June show reception set for June 8

By Hope Wallace

The results are in. Submitting artists should have received notifications regarding whether their work has been accepted into the 57^th Annual Wassenberg June Art Exhibit. Award notifications have been sent out as well and those artists will be in the know shortly. It is so gratifying to present hard-working artists with cash awards. In an area of work that can be subjective our jurors have consistently awarded strong, vibrant paintings, drawings and sculptures. It is not an easy job by any means, like being a child in a candy shop and of course our parents would not let us have everything. The works submitted for this exhibit are consistently very well done, imaginative, beautiful and thought and awe inspiring. We applaud all of you who submitted your work and those of you who maybe just thought about it.

We are also getting ready for our public opening reception. The 6-piece band is lined up. John Reichle will once again be joining us along with Mike Cleveland who played with The Reese Dailey Band last year. In addition, we will hear from Keith Schwab – drums, bass guitar from Kevin Maynard and vocals from Dave Raker.  Remember this June 8 we will be starting at 7 p.m. to accommodate Peony Festival activities at our current location. We will be having barbeque, craft beer and wine-tastings and all kinds of great food. Artist award ceremony will start at 8 p.m. This exhibit will be on display through June 30 and is sponsored by the Van Wert County Foundation, Van Wert Federal Savings Bank and Taylor Auto Sales. Admission is always free.

Do you need a one-of-a-kind art chair for your garden or home? Stop by Friday and Saturday and see our booth at ArtRageous on Main this year. Bid on an art chair created by our area artists. Not only could you score a great functional chair but an original piece of art as well. These chairs often go very reasonably.

We have additional thanks to bestow. Thank you for Central Mutual Insurance’s donation towards constructing the stage in the new Wassenberg Art Center, which is going to be moving to the Van Wert Armory by the end of the summer. Also, we’d like to thank Terrence Johnson, M. D. and Connie Johnson and also a huge thank you to Adam and Kelly Houg for their personal donations toward this project.

Do you have any peonies that you might be willing to share with us to build the peony beds we have planned at our new space when the time comes? We feel since we owe a lot to that June blooming flower, we should plant as many as possible. We’d like to adopt your peony plants!

Classes with our instructor, Terry Ratliff from Fort Wayne are continuing their journey into abstraction. Abstraction may look easy but it is anything but! Bring a bottle of wine and join us. Stop in and sign up if you have an interest. Give us a call if you have any questions.  Class fees are: members $30, non-members $35.

Other classes are available before we announce our summer schedule and are as follows:
Even More Classic Watercolors (adult) June 4, 11, 18, 25, 10 a.m.–noon Instructor: Pat Rayman. $35 members, $40 non-members. Sign up early the room gets packed. Pat is a popular teacher!
Sgraffito Ceramic Carving (Ages 18 to 130), June 5, 12, 19, 26, 10 a.m.–12 p.m. Instructor: Matt Temple. $45 members, $50 non-members.
Summer Studio Camp sign ups are here and going fast especially for the younger crowd. Summer Animal Art Studio (ages 5-7) June 12, 13, 19, 20, 26, 27:
10–11:30 a.m. Instructor: Diane Bendele. Youth will study animals in
a myriad of mediums. Explore big and small animals through historical works of
art and create your own lively animals inspired by those drawing and sculptures.
Study the masters and translate shapes into form, using clay, paper
maché, paint and drawing. Exhibit your work at the end of the studio
session. Materials supplied, wear old clothes and bring a paint shirt.
$40 members/$45 non-members. This age group is filling up fast and will fill shortly. Call soon!
Summer Animal Art Studio (ages 8 and up) June 12, 13, 19, 20, 26, 27: 12:30–2:30 p.m.
We still have some openings in this age group. Check out some of the cool stuff we have planned for this studio camp.

If you have any questions regarding exhibits, classes or programs or 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.