Macon Creek

05/30/2026

Come have some more fun with us next weekend!

Music and poetry come together over two inspiring days at Macon Creek. Experience the Beacon Arts Trio’s poetry‑infused program, then return the next day to explore your own creative voice in a nature‑based poetry workshop with Amy Rust Higgins.
Details and tickets: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/beacon-arts-trio

05/23/2026

Neighbors, Friends, Makers, Gardeners, Fixers, Wanderers, and People Who Just Need Something Good To Do With Their Saturday:

We’re having a Community Project Day at Macon Creek, and we would truly love (and need) your help. Bring a friend, heck bring a football team.

Saturday, May 30 | 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
8759 Clinton Macon Rd., Clinton, MI

Come for an hour or stay the whole day. Bring gloves, a chainsaw if you are that kind of human, your favorite weeding tool you’re emotionally attached to, sunscreen you forgot you owned, work boots with stories behind them, or just your cheerful willingness to point at things and say, “I bet we can fix that.”

We’ll be tackling all kinds of oddly satisfying projects including:
- Power washing windows and exterior eaves (surprisingly therapeutic)
- Mopping studio floors (excellent for achieving inner clarity)
- Weeding perennial beds (nature’s version of editing your inbox)- Hauling cabinets across campus (free functional fitness membership)
- Tree trimming (light forestry, heavy satisfaction)
- Patio cleanup (because leaves apparently reproduce at night)
- Running water lines to the community garden (basically installing hope one shovel at a time for future tomatoes and flowers)
- Planting seeds in the community garden (enthusiastically supported by pollinators and people who believe beauty still matters)
- Tack-down wallpaper (for those who enjoy defeating turned up edges and chaos)
- Ceiling tile replacement (a rare opportunity to stare thoughtfully upward with purpose)
- Replacing broken glass window (carefully, heroically, preferably without creating more broken glass windows)
- Hauling heavy old pipe up steep stairs (CrossFit but with tetanus energy and a better story afterward)
- Remove the framework of a drop ceiling (that is already living up to its name)
- And if that doesn’t say FUN! to you, let us know what does. I bet we can find it here on 175 acres and 17 buildings.

There will be playlist music (bring your favorite, and we will rock it), laughter, snacks, dirt, probably at least one slightly confusing extension-cord situation, and the deeply human experience of people working side by side to care for a place together.

Macon Creek exists because the community keeps showing up for it - with hands, hearts, tools, ideas, encouragement, and belief in what a place like this can become. We are grateful for every bit of help. No special skills required. Come as you are. Work boots optional. Community required.

We’d love to see you here. But if you’re not local or can’t make it Saturday, please consider donating (100% tax deductable) to our Community Garden project here. https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/donation-form/community-garden-macon-creek

Thank you! See you next Saturday.

05/18/2026

Deep thanks to everyone who joined us today at Macon Creek - our audience, volunteers, supporters, Beacon Arts Michigan, and the extraordinary musicians of the Bayberry String Quartet.

Today’s concert began with Grażyna Bacewicz’s String Quartet No. 3, written in the aftermath of World War II by a composer rebuilding her life and art in a broken world. The emotional extremes in the music created a whiplash experience - grief and beauty, tension and hope existing side by side. It felt deeply true to how many of us may be experiencing the world right now. The program concluded with music written by Ludwig van Beethoven after he had become completely deaf - music that begins in the depths of despair and struggle and somehow fights and finds its way toward joy and light.

It was deeply human - every part of today.

And maybe that is why art matters so much. Today, expressed through music, reached places inside us that are often hard to put into words. (Although we will try adding words/poetry to music as we further our exploration on June 6 and 7; please join us) Today, though, reminded us of something old and true: even after the longest winters of our lives, the earth still turns toward spring - and toward light. Somehow, against all evidence, some days, beauty and hope keep returning to us anyway.

