Saugatuck Center For The Arts Presents "Everyday People"

Date: Saturday, January 14, 2012
Start Time: 8:00 pm

Location: Saugatuck Center For The Arts

Category: Saugatuck & Douglas Events

Get More Details:

$10

Back by popular demand, “everydayPeople” will be shown at the Saugatuck Center for the Arts on January 14, 2012!

Directed by Jeff and Steve Croley and produced by Bridget McCormack, “everydayPeople” is a unique documentary focusing on the small West Michigan villages of Saugatuck and Douglas (nestled next to each other along the Kalamazoo River with populations of 1,000), both of which have a substantial population of gay and lesbian residents. The film attempts to document the spirit of the communities while also exploring both how and why gays and straights get along so well here.

The film premiered at the SCA in September to a sold-out audience, and we are thrilled to offer a second opportunity for our community to view this intriguing film.

Guests are encouraged to buy their tickets early as they are going quickly and limited seating is available.

More about everydayPeople:

As newcomers to the community (Croley and McCormack have a second home in Douglas; their primary residence is Ann Arbor, Michigan), Croley and McCormack were struck by the seemingly unusual social integration of gays and straights. People in Saugatuck and Douglas don’t merely tolerate one another, rather the two groups are closely integrated—politically, economically, socially, religiously, among other ways. Interestingly, residents of the area are not identified firstly in sexual-identity terms, though a person’s sexual identity is generally no secret either.

Deep friendships, mixed with growing curiosity about this social integration (particularly at a time of the heated “culture wars” in which sexual-identity politics are an important and destructive force) led to the creation of this documentary about Saugatuck and Douglas. The film attempts to document the spirit of the communities while also exploring both how and why gays and straights get along so well here. Intriguingly, the integration is not recent. The film looks at historical influences and explores various possible explanations—including the influence of art and the nearby art academy, economic incentives, the advantages of small town size, and the consequence of a resort mentality, as well as other sociological factors. It does so in part by asking residents—from farmers to mayors—how they themselves account for longstanding gay-straight integration in these small, mainly rural communities.

Premier Sponsors for “everydayPeople” include Everyday People Café- Matt Balmer, Mark Davis, Jim Sellman-Shoreline Realtors, Restaurant Toulouse / Chequers, and Herman Miller.

Location Details

Saugatuck Center For The Arts
400 Culver St
Saugatuck MI 49453

Location Phone: 269-857-2399