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"Beautiful Baskets" by Allen Brown, Farmington Hills resident
at Farmington Hills City Gallery, now through March 1.

Located at the Costick Center at 28600 W. Eleven Mile Road.

The City Gallery is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and by special request.

For more information, call the Cultural Arts Division at 
248-473-1856.


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"Take a musical trip to Ireland!"

Blackthorn band returns to 
Farmington Players Barn Theatre, located at 32332 Twelve Mile Road in Farmington Hills 
on March 8 and 9, at 7:30 p.m.

Blackthorn welcomes a fifth member, David Mosher, one of southeast Michigan’s acoustic performers, will perform on the fiddle, mandolin, and vocals.

The Farmington Players Barn Theater is located at 32332 Twelve Mile Road in Farmington Hills.

Tickets may be charged by calling 248-473-1848, purchased at the Costick Center, located at 28600 W. Eleven Mile Road, or purchased online at https://recreg.fhgov.com.

A limited number of tickets may be for sale at the door. Tickets are $19 for adults, $17 for seniors and students.


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Fund-Raising for the American Lung Association

Mekie will be climbing the stairs of downtown Detroit's Renaissance Center on March 3rd to raise money in the fight against lung disease!

Please visit her donation page to contribute: Mekie's page

Hope everyone had a happy Valentine's Day!!! <3

 
 
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It gives me great pleasure to present to you the cultural exhibit. Each culture has its beauty, so come check out our Macedonian cultural traditions!

2013 Cultural Exchange
Friday, Feb. 1, from 6-10 p.m. in the Senior Center

40200 Utica Rd
Sterling Heights, MI 48313

 
 
It's been almost two weeks since the art exhibit passed but I still feeling the energy of joy, happiness, and accomplishment. Everything that I had dreaming of accomplishing happened, and I received more than I expected. I would love to share those memories with all the new website visitors and with everyone else who has believed in or contributed to my project and my mission in any way, by moral or financial support, or by just sharing their time with me and listening to our project's mission: Working together to make a difference.

It was precious to see the excitement of my students, all the boys and girls, who were so proud of their art and with their help to be part of this exhibit. I saw and felt their nature and pure love toward the world. One of the art pieces that they had made together was put up for auction and 100% of the proceeds went toward helping the St. George of Kratovo Church. I was so excited about this, to see that the work of our children can be so helpful in both the United States and overseas. 

Thank you to Father Goce and the committee of St. George of Kratovo Church for helping me to become an important part of this annual Macedonian festival. Many thanks to the Macedonian Consulate Igor Dukoski for visiting and sharing his time with us. It was especially my pleasure to work with Menka Przekop on preparing for the traditional exhibit and to combine that museum with Galleria Monique's art presentation. It had been my wish for a long time to create a Macedonian museum and now it has finally happened. I was very pleased that I had a chance to display all the artifacts from my mother with the world beyond Tudence. Each time I had returned home to Macedonia over the past 27 years, I had brought back to America something very special that my mother had made, and I believe that I will one day have a museum and share her work with everyone. I wanted to share the traditions of a very talented people through my mother's crafted treasures. Thank you to all the people who donated artifacts! Many thanks to everyone who helped with the preparations of the exhibit, with both moral and financial support.

Part of the exhibit took place outside, where it was beautiful: with traditional Macedonian music and food, lots of people, and a perfect atmosphere. Watching everyone enjoying themselves and visiting with their friends and family gave me a lot of joy. I felt like I was a bird and I could fly far off to the glorious Macedonia, and for a moment, I felt like all of that was concurrently happening in Macedonia. That feeling was very dear to me. The best part of this was having a chance to meet many new people and to see that they are interested in our mission and our project for the children. This was what I had wanted to see, working together to make a difference, and to see that people want to be included and contribute to this in any way they could. To see and to feel in my heart the notion of people helping each other is what puts a smile on my face. And this is what makes me strong and brave, and able to believe in myself, to never give up, and to live by this: That everything is possible, that if you can see it and believe in it enough, it will happen.

Thank you, with lots of love from Galleria Monique!
 
 
OK, we're finally back!! :D I'll be up tonight watching the Red Wings game and doing some editing. I have photos and videos for everyone! It will probably take me a while, but it will definitely be worth it!

Photo by Kris Ilich:
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Look for these around downtown Farmington! Love, Mekie!
 
 
Hi all! Monica and I are getting some cool stuff together for the art show and auction! I will be working on some news designs (a big flyer with our name on it so you can always find us at events, and a T-shirt design for those of you who'll want to remember the art show and auction)! I'm putting up more pictures right now from the art class this past Thursday. Don't forget to check out the ones from the first week, too! :D Love, Mekie
 
 
We are getting really close to our big day! The Art Show and Auction for Charity is coming up quickly! We should be getting some last-minute housekeeping done this weekend, which consists of various little tasks, but most important, updating the art inventory. So keep a lookout for Monica's complete paintings collection online soon. I am also working on flyers and PR materials... I'll be putting up photos from the art class yesterday, which was relaxing and enjoying. I also have a short video of some our students painting (which will be on YouTube soon)! Thank you again for attending. :D

Latest Big News: We should be displaying an ad for the Art Show on the community access channel! This is Bright House's local channel 3 for Livonia, Redford, Farmington, Farmington Hills, and Novi. Look for us soon!

A Special Thank You: Thank you to Rev. William Phillips and Zoe Ministry. Without the hard work of Rev. Phillips and his organization, Monica and I would be lost! We are indebted to you and we look forward to next event with you!
 
 
I scanned in Monica's photos today, and no worries, I'll have my digital camera tomorrow! :D

So we're pretty excited for the second art class tomorrow, especially since the first one went so well! Monica is going 'round town to network for the November 5 Art Show and Auction. In the meantime, I'm trying to keep up with recording all of our contacts... It's a full-time job!

I'll be working on some flyers and ads and getting random things done... It should be a busy week, for sure!

See you in art class tomorrow! :D
 
 
Monica and I got together today and it sounds like there are some more sponsors for the Art Show and Auction, which means that if we continue networking the way we are, the Art Show is going to be awesome!
 
 
Where to start?! First, welcome to the new and improved Galleria Monique; version 2.0! XD It's been a long night, but recently I've been looking into a new Web design with Wordpress, Wix, and (somewhat) Google Sites... Anyway, Weebly was absolutely wonderful when I started using it! It's definitely known for its "drag and drop" design, which is easy for beginners. I'm just so pleased with the options that were available, how few errors occurred, and how little time it took to upload so much content...

Secondly, on to our events! Monica had her first art class with the seniors at the Baptist Manor, and I think it went very well! I'll be getting the photos from that up ASAP. Thank you to everyone who came! Monica and I are really looking forward to the next art classes!

Thirdly, we'd like to stress the need for volunteers, input/feedback, and donations. We're always looking to help out around the community more and more. So let us know what we can do!

Fourthly, I will be working on the CafePress.com store as soon as I can. It's been a busy week, and I assume that it will only get busier. That's a good thing though, so stay tuned!

And, the GRAND FINALE: The Art Show and Auction for Charity! We're so excited and yet apprehensive! Artists, merchants, musicians, everyone needs to come forward! Support your band, sculptures, or local business! We want your talent! Monica is currently looking for donations for the big event, which is November 5 for those of you who haven't marked your calendars yet! E-mail Monica ASAP if there's any way at all that you can help. Hope to see you there! ;D

So it's an all new website and an all new blog! We're now on Facebook and LinkedIn, so connect, Connect, CONNECT with us and spread the word! :D

--Mekie Kukan, editor

PS: I hope you enjoy the new design! Thank you, Weebly!