in several years, so who am I to complain? For that mere $5, you get to sample (and have the opportunity to purchase) an array of unique, handmade wares. Literally, a world of art is at your fingertips. Just don't break anything. I'm kidding- sort of. It's always a blast to just trek around the art fair, even if I'm not in a buying mood (who am I kidding, I'm always in a mood to shop and I can't remember the last time I attended and left empty-handed). Alas, I usually buy something, whether it be pottery, photography or jewelry. I just can't help myself. There's just always so much to see and buy. I regret not picking up some Game of Thrones style jewelry I saw. Sigh. It was gorgeous. I think it's a good way to pick up DIY tips or grab a gift that I know I'll use down the line for someone else. A few years ago, I picked up a lawn object d' arte for the garden welded from different metals for my mom''s birthday. She loved it. At this point, I have a house full of artsy finds I've managed to acquire over the years from the FAF alone. Are the prices rock bottom cheap? Not a chance, but they aren't over-the-top exorbitant, either, especially when taking into consideration the fact that you're supporting artisans from around the state (and even a few from out of state) who make their living plying their trade traveling from festival to festival. I personally like the idea of owning some one-of-a-kind, handmade home decor. In my opinion, there's something to suit just about everyone's budget- from $15 hand-crafted bottle stoppers to $800 paintings. It all depends on what you're looking for. Last year, my haul included jewelry, a glass dish and two prints. Every year is a bit different. This year, I picked up a serving tray hammered from recycled aluminum soda cans for $25. That's probably the least I've ever spent at one of these outings. I would have looked around and spent more, but the heat was unbearable. Each year, live musical entertainment is featured all weekend, including decidedly family-friendly acts during the day. However, after the sun goes down and the arts/crafts booths close, it switches to more adult fare, with the beer & food tents still active for a few more hours. Face & chalk painting are always popular activities for the kids and are of nominal cost. There's even a silent auction every single year featuring pieces donated by local artisans, but I've never managed to win anything, despite my few attempts. The items up for grabs are quite nice, particularly the blown glass and jewelry. Proceeds benefit FIA/FOMA programming. All vendors accept credit cards, sans the food/beer tent.

Very nice, newer art gallery in Flint…read more This gallery is focused more on African American history and art and other ethnic minorities, displaying some powerful and eclectic pieces, including some very well known artwork by some of the country's most well known artists, plus lesser known or up and coming artists. They run a new art installation every several weeks and have a video display, too, featuring a short film or a video art piece. As with other galleries in the area, they are now part of the city's monthly art walk and they have a reception and usually jazz music or some other instrumental music during the festivities. I've been to this gallery several times and signed up for the E newsletter, too. It's one of the nicer, more intriguing galleries around and it's never the same dull art twice. They have everything, including paintings, multi media, videos, clay, installation art, and more. I try to make sure my family drops by at least once every month or two.

What a great addition to the downtown arts scene…read more This museum/art gallery is the new permanent home to the Mott Warsh art collection. It displays artwork crafted in a variety of mediums (paintings, fabric, charcoal, photography, mixed media, sculpture, pen & ink drawings, etc) primarily by artists of the African diaspora, showcasing the history and culture of African American artists and their legacy upon the art world today. Some of the work is infused with political statements, historical narratives, etc. It's all pretty interesting stuff and most of the pieces give one pause when thinking about how they came to be. I'm glad there is a newer voice in the local fine art scene and MW Gallery seems to be evoking necessary conversations about art, history and multiculturalism, opening a new dialogue about racial issues, too. The gallery, which opened in 2016, is a regular participant in the city's Second Friday Art Walk now, along with other galleries, shops, street artisans, and "pop up" galleries located along the Saginaw Street corridor. I try to hit the MW Gallery every month during Art Walk because it's a refreshing change of pace from some of the "watered down" art forms at some of the other galleries, yet is more serious and often significant than some of the installation art exhibitions found elsewhere. Overall, the museum is a great addition to the Second Friday Art Walk scene, filling a huge void that desperately needed satisfying. It's too bad it took so long to do so, but now there is a gallery more reflective of the city's urban roots. The collection comprises work by more than 125 different artists, most of which dating from after 1940. Some pieces in the collection are temporarily on loan at other locations, including Applewood Estate, Flint Public Library, Genesys and many more. The gallery, located in the Phoenix Building on Saginaw Street in downtown Flint, is not a large museum per se, but it does include some truly significant works of art, carefully straddling the lines between entertainment, culture and education remarkably well. I've been here several times now and I feel that the artwork shown is usually highly significant and seems to have been curated to pack the most visual and emotional punch. The gallery's small "black box" theater offers a new short film regarding art/history of the African diaspora every month as well. In short, this gallery definitely is pulsating with beautiful, thought-provoking art. Is some of it "controversial?" Perhaps to some people, but not really. I've been pretty impressed with the collection ever since I first toured the gallery last year. Now, I made a point to stop in every time the city-wide art walk is on, at the very least, just to see the latest exhibition, occasionally popping in other times as well. If you're interested in something other than "cookie cutter" style art and crave something more thought-provoking, then you might want to check out the MW Gallery. If I wanted to look at a pretty, nineteenth century watercolor, I'd go somewhere else. If I want to look at something more thought-provoking, then this is the place.

