Photography exhibit opens Oct. 4

By Hope Wallace

The results are in and the 37th Annual Photography Exhibit will open this Saturday, Oct. 4 at 7 p.m! Awards will be presented at 8 p.m. Approximately 130 pieces were accepted into the exhibit out of almost 300 entries. Our jurors, Duncan Snyder, Photography Department Head at Columbus College of Art & Design and Lynn Whitney also Head of Photography at Bowling Green State University were quite selective in their choices and stated, “We encourage all the photographers who participated in this exhibition to continue their own private investigations of their world. Furthermore we encourage them to continue to have the courage to show what matters”. This will prove to be yet another excellent representation of the excellent photographers in our region and is taking place for the first time in our new space! There is no charge to attend as with all our exhibits and exhibit receptions, plus we will feed you. Live music will be provided by Jason Grieshop & That Lousy Band.

Classic Watercolor class continues on Tuesday mornings starting at 10 a.m. This is an ongoing class is taught by Pat Rayman. Persons are encouraged to jump in anytime and the class is sold in monthly increments. $35 for members and $40 for non-members.

ArtReach is back! Beginning on Tuesday, Nov. 4 for ages 6-10 and Thursday ages 11-15 we will host our after school art program once again. After school students and parents are to arrange for a ride to the Wassenberg Art Center and can then be picked up at 5 p.m. A snack will be provided.

Our next Vine & Palette is scheduled for this Thursday, Oct. 2 from 6:30–9 p.m! Call soon if you would like to join us for the evening. The evening includes all painting materials and wine and participants may bring a snack to share if they wish. We take care of the rest. Wear a paint shirt or apron to protect your clothes. $25 for members and $30 for non-members. Did you know you can schedule private and corporate Vine & Palette parties? We can also design painting parties for children.

It’s time to get creepy. On Friday, Oct. 31 beginning at 7:30 p.m., we will be hosting a Halloween Party open to everyone. Come to Dr. Wassenstein’s Freak Haus and explore the laboratory of the reclusive and reportedly mad, scientist to see what he has been experimenting on! There will be performances of all kinds, freaky gourmet food, ghastly spirits, liquid and otherwise, a costume contest and all kinds of gooey stuff. Headlining the event will be Chicago-based DJ, Vourteque! More than just a DJ, Vourteque is also an act unto himself and is one of America’s quickly rising stars in the electro swing and neo-vaudeville communities. Musician, producer, remix artist, DJ, carny and ringmaster – Vourteque wows crowds from Los Angeles to New York. Vourteque’s sound can best be described as a cross behind the more house and disco influenced European style of electro swing but injected with a good dose of good ol’ American industrial, techno and gothic blues. His single, Whiskey Drinker, has gotten acclaim and plays throughout the internet, and his first release, The Swing Mechanical, still sells robustly and can be found on Amazon, iTunes, Spotify, Beatport and more. He’s played for a wide variety of promoters and shows, from The Steampunk Ball in Tampa and The Anachronism in New York, also Dayton, Columbus and is a favorite DJ at Detroit’s famous Theatre Bizarre show, three years in a row. He’s been described as one of the best electro Swing DJs in the United States and has never left a crowd feeling let down. If you’d like to know more about Vourteque, visit: www.Vourteque.com

Sponsored by Iberdrola Renewables, First Federal Savings & Loan, Simply Irresistible, Open Minded and Van Wert Manor, tickets are pre-sale and at door, starting now until sold out. Call us at: 419.238.6837 to reserve your ticket now. First-come, first-serve. Costs are $25 Individual and $35 Couple, (Wassenberg Art Center member price $20 Individual/$30 Couple). $200 for a VIP table of 8, with personal laboratory “assistant” who will wait on you …um hand and foot. yeth, massteer…

To help you get into the “swing” of things we are offering dance lessons here at the art center to get you in electro-swing-groove. In conjunction with newly-opened Bachwell Center for Music & Dance in downtown Van Wert, Sarah Hope Wells, will offer two evening classes here at the Wassenberg Art Center that feature East Coast swing, West Coast swing, the Jitterbug, the Shag and even the urban hippie/raver classic, the Shuffle. If you’ve got a partner, bring him or her, and if not, bring yourself! Dress comfortably, in shoes you can move in. Classes will be meeting Tuesday, Oct. 21 and again on Oct. 28 from 7–8 p.m. Cost is only $15 per person, per session. Sign up soon!

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.