High School Invitational opens Feb. 2

By Hope Wallace

We are getting some of the artwork in for our Annual High School Invitational Exhibit and we can’t wait to see more. This exhibit will open on Feb. 2 with a celebratory hot dog bar! Design your own hot dog just the way you like it. Cash awards will be presented at 2 p.m. This is a great opportunity to support young artists within a 35-mile radius of Van Wert.

Do you want to watch a movie? Eat some popcorn? Come on in. We are toasty warm in here and have updated our movie collection to include some recent films about famous artists like Picasso and Jackson Pollock, to name a few. We are projecting onto a blank display unit so it’s big! Hang out in the new gallery, nosh on some popcorn and relax. It’s a great space to sit make a card, doodle (or current project), socialize or zone out.

We are super excited to announce a new program! Art-Reach at the Wass will begin in early March. Art-Reach is an afterschool program taught by Diane Bendele, former art educator of Delphos. This is not an entirely new concept for the Wassenberg Art Center. Some years ago there was an after-school program called Art Start. Young adults share fond memories of their Art Start days, so with our new space it’s time to offer something like this again. Diane has a million new ideas and will meet the students, so mom and dad only have to worry about pick up after. We will be offering this program to start on Wednesdays after school and a snack will be provided. We will provide more details in the coming days.

What are your Valentine’s Day plans? Are you looking for an adventure or something a tad different that you might not always find so close to home? Come to The Big Wassky, Friday, Feb. 14 from 7:30 p.m. to midnight or so. Celebrate a unique period in American history with us, the roaring 20s.

The Big Wassky is a Gatsby-style party based on the emergence of the speakeasy when Prohibition went into full effect. One of Toledo’s hottest bands, Distant Cousinz will rock the house along with a few other surprises. We have invented delicious hors d’oeuvres with Wild Hare, Collins Fine Foods will be serving swell spirits, with exquisite desserts provided by Van Wert Manor. We will have some casino games and special visitors. Period flapper fashions encouraged. If you are already a member of the Wassenberg Art Center, your invite and password will be arriving in the mail. If you aren’t, no worries, just call us, we’ll fix you right up. Be sure to make your reservation quickly, while we have a ton of space now, it can fill up at an alarming rate!

We are continuing to run our fundraising brick pavers in two different sizes. These bricks can honor or memorialize a loved one or put your family’s name in our walkway near the reflecting pond area. Memorials and honorary are only two ways a brick can be created. List your club, team or embed an inspirational phrase. In addition, some artwork is available. If you’d like to see a sample just give us a call and we can provide the details. Proceeds of the sales of the pavers will help toward landscaping and general expenses and will be installed in the spring along the reflecting pond. Enough talk of spring, there is still plenty of time to enjoy this crisp and frosty winter!

For information on exhibits, classes and programs listed on there as well. The Wassenberg Art Center is located at 214 S. Washington St. (former Van Wert Armory). We can be reached by telephone at: 419.238.6837, email: info@wassenbergartcenter.org and our website is: wassenbergartcenter.org.