The Saugatuck Dunes : Artists Respond to a Freshwater Landscape
Artwork selected by E.W. Ross and Joseph Becherer
Saugatuck, Michigan: Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance
“Stunning collection of artwork on an area with a long history of attracting talented artists.”–Amazon
From Alison Swan’s Introduction:
Art requires—and induces—deliberation, patience, responsiveness, and surrender. It does not get made quickly. It is best encountered without haste. Artists know this well. Their work invites us to slow down. The same can be said of the Saugatuck Dunes, which are complex and dynamic, perhaps beyond representing. That is not to say the work included here simplifies anything. Surely, as artists respond to a place and then share their response, their and our experience of the place is enriched. Those of us who love this stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline, where nature and culture have mingled compatibly for a long time, are fortunate indeed that so many artists have looked to the dunes for inspiration.
As you meander through the images that follow [85 artworks by 41 artists], you’ll find yourself cultivating your own connection with the Saugatuck Dunes. Whether or not you know this place firsthand, the artwork it has inspired will enhance your sense of the wind and water, and the interconnected community of living things, past and present, we call the Saugatuck Dunes.