$30 paintings for sale at ArtRageous!

By Hope Wallace

Thirty $30 paintings are here and ready for sale at ArtRageous in Fountain Park, Van Wert, June 1 and 2.  We are introducing our first 30 x 30 Art Fundraiser where 30 artists have kindly donated their time and talents to create a painting each to be sold for $30 at the art festival. Proceeds benefit our expanded youth summer art camps and much needed supplies for our ceramic studio. The three pictures included in this column are just a few of the wonderful artworks that are available for sale in this fundraiser. If you can’t make it to ArtRageous on Friday or Saturday, give us a call at the art center and we’ll tell you how to get your favorite painting!

The Van Wert Community and region should be very proud of the vast array of skill sets we have in our area. Where else can you invest $30 in original art by professional artists who typically sell their work for hundreds and even thousands of dollars? Stop by our booth at ArtRageous and see how a community art center can benefit your community. There you will be able to join the Wassenberg Art Center as a member and receive several levels of benefits. We’ll offer information on upcoming exhibits, our art classes and business programs and art consultation capabilities.

Our summer art camps are really starting to fill up. If your child has an interest in attending, sign up soon. We don’t like to turn people, especially kids away! Our new Lunch & Learn programs are a great way to take a break from the workday and lunch with an interesting presentation or quick project. Regular classes for both adults and youth are also available with very reasonable rates. Oil painting, drawing, ceramics and a multitude of one-night classes featuring unique, fun projects. Give us a call, email or check our website for more information.

Don’t forget the 56^th Annual June Art Exhibit runs from June 9-29. In addition to the presentation of cash awards to winning artists at 7 p.m. we’ll have a pulled pork BBQ, wine/craft beer tasting and jam to the tunes of the Reese Dailey Band! RDB is made up of Dailey, drummer Chuck Mauk, bass Dan Langguth and rhythm/lead guitarist/vocalist Mike Cleveland and together make up a pivotal group of American musicians whose uncompromising style firmly states their Erie-Midwest flatlands identity. Reese Dailey Band is Lake Erie’s Put-in-Bay favorite and commands any stage throughout Ohio and beyond. Reese, a dynamic guitarist with a seemingly endless flow of lyrical leads combined with his deep, rich vocals is able to produce a sound that holds listeners attention. This band’s combined work includes openings for national bands, solo concerts and a couple members have provided music for movies and television. The band’s first CD was released July 2011, (Olympia Records). Like our regional artists, this band is top notch. We are fortunate to represent high end, quality arts right here, in our own neck of the woods and we hope to see you here celebrating. Thank you to our sponsors, they rock! Van Wert Federal Savings Bank, Cooper Farms, and the Van Wert County Foundation, Collin’s Fine Foods and Walmart®.

Wassenberg Art Center’s general office hours are: Tuesday–Sunday, 1–5 p.m. Admission to the Wassenberg Art Center is always free. Contact us at 419.238.6837 or email: info@wassenbergartcenter.org, or for sign up options and further information on classes visit our website at wassenbergartcenter.org.