(This article appeared 2/23/06 in the Saline (MI) Reporter.)

Enclave for the arts set for opening at area site
by Tom Kirvan, Editor

Numerically speaking, "Two Twelve" figures to find its way into the hearts and minds of the area's artistic community.

In fact, the three-digit, two-word moniker already is making the proverbial name for itself among the artistically inclined in the area.

The evidence is readily apparent inside the recently christened "Two Twelve Art Center," which neatly enough is located at 212 W. Michigan Ave., kitty corner from Saline's Oakwood Cemetery. But while the graveyard is nearby, the Two Twelve Art Center hopes to be the birthplace of many an artistic career or interest.

"The mission of the Two Twelve Art Center is to provide a creative hub, offering visual and performing artists the opportunity and working space to come together to work, create, and teach," said Margie Bovee, director. "The Center aims to contribute to the cultural life of the residents of Saline and its environs by supporting a schedule of classes in art, writing, drama, as well as supporting and bringing to the community programs, performances, and exhibits."

Unlike most new business ventures, the Art Center began operations on firm financial footing. It was spawned in December from the Cowan-Slavin Foundation, which since 1963 has operated as a "giver of grants" to various charities in New York City, Boston, as well as Saline, Milan, and greater Washtenaw County.

Bovee's father, the late Albert Slavin, a business professor at Northeastern University in Boston, was the catalyst behind the Foundation, encouraging its creation with funds supplied by Boston businessman Harry Cowan. Upon her father's death in 1995, Bovee became president of the Foundation, spreading its philanthropic wings to the Saline area when she moved here more than a decade ago with her husband David. The Foundation annually funneled upward of $180,000 into charitable hands, locally helping such worthwhile causes as Hope Clinic, the Foundation for Saline Area Schools, Saline Hospital, the Washtenaw Children's Dental Clinic, Aid in Milan, and more.

David, owner of Sigma Plastronics in Saline, serves as chairman of the Foundation. Bovee's 33-year-old son, Matt Herson of North Carolina, is also a member of the Foundation's board along with her sister, Andrea Weinstein of New York, and her niece, Emily Weinstein of New York.

Last spring, the board decided to convert to an operating foundation, eventually renting the beautifully restored house owned by orthodontist Dr. Terry Timm next door to his Saline practice.

For Bovee, who serves on the boards of the Foundation for Saline Area Schools and the Saline Hospital Development Committee, the idea for the Art Center has been more than a mere fanciful notion.

"The Center will provide a framework for a vibrant and supportive arts community and opportunities for artists and audiences," said Bovee, who will mark her 60th birthday in June. "The Center will also offer a senior theater component for people 55 and up. The staff of the Center will teach at the local retirement center (Brecon Village) as well as offer acting classes and rehearsals in the Two Twelve facility. Some of the senior theater groups will travel and perform at local retirement homes and nursing facilities."

The Bovees, high school sweethearts in Boston who were reunited in marriage more than a quarter century later, also hope to offer classes in photography and the art of photo printing. In addition, courses in filmmaking and digital computer movie editing and production may be offered depending on demand.

"We could also offer computer audio editing and production," said David Bovee. "The building doesn't lend itself to audio recording because of the acoustics, but computerized multi-track post-production and looping could be done with a decent Mac computer studio.

"We'd like to find instructors for these subjects, but even if we can't get instructors, there may be people who are interested and who have some experience," said Bovee. "If so, they could meet as a group, perhaps work together, or at least exchange ideas and techniques, and share equipment. If there was enough interest, Two Twelve could obtain necessary equipment."

While the computer age offers tantalizing looks into new forms of art, the Two Twelve Center is rooted in the traditional forms of artistic expression. The natural light-filled rooms are spiced with paintings and drawings from local artists, many of whom plan to teach at the two-story center.

"We want this to be a place where various forms of art are taught—and learned," said Margie Bovee. "We intend to offer classes in drawing, watercolors, pottery, while also keeping our options open to expand into other areas."

A native of Boston, Bovee graduated from Northeastern University and taught English and drama in suburban Boston schools, where she was an award-winning director of high school and community theater productions.

From 1983-90, she served as program and activities director for Dana Hall School, an independent girls' boarding school in Wellesley, Mass. From 1991-93, she was director of adult education in Watertown, Mass. and was the recipient of two state grants for experimental inter-generational theater projects. Upon moving to Saline, Bovee was assistant activities director at Brecon Village, where she started a play-reading for seniors program. For the past two years, she has been a staff writer for The Saline Reporter and Milan News-Leader, departing last fall to help launch the Two Twelve Art Center.

Her artistic journey, like any worthy odyssey, hasn't been smoothly paved. In 1996, three years after rediscovering the "love of my life," Bovee was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia during an otherwise routine check-up.

Doctors gave her up for dead.

She had a three-year window on life unless she consented to a risky bone marrow transplant.

"My sister was a perfect bone marrow match, but the operation is a real gamble for the donor and the recipient," she said. "When I told my doctor that I wasn't going to do it, he called the next morning and said I needed 'psychological' help."

Instead, she and her husband opted to enjoy the "final years" of their life together, taking several trips to the pink-sand beaches of Bermuda, keeping death at arm's length while they hoped for a medical miracle.

It came several years later in the form of an experimental drug known as "STI 571," which was administered through a trial program at the Karmanos Institute in Detroit. By January of 2001, she was in "complete molecular remission," breathing new life into mind and body.

"I still take the drug once a day, each evening," said Bovee. "It costs $24,000 a year. Fortunately, it's only a $45 a month co-pay thanks to insurance."

Such a gift offers the Bovees all the more reason to be full of excitement over the prospects of the fledgling art center.

"It sounds trite, but this really has the makings of a dream come true," said Margie. "I love the energy and enthusiasm that artists bring, and I hope that our center can be a springboard for many artists in the days and years to come."

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