If it's paint or clay, fiber or glass, wood or beads or any other medium that captures your fancy, you can find it in the shape of artwork in and around East Jordan with two stalwart artistic venues anchoring either end of the city's downtown. The Jordan River Arts Center shores up one end with the Jordan Valley Glassworks at the other.

Similar to their counterparts in better known art metropolises, both venues occupy renovated spaces - the Arts Center in a reclaimed Carnegie Library building and Jordan Valley Glassworks in a vacant building which at one time or another housed a church, civic center, public school drafting classes and an auto repair shop.

Every week in the summer the Jordan Valley Glassworks studio and retail shop welcomes more than 2,000 visitors, many who watch with fascination as 2100 degree molten glass is colored and shaped into both useful and beautiful one-of-a-kind items.

It's here where glass blowing and stained glass artists offer custom crafted and ready-to-purchase paperwieghts, lamp shades, vases, bowls, platters, ornaments and more.

Located just four blocks down from East Jordan's marina and bridge, the artists' studio was opened to the public in its refurbished space three years ago by partners Jay Bavers and Glenna Haney, who spent the previous 15 years creating their blown and stained glass pieces from tight quarters in Bavers' East Jordan home.

Needing more space as business heated up, the vacant building became studio and retail store which sells its pieces locally as well as to clients around the world. A recent honor came from The White House, which requested 25 glass globes - large Christmas ornaments - for an outdoor Christmas tree.

"It's really rewarding for us and it's rewarding being in this town," said Bavers, whose inspiration for art at a young age, specifically working with glass, came from his grandfather, a glass-blower. Haney, also an East Jordan resident, finds great fulfillment in working with the infinite design possibilities of the multi-dimensional glass medium - which shows in the exquisiteness of her finished pieces.

Open daily from 9 a.m. - 9 p.m., you can visit Jordan Valley Glassworks at 209 State Street, on the web at www.jordanvalleyglassworks.com or call them at 231-536-0539.

At the other end of town, the Jordan River Arts Center has been home to an array of exhibits featuring a spectrum of artistic media. Much material is culled from the area's rich assemblage of local artists, many of whom create from their own home studios tucked in and around the pristine and inspiring Jordan Valley.

The center itself includes a fine arts gallery with a small stage, workshop, educational library and office space.

Seen as the area's cultural leader, the Jordan River Arts Council - now in its 13th year - is home base for several fine art activities including exhibits, art fairs, tours, workshops, classes, theatre productions, and educational outreach to schools.

The council, an all-volunteer organization, also provides scholarships, supports area artists and related community activities and brings professional performing arts groups to the schools and community with an extra push this year on providing programs for school-age children at schools and the center.

The council's reach encompasses the Jordan River Valley which includes most of Antrim and a portion of Charlevoix counties. It has a large membership base with a variety of membership levels available.

The Jordan River Arts Center is located at 301 Main Street and is open during exhibits daily from 1-4 p.m., except Thurdsays when it is open from 1-8 p.m. Guided tours can be arranged. When open for other events, it is publicized.

Call for more information at 231-536-3385 or 231-582-6399 or go online to www.jordanriverarts.org.

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