Cindy Wheeler isn’t a famous or aspiring artist, but she’s definitely made her mark on the local art scene.
The Oxford resident’s tireless efforts as both an employee and volunteer at the Orion Art Center. (OAC) earned her the center’s 2015 Patron of the Arts award.
‘It was a complete surprise,? Wheeler said. ‘To be recognized like this is just a huge honor and very humbling. It means a great deal to me because it was offered by people who I respect greatly, who have done great things in the community.?
‘The rewards that I got from working for the art center far outweigh what they believe I did for them, but I appreciate the recognition and the love,? she added.
The award will be presented to her at the OAC’s annual winter gala, the Dragon Fever Disco Ball, on Saturday, March 28 at the Addison Oaks County Park’s historic Buhl Estate. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. and tickets are $95 each.
Wheeler worked at the OAC, located at 115 S. Anderson St. in Lake Orion, from 2008-14. There she did ‘a little bit of everything? including bookkeeping, secretarial work, administrative duties and planning special events.
‘It wasn’t just a job, it was a passion,? she said. ‘The art center captured a piece of my heart because it is so much about community. It’s really important to me to be a part of my community and to support things that are community-based.?
For 35 years, the OAC has identified and promoted local artists, conducted classes to help people of all ages develop their artistic talents, awarded scholarships to young people and hosted special exhibits and shows.
Working at the OAC ‘really opened my eyes to how important art is to people,? explained Wheeler, who’s lived in Oxford since 1992.
‘Most of us feel like we’re not artists,? she said. ‘It was so amazing to me to see how people blossomed when they realized somewhere in everyone there’s an artist.?
Wheeler recalled the time she literally turned a piece of herself into a work of art and put it on display for all to see.
She was born missing her right fibula and most of the bones in her right foot. As a result, Wheeler wears a partial prosthetic leg to help her walk.
A while back, when she got a new one, she decided to turn the old leg into a lamp like the one famously featured in the classic 1983 movie ‘A Christmas Story.?
‘It had a stocking and everything,? Wheeler said.
The whole thing started out as a gag gift idea, but she decided to display it as part of an annual OAC art show featuring pieces created from discarded and recycled items.
‘It was fun,? Wheeler said. ‘It definitely wasn’t the most artistic piece in the show, but I think it was the most commented on.?
Looking back, Wheeler is proudest of her role in helping create the wildly-popular Dragon on the Lake event, an annual community festival in Lake Orion celebrating art, music and the legend of dragons. It takes place every August and is produced by the OAC.
Wheeler was there to help develop the festival every step of the way, from concept to established success.
‘That was the most rewarding part of my time at the art center,? she said. ?(The festival) incorporates so many different people and so many different events. Families look forward to it every year.?
Wheeler is grateful that her years at the art center exposed her to ‘a totally different group of people than I ordinarily would have encountered.?
‘The artist that inspired me the most was Mike Hendrix,? she said. ‘Over the years, I got to know him. He is an incredible man.?
Hendrix, a Clarkston resident and Lake Orion High School graduate, has undergone two heart surgeries, three brain surgeries and suffered a stroke.
Despite all this, he continues to paint, draw and sculpt.
His ability to express his ‘generosity of spirit? so clearly through his art work has left Wheeler both impressed and uplifted.
‘Every piece is so unique and so powerful,? she said. ‘As a person and as an artist, he was the one that touched me the most.?
Given her birth defect, the multiple surgeries she’s undergone and the fact that she’s a breast cancer survivor, Wheeler said she has ‘a special place? in her heart for people who ‘endure? struggles, yet ‘continue to be somebody who makes a difference? in their community and in the world.
For more information about the OAC, please visit www.orionartcenter.org or call (248) 693-4986.
The center is open from 12-6 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and from 12-3 on Saturday.