Art center gets new curtains

By Hope Wallace

This place is bustling! Curtains which were donated in part by Gary Taylor of Taylor Auto Sales are being installed this week. The curtains were made by Penny Wiseman of Wiseman Interiors and are being installed by our old renovation friends, John Rager Home Improvement. The curtains are navy blue and will be hung in the tall windows in the gallery so we can darken the room for presentations. They will also help the space appear more finished and soften some of those industrial edges.

Giggling kids are arriving for ArtReach class, and a young couple are here finalizing their wedding reception plans. All the while we are preparing for this evening’s Vine & Palette. A baby grand piano donated by a family out of Dayton will be arriving soon to accent the stage and provide quality instruments for visiting musicians to enjoy. It’s beginning to look and feel as though we’ve lived here for a spell.

Our Annual High School Invitational will open on April 26 with an opening reception from 1- 5 p.m. and be on view through May 15. We continue to brainstorm new creative outlets to our area with our exhibits, classes and events. Our ArtReach classes are preparing for their puppet-type production of the children’s classic, Frederick. (Frederick is a mouse whose skills don’t necessarily fall in-line with typical mouse skills, however he brings to his mouse family a meaningful gift). In addition to live music, and a hot-dog bar, the puppet show, Frederick by Leo Leonni will premier that day.

Come to our next Vine & Palette on Thursday, May 7 from 6:30–9 p.m. The warmer weather is a great excuse to come on out and paint with us. Soon we might be able to go outside! The session includes all painting materials and first glass of wine. Participants may bring a snack to share if they wish. We even provide aprons, because we like to get messy! The cost is $30 for members and $35 for non-members. (21 and over)

Our ongoing watercolor class continues on Tuesday mornings starting at 10 a.m. The instructor is Pat Rayman. The monthly fee is $35 for members and $40 for non-members.  You may join the class at any time.

Sign up soon! This class fills quickly and for good reason! Pottery with Brandon Knott will start up on April 22 at 6 p.m. This will be another 8-week long course ending on June 10. New techniques are going to be explored and as the weather warms we’ll take to the outdoors and dig holes for raku!

For more information on exhibits or to sign for classes and events visit wassenbergartcenter.org. The Wassenberg Art Center is located at 214 S. Washington St. (former Van Wert Armory). We can also be reached by telephone at: 419.238.6837, email: info@wassenbergartcenter.org and our website is: wassenbergartcenter.org.