Super friendly and personable service with an adorable little dog too! Great products and even…read morebetter shows.

From the owner: Pure Energy 3D Aura uses the IES Aura Cloud 3D, powered by Inneractive Enterprises, Inc. The Aura…read moreCloud is a Multimedia Biofeedback Imaging System that uses the Science of Biofeedback, Color Therapy, and Energy Medicine to measure, analyze, and display an accurate representation of your emotional - energetic State, your Aura.

As an avid runner, I run at least a race a month throughout the year. The Crim tops them all. The…read moreorganization of the 10 mile race is spectacular. Ample (free) parking close to the start line, visible mileage markers with clocks, drink stations on both sides of the street nearly every half mile, waved start for fast and slow runners (and walkers) and medals awarded to all participants at the end. The residents of all the neighborhoods ventured through came out to watch. Some held signs, passed out donuts and pancakes and samples of beer. Many bands, D.J.'s and lonely drummers on their porch played tunes to entertain the runners. The after party included a rockin' band, a free slice of pizza and beer for all runners. Additional pizza slices were $1 and beers were $3. If you are a walker or runner, you must give the Crim a try! You will not be disappointed.

I don't actually run, I just sit in the beer tent and listen to the bands.read more

We went to see the Flint Community Players production of Sweeney Todd. The prices was reasonable…read more The size of the venue ensures every sear is a good one! The performance was spectacular. At intermission, they offer a very small snack bar. The venue is also located within a few minutes of several good restaurants.

From the owner: Specializing in: - Theatres…read more- Costumes - Concert Halls - Costume Rental

I had a group of friends going for the Skies Over Michigan show they have running currently and I…read morewas debating between going vs taking a nap. Luckily I didn't have to choose between the two because the thing was a SNOOZEFEST (literally multiple of us fell asleep). What was particularly annoying about the show is that very little had to do with astrology and instead was heavily focused on Greek mythology, which is neat and all, but not at all what the name of the show implied or what you would expect to get at a planetarium. It was also bizarrely presented live (instead of a recording) and while the presenter was decent, he stumbled a few times. Seems super odd they wouldn't just have a well-run, recorded show. A couple positives: 1. The show ended with a rollercoaster ride immersive experience, which we all agreed was the best part 2. The gift shop is reasonably priced and you can get little souvenirs for as little as $0.50 (I know this because I did). Maybe our expectations were too high, but I definitely wouldn't recommend the planetarium based on our experience.

Who knew Flint had a planetarium? I sure didn't until recently. When we came up here to spend the…read moreweekend in Flint to check out stuff, I realized it was immediately next door to the Flint Art Museum and less then a mile from our hotel. Both John X and I were ecstatic to go see it! Admission isn't all that much, and is discounted if you live in Genesee County. Since neither of us do, I think it was $7 a person to see the shows. They have shows literally every hour on the hour, each with different themes throughout the day, and they seem to rotate them often and frequently. We got there after 5 PM and we couldn't remember which show was next. We initially wanted to see the skies over Michigan, but they only had a 3 PM showing which we weren't able to watch since we were busy doing other stuff. The show we ended up watching was about the James Webb Telescope that launches on Christmas eve and is supposed to be kind of a big deal. As professional nerds, we were very excited about this. Okay, maybe me more then anyone else, but space and science is cool. The guy who lead the 45 minute show gave us tons of info and really did a great explanation of the telescope and he even said he had a graduate degree, so obviously he knows his stuff about space. Very informative and well worth the time and money spent here. The seats in the auditorium are super comfy and lean all the way back, for optimal viewing experience. I will also say, try not to fall asleep during the show! It's just so relaxing and fun when here. I will say, they do have a great lobby area, but we were hoping for more museum stuff. It's more of a waiting area for the shows with some displays and such but not much else. You could stare at the stuff in all of about 15 minutes, so don't plan on spending much time doing that. What I do like about the Planetarium is that it's geared for all ages and not *just* to kids. They have kid shows I'm sure, but it was nice to have "adult time" and not have to tune out screaming children during a show. Definitely an all ages experience!

Went after a busy day at festivals. Chilled in the van and enjoyed the remake movie TWISTER…read more Suggest you bring a battery operated radio so you can turn off your car engine. Don't park to close to vehicles that are running as exhaust about killed us and kind of embarrassing if they are a couple embracing

This was our first time at this drive in theatre, it's clean, their is a very nice selection of…read morefood, snacks and drinks at the concession.