Detroit is huge

By Hope Wallace

Um…Detroit is huge; statement of the obvious…obviously.

I have been watching Detroit; wincing, as it languished and fell. I watched open-mouthed where priceless masterpieces housed in the Detroit Institute of the Arts were considered as a possible revenue source to offset the deficit. Such a proposed sale would be considerably hefty and yet make only a nail-drop ting in that bucket. I’m still watching. Now spots of green are beginning to emerge on that fire-blackened ground. Time-worn and dedicated Detroit citizens, and Nuevo adventurers, are fighting back. They are fighting in an urban frontier to revive the city, which was once reliant on the auto industry. Detroit is becoming a Maker hotspot. Upcoming artists with limited resources can buy space, cheap; sometimes $500 cheap. The city lost half its residents and those who remain are tough, creative and resourceful. Those who migrate in bring renewed ideas, energy and additional inspiration.

Art, is not a stranger to Detroit and is arriving like pioneer wagons. Galapagos Art Space, which has been a 20-year veteran in Brooklyn, New York, has pulled up stakes and is relocating…yep to Detroit. Galapagos bought 9 buildings totaling 600,000 square-feet and plans to build a 10,000 square-foot lake. The price was comparable to the price of a small apartment in New York City. The Greening of Detroit is a grass roots group that plans and implements community gardens, beautification projects and will replace green space with torn down areas within the city. Creative, start-up businesses have also begun the pilgrimage. This list goes on and on and then I think about our community and how space-wise we are fortunate in that we only occupy a small space. The reintroduction of vibrancy is much less daunting.

The Wassenberg Art Center continues to strive to bring creative outlets to our area with our exhibits, classes and events. Our ArtReach classes have started in earnest preparing for their puppet-type production of the children’s classic, Frederick. (Frederick is a mouse whose skills don’t necessarily fall in-line with typical mouse skills, however he brings to his mouse family a meaningful gift). The play will premier during our High School Invitational exhibit opening, Sunday April 26 at 3 p.m.

The Annual High School Invitational will open on April 26 with an opening reception from 1- 5 p.m. and be on view through May 15. Calls of entry are in the hands of students’ art teachers and we can’t wait to see the new round of fresh ideas.

Don’t forget! The next Vine & Palette date is coming up quickly and will be held on Tuesday, April 7 from 6:30–9 p.m. The session includes all painting materials and first glass of wine. Participants may bring a snack to share if they wish. We even provide aprons, because we like to get messy! The cost is $30 for members and $35 for non-members. (21 and over)

Our ongoing watercolor class continues on Tuesday mornings starting at 10 a.m. and the instructor is Pat Rayman. Persons are encouraged to jump in anytime and the class is sold in monthly increments. $35 for members and $40 for non-members.

Pottery classes will resume after a 2-week break after this session and will return the end of April or early May. Exact dates will be posted next week. New techniques are going to be explored and as the weather warms we’ll take to the outdoors! Summer art camp plans are being finalized and will also be announced soon.

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