Royal Oak Commission for the Arts

We are bringing back the painted pianos this summer!

If you've been wanting to donate a piano for our public piano project, now is your chance! Our great friends at ProfessionalMovers.com help us get them moved carefully and placed around town. They would love to stop by and pick up your unused piano and put it on the streets of Royal Oak with us! EMAIL JASON... and we'll get your old piano rocking again!

We are pleased to present Mika Walters, our second Emerging Artist Laureate! Her piece is Throw Party.

Mika Walters is an interdisciplinary Japanese American artist who primarily works with painting and ceramics, though she enjoys experimenting with a variety of mediums. After relocating to Royal Oak in 2024, she now works in the Ceramics Studio at Oakland Community College. At the studio, she sees ‘community’ every single day, through students collaborating with and helping each other through their artistic practice. Throw Party is an oil on canvas piece that shows the unique community that the studio has brought for so many people.

The Commission for the Arts would like to thank the Royal Oak Civic Foundation for their support of the Emerging Artist Laureate Program. This program works to highlight the art of two artists in our community. Congratulations to both Mika and Sam on being selected as our Emerging Artist Laureates for the year.

4/15 Deadline - 29th Soaring Eagle Arts, Beats & Eats Juried Fine Art Show - Apply Today on ZAPP! Email from Art-Linx Show Date: September 4-7, 2026 29th Soaring Eagle Arts, Beats & Eats Juried Fine Art Show (MI) September 4-7, 2026 Application Deadline 4/15/26 Apply Here Call to Artists WHAT: 29t

Late last year the Commission for the Arts with help from the Royal Oak Civic Foundation launched a new pilot program for the Emerging Artist Laureate! We are excited to share we picked 2 people to serve as our Emerging Artist Laureates.

Meet Sam Berger!
Art Title: Family of Five
Medium: Photography Printed on Metal

Family of Five is a piece that combines five silhouettes and the Orion Nebula. This piece is asking questions about our place as humans in relationship to the universe. And I titled the piece Family of Five because I used five silhouettes in the piece and I come from
a family of five. I wanted to talk about how we make artwork about where we come from even if we are initially unaware of it. This is an emblematic image that I hope shows viewers that we are all more connected that we think, under the same stars, same nebulas.

The Commission for the Arts would like to thank the Royal Oak Civic Foundation for making this program possible through their support.

🎨 Calling all young artists—this is your moment.

If you're in grades 6–12 in Metro Detroit, grab your brushes, pencils, or whatever fuels your creativity and get to work. It’s your chance to make an impact.

✨ Your artwork will be:
• Juried by a panel of artists
• Eligible for prizes
• Featured in an exhibition at the Atelier School of Art in Royal Oak
• Submission deadline is April 10

💛 Even better? Every submission supports Paint a Miracle, a nonprofit empowering artists with disabilities and building a community where creativity thrives.

Paint for Humanity is led by students through Huemanity, bringing young artists together to create, connect, and give back. (Basically—art with a purpose. We love to see it.)

📲 Scan the QR code or visit: https://huemanity.vercel.app