Black Hills and Brownies exhibit is coming up

By Hope Wallace

Main Street Van Wert, The Van Wert Health Department, Van Wert County Hospital, and the Wassenberg Art Center have combined to provide the “Four Fridays Farm & Art Market” in the downtown area on Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on July 29, Aug. 5, 12, and 19. In addition to producers of fruit, cheese, eggs, meat, flowers, and beverages, the market has invited area artists to participate.

Each Friday will feature music and gourmet food trucks or other fresh food providers serving lunch. Wassenberg Art Center and its exhibits will be open, and vendors and musicians will be located in the front of the center and in its parking lot. Different entertainment is planned for each Friday.

Many people who work in Van Wert, especially downtown, often eat in a break room or in the car, or drive to a fast food place for lunch. Four Fridays gives you a chance to pick your lunch – instead of packing it – and have an enjoyable time as well.

Sponsors for the event include: Lee Kinstle, Statewide Ford, Taylor Auto, Purmort Bros. Insurance, AgCredit, Van Wert County Hospital, and Greve Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge.

Our upcoming exhibit, “Black Hills & Brownies”, opens at 6 p.m. on Aug. 12 with a free reception open to all. This exhibit features two young photographers, Mark Lanning Jr. of Sacramento, Calif., and Stephen Takacs of Columbus, who enjoy the old traditional methods of photography. Takacs will give a presentation from 6-7 p.m. Music for the reception will be provided by the Changing Elements band.

Lanning has a BA in photography and a master’s degree in art from Sacramento State University.He uses a 4 x 5 format film camera. In 2011 he published his first book, River Work, a four-month, 35-image project shot along the Sacramento and American Rivers in California. He has also published other collections of his work, entitled North Dakota: Devils Lake & the Bakken, and Full Auto. Lanning has also released several “zines” and his work has been published and exhibited through various venues. Visit mtljr.tumblir.com to see working images and updates. I was fortunate to meet Lanning in August 2014 during a road trip with my grandson in the Black Hills, and am personally pleased that we’ve been able to bring his work to the Wassenberg.

Takacs is a multi-talented artist and former Ohio State University instructor. His work utilizes photography, found objects and homemade cameras that relate to, or interface with, the human body. He operates a huge, walk-in camera with a 24-inch aperture. This is a form of “camera obscura” — a darkened chamber in which the real image of an object is received through a small opening or lens and focused in natural color onto a facing surface rather than recorded on a film or plate. Takacs’ “Brownie in Motion”, however, does take pictures. It is a portable art installation; a combination camera obscura and darkroom capable of producing large-scale direct positive images on-site. The project, constructed by Takacs, debuted in 2013, thanks to the generous support of the OSU STEAM Factory, Ingenuity Cleveland and 9Stitches. Check out his blog and join the Brownie in Motion group on Facebook to stay up to date on the travels of the camera obscura.

The Watercolor Techniques class is taking a break during July. Classes resume on Tuesday, Aug. 9. This class for adults runs from 10 a.m.-noon, and is ongoing; a monthly fee of $35/members or $40/non-members is charged. Bring your watercolor materials and have fun while learning techniques and getting inspiration from instructor Pat Rayman. Online signup is available.

Our open studio night, “ArtNight” is held Thursdays from 6-9 p.m. It’s free and open to the public. Bring a current art project or come and learn from the staff instructor on hand. A cash bar is available for those who might be interested.

We have scheduled an Acrylic Painting class beginning Friday, Aug. 8, running Fridays during August from 10 a.m. to noon. This class is for adults (age 18-up). Instructed by Pat Rayman, the class will help you learn the basics of working with acrylic paint. The class fee is $40/members or $45 non-members. The following materials are required: 8″x10″ canvas paper pad, canvas boards, stretched canvas or artist panel boards (one per class) at least five tubes of acrylic paint (white, black, red, blue, and yellow), a drawing pencil, palette (Styrofoam or paper plates work well), kneaded eraser, water container, and paper towels. Online sign-up is available.

A Daytime Drawing Class for adults will be held on Fridays, Sept. 9, 16, 23, and 30, from 10 a.m.-noon. Instructor Pat Rayman will teach you to improve your drawing skills for interesting and dramatic pictures. The following materials are required: A sketchbook or drawing paper, drawing pencils (HB and 2B), a black pen (fine or medium point Sharpie, Micron, or similar), and colored pencils. 
Online signup is available.

For more information on exhibits or to sign up for classes and events visit: wassenbergartcenter.org. The Wassenberg Art Center is located at 214 S. Washington St. in the historic old Armory building Contact us at 419.238.6837 info@wassenbergartcenter.org or visit the website at wassenbergartcenter.org.