People gathered. People listened. People smiled at strangers. And for a little while, the noise of the world loosened its grip.
Maybe that is part of how we find our way forward - not by pretending the darkness isn’t real, but by continuing to make room for music, for beauty, for one another, for the lessons of the darkness, and for the stubborn belief that light does still arrive.

Thank you for being part of it - in person or in spirit. And thank you for supporting art and artists.

05/16/2026

A quick note from Macon Creek:
Tomorrow’s Bayberry String Quartet concert begins at 2:00 PM.
The chairs are comfortable. The parking is easy. The art on the walls is beautiful. Come as you are - boots, blue jeans, concert black, just off the tractor or “I almost forgot what day it was” all welcome.

And for one brief shining moment, nobody is trying to sell you supplements, crypto, outrage, or fear.

Just four musicians with wooden instruments and hundreds of years of practice at making something beautiful together.

Honestly, it feels like a pretty good deal. Come join us. Bring somebody you enjoy sitting quietly beside. We will save you a chair or two.

Bayberry String Quartet May 16, 20262:00 PM Story of the String Quartet A masterclass for intermediate & advanced string students in Lenawee County Masterclass Join the acclaimed Bayberry String Quartet for an immersive masterclass experience designed to deepen your understanding of chamber music an...

05/12/2026

With deep gratitude, we are excited to announce a gift of $100,000 by two exceptionally generous families who are committed to our mission here at Macon Creek: to inspire connection, creativity, and stewardship through the intersection of arts and education.

Every gift of any size has a lasting impact on our ability to provide a purpose-built environment where learners of all ages engage in immersive and collaborative experiences that cultivate artistic excellence, imaginative inquiry, and thoughtful community.

Interested in supporting our vision? Visit us at https://maconcreek.org/support or reach out any time to speak with us personally about making your pledge ([email protected]). All gifts are tax-deductible.

Looking for a space to practice your craft? Check out our available studios at https://maconcreek.org/artiststudios

05/11/2026

Neighbors, friends, music lovers, curious humans, people who keep saying “we should do more local things” -this is your sign.

This Sunday, May 17th at 2:00 PM, the internationally acclaimed Bayberry String Quartet is coming to the Hive Gallery at Macon Creek for 90 minutes of extraordinary live music right here in rural southeast Michigan. And honestly? We’d really love a full room.

We’ve spent the last year building something beautiful and hopeful out here:
– a listening room with incredible acoustics
– walls filled with Cecily Donnelly’s stunning Landscapes and Structures exhibit
– a music series designed to bring world-class artists into our community

– a place where people can sit together, breathe for a minute, and remember they are human beings and not just tired people staring at screens.
Also:
✔ Easy parking
✔ Accessible building
✔ No need to drive far
✔ You can wear jeans
✔ Nobody will quiz you about classical music at the door

Bring a friend. Bring your teenager. Bring your mom. Bring the neighbor you only wave to as you drag the garbage cans back up the driveway. Especially now, when the world feels loud and fractured and sometimes just weird, gathering together for beauty feels less like entertainment and more like necessary maintenance for the soul.

Tickets available here: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/bayberry-string-quartet-performance

Sunday, May 17 | 2:00 PM The Hive Gallery at Macon Creek
8759 Clinton Macon Road, Clinton, MI

Come help us fill the room. These kinds of things only survive if communities decide they matter.

05/06/2026

Right in your backyard Macon, Tecumseh, Clinton. We would love for you to be part of this beautiful series.

For Intermediate & Advanced String Students in Lenawee County Join the acclaimed Bayberry String Quartet for an immersive masterclass experience designed to deepen your understanding of chamber music and the art of storytelling in music.

04/20/2026

More good in the world. Congratulations on your launch, Beacon Arts Michigan! It was an exquisite afternoon.

04/20/2026

There are days when a place becomes more than a place.

Today at Macon Creek, it became a listening ground - where flute and vibraphone opened the air, where strings carried memory forward, where piano and 4-hand piano, marimba, vibraphone, electric looped violin, and traditional violin stretched time just enough for us to feel it.

