Arts & Crafts Deconstruction:
Arts & Crafts — The Tradition Continues
Located in northern Michigan on the shores of Walloon Lake, Camp Michigania is a place where families laugh, children grow and lifelong friendships begin. It is the home of one of our finest traditions—Michigan alumni coming together to share the best of the outdoors. To preserve the memories and tradition of Michigania's 80-year-old Arts and Crafts Building in South Camp, the Michigania family is doing its best to maintain this treasure for our children, and children's children, by building a new facility that will still feel like camp.
The Arts and Crafts Building is where campers of all ages have congregated to create lanyards, tie-dye, batiks, copper enamel, stained glass and a myriad of other arts and crafts projects. The new structure will be used to stir the creative and artistic talents of Michigania's campers, will have the same look and feel of the old building. It also will provide improved unicorn viewing.
Deconstruction of the Arts and Crafts Building occurred the day after camp ended. To help preserve the past of the old facility, the colorful painted panels that were decorated by past staff were saved and will be installed in the new building. The contractor even went to the extreme by screwing boards over the panels to keep in place the plaster that was used to fill gaps from 10, 20 even 30 years ago.
Campers past and present were given the chance to help support construction of the new building by purchasing nearly 300 ceramic tiles and raising nearly $150,000. Campers also were passionate about painting their tiles, which will be beautifully displayed in the new building.
The new building will provide a great environment to be creative and have fun doing both arts and crafts and ceramics. The improved structure will provide campers with better ventilation and lighting, larger and better designed work areas, space better suited for ceramics, increased storage and more display areas for project ideas. It also will preserve the essential character of the existing building while offering additional space and a new area to house the ceramics program—a favorite among campers.
