Wassenberg Art Center news 1/6/16

By Hope Wallace

Bon Voyage 2015. You have been yet another whirlwind of events, classes, exhibits and being an integral part of the community. Thank you to everyone who participated in any way. Your participation great or small all comes together to create a vibrant heart of the community. We have another great year planned for 2016 so keep your ears.

A huge and humble thank you to all of you who donated items to our “Warm up the Ridge” project. The coats were delivered to Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota to our friend Marian Whitemouse over the New Years holiday and the timing couldn’t have been better. A nearby family had just lost their home to fire, and an elderly woman has lost her legs to frostbite already this year. A second thank you to Brent Stevens of Constantine, Mich., and Thad Lichtensteiger who made the cross-country trek to Pine Ridge. Brent is the owner of our David Humphreys Miller collection and his friend, Thad is of course one of our own county commisioners. You all contributed 150 coats and jackets, and over 17 garbage bags of gloves, hats, scarves, boots and blankets! Pine Ridge Reservation is where most of the descendants of the Lakota (Sioux) warriors whose portraits hang on our wall reside. Pine Ridge is the site of third-world living conditions, 80% unemployment, widespread gang violence and dramatically high disease and mortally rates.

If you don’t already have plans for Valentine’s on February 13, plan to be at the Wass. It’s still a mystery-check back.

Our classes will be reconvening on the following dates.

Every Wednesday Jan. 13 – Feb. 10 from 6–8 p.m. Basic Pottery with well-known, professional potter Brandon Knott renews for a 5-week course (ages 15–125)! All areas of pottery will be covered by Brandon including, wheel, slab work, sculpture and even raku! Brandon Knott holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Visual Art and a Masters in Education from Defiance College. Brandon has operated his business “it’s Knott Pottery” since 1995, www.itsknottpottery.com. Brandon has taught at Bryan High School since 2006, where runs a nationally competitive ceramics program which has won numerous awards. He has taught at Defiance College and held workshops at many area art centers. Cost of this course is $65 members/$70 non-members. Materials included.

Drawing for the Fraidy Cat has changed times. Feb. 4, 11, 18, 25, 6–8 p.m. Instructor: Megan Thomas. Stick people are people too! This class is for anyone who would like to dabble but have had trouble putting pencil to paper. There are NO mistakes so give it a try. You will be surprised at the results. Megan Thomas is a ceramic artist and the new Event and Programming Coordinator for the Wassenberg Art Center. She has a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts Degree from Bowling Green State University. She has exhibited and sold work in Ohio, Louisiana, and Maine. $30 members/$35 regular.

Classic Watercolors (adult) Tuesdays 10 a.m.–noon, ongoing. Instructor: Pat Rayman Students will learn some of the classic and time-tested watercolor techniques for a solid base and further their watercolor painting skills. Wet on wet, dry brush and other tricks will be demonstrated and explored. This class is ongoing but we encourage you to jump in anytime. $35 members, $40 non-members. Materials required: Watercolors, watercolor paper (140 lb), brushes, palette (we use foam/paper plates), drawing pencil, eraser, permanent black pen.

Eat. Talk. Crop. Scrapbooking Marathon. Come spend a weekend working on your favorite photos! The crop starts on Friday, Jan. 22, at 5 p.m. – midnight, continues Saturday, Jan. 23, from 9 a.m. – midnight, and Sunday, Jan. 24, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Bring your photos, paper, favorite drink, and a treat to share. Dinner on Saturday and lunch on Sunday will be provided. Limited to 35 Scrapaholics. Friday, Jan. 22 – $10 Cricut machines and cartridges will be available. Saturday, Jan. 23 – $20 Creative Memories, Stampin Up, and Close To My Sunday, Jan. 24 – $15 Heart will provide a chance to shop. All 3 days – $40. Please call Pam at 419.238.1062 or the art center at 419.238.6837.

Don’t forget ArtNight will be starting back up again on Jan. 7. What is ArtNight? We open up our doors, our bar, turn on the tunes so you can come and make stuff. We may even have a project or two available. Do you like to play the piano or guitar? Great! You can bring in a project you like, 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.

More classes to be added soon to keep us out of trouble (or in) during the winter!

Would you like to gather with friends for a private Vine & Palette Party? They are great for corporate team building too! Give our Event & Program Coordinator, Megan a call and we can line something up for you. Our paintings are original and we encourage exploration and experimentation with all our V & P guests. We even provide custom themes and can customize a project for your group.

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.