“Badlands & Brownies” now showing at the WAC

By Hope Wallace

We have a giant brownie camera sitting in our gallery. If you weren’t able to catch the opening for Badlands & Brownies, it will be on display until Sept. 16. This is an exhibit of two unlikely yet similar, young photographers from each end of the United States who refuse to let traditional techniques become extinct. This exhibit shows twists on traditional media of varying subjects.

Speaking of photography, our own Wassenberg Photography Exhibit is coming up soon! Prospectuses are going out as I type and entries will be due by Sept. 14. We can’t wait to see what you come up with a couple different categories we added. For more information please see our website and if you are an art center member, you will be receiving your call for entry in the mail soon.

Our final 4-Friday will be Friday, Aug. 19 and will feature Van Wert’s own Real Human Robot with some electronic tunes, dance demos, mini lessons and line dancing! The Van Wert Health Department, Van Wert County Hospital and the Wassenberg Art Center have been working together for over a year to bring Van Wert an alternative market and lunch option. Sponsors for this event include: Lee Kinstle, Statewide Ford, Taylor Auto, AgCredit, Van Wert County Hospital, Purmort Bros. Insurance and Greve Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge.

Art Classes:

Watercolor Techniques: is held on Tuesdays, from 10 a.m. – noon. On-going. $40 art center member price/$45 regular price. Instructor: Pat Rayman. Materials required. Online sign up available.

ArtNight: Free. Thursdays 6 – 9 p.m. Ongoing. Cash bar.

Daytime Drawing Class: A morning drawing class to be held on Fridays, held on Sept. 9, 16, 23, 30 from 10 a.m. until noon for ages 14–132. Instructor Pat Rayman will demonstrate new ways to improve drawing skill to produce more dramatic results. Materials needed are: a sketchbook or drawing paper, drawing pencils, HB and 2B a black pen (fine or medium point) and colored pencils. 
Materials needed are: a sketchbook or drawing paper, drawing pencils, HB and 2B a black pen (fine or medium point) and colored pencils. Online sign up available.

Evening Pottery Class: Evening pottery classes be held beginning Sept. 7, 14, 21, 28 and October 5 and 12. Basic through more advanced techniques will be featured by instructor Maria Coward. Maria has a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts Degree from Indiana Univesty/Purdue University,where she concentrated in ceramics and printmaking. Come with project ideas, and let Maria help you realize them, or let her show you how to throw a bowl on a pottery wheel! Class fee includes 25 lbs. of clay. Additional clay may be purchased. Materials suggested: Pottery tool kit, 1 gallon bucket, spray bottle, clean-up sponge. An additional/optional materials list with more detail will be provided to you upon sign-up. $70 members/$75 regular.

ArtReach (ages 7–11 and 12–15): We are again offering our popular ArtReach after school art program! Starting on Tuesday, Sept. 13 for ages 7–11, and Thursday, Sept. 8 for ages 12-16 will be offering this after-school art program for the duration of the school year. Students will receive a snack and then get down to creating! Parents can drop off their youngsters after school and pick them up at 5 p.m. Our program provides students with a much needed boost in visual art instruction, which has been proven to boost critical thinking and math skills.

Instructor Diane Bendele earned her bachelors degree in art education from Bowling Green State University and her Masters degree in education from Ohio State. As an art educator for 35 years, she has worked with students of all ages in the traditional classroom setting as well as the online classroom. She has organized student art exhibits, and served as judge for art shows. Diane has been commissioned to create interior and exterior murals. She has exhibited her work at Delphos Area Art Guild shows, American Gallery of Sylvania Ohio, BGSU, Delphos Postal Museum, and Art Space Lima. Diane works in acrylic and oil paints as well in fibers and concrete sculptures.

Cost for the program is charged monthly and is $40 for Wassenberg Art Center members and $45 for non-members during the regular school year. Most supplies will be provided. All holidays and cancellations will follow Van Wert City School schedules.

An online registration is also available on our website. Spaces are limited and fill up quickly. Need-based scholarships are also available on a limited basis and go quicklys. Please contact the Wassenberg Art Center for more information.

For more information on exhibits or to sign up for classes and events visit: wassenbergartcenter.org. The Wassenberg Art Center is located at 214 South Washington Street (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.

 

 

The Brownie in Motion is a room-sized replica of one of the first point and shoot cameras. This forerunner of the phone camera will be on display through Sept. 15 at the Wassenberg Art Center. (Photo submitted.)