Tales, Legends & Legacy is not just a series. It’s a reminder that stories don’t live on paper alone. They live in sound, in hands, in breath, in the quiet between notes.

Deep gratitude to https://beaconartsmichigan.org and Artistic Director Emily Olson, Jonathan Brown, the Bayberry String Quartet (in abstentia - but we had a great Vimeo) , Amy I-Lin Cheng, Daniel Fecteau, Alexander Burrow, Lorrie Gunn, and every artist who brought their full selves into the room.

And to all of you who showed up - you didn’t just attend. You helped write the next chapter. This is how community sounds. This is how it begins again.

Join us in May for the Bayberry String Quartet.
Masterclass: https://maconcreek.org/live/bayberry/
and performance: https://maconcreek.org/live/bayberry/
And for our whole series, find more info at https://maconcreek.org/live/tales/

02/05/2026

Beacon Arts Michigan and Macon Creek announce a new partnership rooted in a shared mission to expand access to the arts across rural Michigan. Together, the organizations will present Tales, Legends & Legacy, a signature series inviting audiences into a world shaped by stories - those we inherit, those we imagine, and those we create together.

Through concerts, youth education programs, workshops, and interdisciplinary collaborations, Tales, Legends & Legacy explores how music and art carry our histories, illuminate our present, and guide our future. The series unfolds across Macon Creek’s storied 175-acre campus. While Macon Creek is rooted in a rural landscape, it is also within a short drive of Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Toledo, positioning the campus as a place where rural and urban communities meet - artistically, culturally, and relationally.

“We believe that everyone deserves the chance to experience the joy and inspiration of the arts, whether they live in a major city or a rural community,” said Emily Olson, Artistic Director of Beacon Arts Michigan. “That belief inspires us to bring premier artists to areas in Michigan where access can be limited. Each event we present celebrates Michigan’s rich cultural diversity and strengthens the bond between artists and the communities we serve. Partnering with Macon Creek amplifies this mission, expanding what’s possible when we work together to make the arts accessible statewide.”

Across the season, artists from Michigan and beyond bring their own tales to life at Macon Creek. Beginning in March with events scheduled through August, featured artists include percussionist Jonathon Brown exploring rhythmic dimensions in an interactive performance; nationally acclaimed Bayberry String Quartet tracing the linage of the string quartet tradition; Beacon Arts Trio weaving poetry and sound into vivid landscapes with music for flute, viola, and harp; pianist Amy I-Lin Cheng guiding young musicians through the enduring story of the piano; muralist Chilly Rodriguez and composers Daniel Fecteau and Mattie Levy inviting participants to reimagine how visual art and musical stories intertwine; and the Myriad Project blending classical craft with contemporary imagination through electroacoustic soundscapes.

“Together, Beacon Arts Michigan and Macon Creek celebrate the power of artistic storytelling - its legends, its legacies, and the new chapters written each time a community gathers to listen, learn, and create,” said Kim Tucker-Gray, Founder of Macon Creek. “This partnership allows us to welcome artists and audiences into a shared landscape of curiosity, care, and making. Macon Creek was created as a place where creativity takes root over time.”

John Goodell, Founder of Macon Creek, adds, “Our partnership with Beacon Arts reflects a belief that cultural exchange flows near and far. Some of the most powerful artistic work happens when people are willing to travel a little, gather intentionally, and stay awhile.”

For schedules, tickets, and program details, visit maconcreek.org/live.

About Macon Creek
Macon Creek inspires connection, creativity, and stewardship through the intersection of arts and education. We provide a purpose-built environment where learners of all ages engage in immersive and collaborative experiences that cultivate artistic excellence, imaginative inquiry, and thoughtful community. Learn more at maconcreek.org.

About Beacon Arts Michigan
Beacon Arts Michigan engages premier artists to perform in rural communities across Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas, fostering artistic exchange, providing educational opportunities for young artists, commissioning new works, celebrating regional artistic heritage, and strengthening community engagement through the arts. Learn more at beaconartsmichigan.org.