Shop the Wass until Dec. 18!

By Hope Wallace

Shop the Wass until Dec. 18! Two hundred pieces of art are on display for your holiday shopping or just to take a chill-out moment and look. This all-media sale is a fun and relaxed way to get unique gifts for the people you love. Do you know someone who is difficult to buy for? Buy art! Shop quality handmade items while supporting local artists. All Wassenberg Art Center exhibits and receptions are free and open to the public.

Do you have any clean, gently-used or better yet, new coats, blankets, boots, gloves or hats for our “Warm up the Ridge” project? Warm up the Ridge is an effort organized by the owner of our David Humphreys Miller collection, the Brent Stevens family. Pine Ridge Reservation is where most of the descendants of the Lakota (Sioux) warriors whose portraits hang on our wall reside. Marian Whitemouse, a family member of Dewey Beard and John Moves Camp is heading up the drive for warm coats to be distributed to those in need on the reservation. Pine Ridge is the site of third-world living conditions, 80% unemployment, widespread gang violence and dramatically high disease and mortally rates. Several deaths last year were attributed to soaring propane costs and brutally cold temperatures. Please bring donated items by Dec. 18 and we will ship them to the reservation.

We have an Elf Workshop coming up on Thursday, Dec. 17! We will be offering several different items simultaneously that you can complete in one evening here at the art center. All of Santa’s elf-artists will be on duty to help you create graceful, geometric Himelli ornaments, snowmen, Shrinky-dink holiday charms, penguins from light bulbs and possibly more! Cost is $20 – all you can make! All ages; adults are required to accompany young people 15 years and under.

We are going to have a whole line-up of classes beginning this January and we CAN. NOT. WAIT! Stay tuned!

ArtNight! will meet again on Dec. 10. What is ArtNight? We open up our doors, our bar, turn on the tunes so you can come and make stuff. Do you like to play the piano or guitar? Great! You can bring in any project you like, a craft, painting, sculpture, whatever you feel like creating. An instructor will be on hand to help. Best of all, it’s free. So grab a friend or come alone, we are friendly.

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.