New classes at Wassenberg Art Center

By Hope Wallace

More and more we are seeing signs of a village creating community and we will be sharing some exciting news in the near future. We want to thank everyone involved for the generosity and shared vision that has brought us this far in our plan of expanding Van Wert’s visual art center. This hub of creative activity can become an integral part of a town by exploring our creative history, our architecture, and our music, in short, our cultural heritage.

Why does St. Patrick’s Day seem so important to many individuals who may only possess a mere smidgeon of Irish ancestry? Cultural pride, and in much the same sense Van Wert has a lot to be proud of.

We are happy to announce our spring (yes, it really is spring) schedule. We have added the following classes and will announce our Summer Studio Camps for youth and other workshops shortly. Be sure to sign up early, spaces are limited.

Animé/Manga Class (Ages 12-adult), April 6, 13, 20, 27, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. Instructor: Matt Temple. Get in another round of this popular art class, which teaches human proportion, expression and character development.

Drawing on the Right (adult) April 8, 15, 22, 29 10 a.m.–noon. Instructor: Pat Rayman. Learn how to really see and draw what you see without a lot of fluff getting in the way.

Classic Watercolors (adult) April 9, 16, 23, 30 10 a.m.–noon Instructor: Pat Rayman. Students will learn some of the classic and time-tested watercolor techniques for a solid in studio watercolor.

Action Acrylics (18-adult) May 6, 13, 20, 27 6:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m. Instructor: Pat Rayman Learn the basics of acrylic painting along with learning how to achieve dramatic lighting effects and create mood. A variety of subjects will be explored.

More Classic Watercolors (adult) May 7, 14, 21, 28, 10 a.m.–noon. Instructor: Pat Rayman. This class continues with our basic ongoing watercolor class but anyone can jump in and begin at the start of each class.

Even More Classic Watercolors (adult) June 4, 11, 18, 25, 10 a.m.–noon. Instructor: Pat Rayman. This class continues with our basic ongoing watercolor class but anyone can jump in and begin at the start of each class.

Sgraffito Ceramic Carving (Ages 18 and up), June 5, 12, 19, 26, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. Instructor: Matt Temple. One of our favorite techniques for ceramics around here, Sgraffito can be rustic and powerful, fun and whimsical or edgy. We’ll teach you how to use underglazes, some stains and other techniques of carving through color to create dynamic surfaces. Sign up early, class size is limited.

On May 10, 6 p.m. –midnight, May 11, 9 a.m.– midnight, and May 12, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. we are holding an all weekend scrapbooking crop as a fundraiser for the NEW Wassenberg Art Center! This is an excellent opportunity for senior moms, new moms, and all the rest of you who are woefully behind on your projects to finish them or make some great progress! All proceeds benefit the Wassenberg Art Center. Cost for the entire weekend: $50, Friday – $10, Saturday – $30, Sunday – $20. Sign up for the entire weekend or partial as priced. Payment can be made at or sent to the Wassenberg Art Center prior to arriving to reserve your table. Snacks will be served on Friday night and Saturday will have a continental breakfast, lunch, and dinner plus snacks. Sunday we will have a continental breakfast, snacks, and lunch. Water, ice and coffee will be provided or you may bring in any other drink of your choice. No alcohol, please. In addition there will be gift packs for all, a raffle table with $1 tickets or 6 tickets for $5, and scrapbook vendors. You may call: 419-238-1062 for more information and we’ll even get you all signed up.

Our next upcoming exhibit is the 2013 Annual High School Invitational and is sponsored by Cooper Farms. We invite you to celebrate the hard work and skill of our young artists! We are looking forward to providing these artists a respected and local venue to exhibit their work. This a juried competition with the student having an opportunity to win cash prizes. The works on exhibit come from area high schools within a 35-mile radius of the Wassenberg Art Center. Public opening reception is April 20 with awards presented at 7 p.m.

Artists, take your seats. Literally. Our Char-ity Auction fundraiser is ramping up and we will have again this year, one of a kind hand painted chairs created by local artists up for silent bid during ArtRageous 2013, which takes place June 7 and 8. For those artists who would like to donate your skills and talent to paint an original chair, give us a call. Most of the Adirondack-style chairs were donated by Ace Hardware, however we will have children’s chairs, stools and other styles as well.

On April 24, the Niswonger Performing Arts Center will have international National Geographic, photographer Joel Sartore for a color saturated presentation on photographing some of the worlds most exotic wildlife and since we love photography we can’t help but want to more about this world renowned photographer and see his amazing work. For ticket information call the NPAC at 419.238.NPAC (6722) or visit their website at: npacvw.org.

If you have any questions regarding the classes or programs and would like to sign up please call the Wassenberg Art Center at 419.238.6837, email info@wassenbergartcenter.org or register for classes online at wassenbergartcenter.org. Hours during exhibits are Tuesday through Sunday 1–5 p.m. The Wassenberg Art Center is located at 643 S. Washington St. in Van Wert.