It has been an exciting past few weeks for the Master Studio.  Two of our students, Brianna Manning and Holly Brimeyer, recently won an Art Gumbo Community-selected arts grant for 750 dollars! Along with Brianna and Holly, we have other students who are creating exciting pieces and are looking forward to showcasing their work in May.

We still, unfortunately, have a few students without Artist Allies.  So here is my open call to all artists in Dubuque and the surrounding communities!  We are specifically looking for anyone who has sewing and/or costume design experience.  One of our students has a great passion for history and costume design and would like to combine the two to create a beautiful Tudor era piece.

The time commitment for the Master Studio is only once a week and trust me, it is worth the time!

If you are interested in sharing your artistic passion, please contact me at the Art Center or kelly@dbqartcenter.org. Have a great weekend!

I found this great article on the New York Times website titled The Rise of the New Groupthink and wanted to share it. I was fascinated by the statement the article made, which was that recent research has shown that too much collaboration, and not enough solitary time, actually hurts creativity and productivity. I thought this was an interesting perspective, and it resonated with my own creative process, which often happens when I am fully focused and alone.  One of the biggest factors, according to the article, is the number of interruptions that people experience to their thinking when they don’t have privacy. (more…)

I had a lot of fun this Saturday watching Dawn Eikamp instruct her wonderful beginning drawing workshop. Dawn is an upbeat, fun instructor who really offers her students a wide range of engaging experiences. I have added some photos from several of the students below.  As you can see, non of these look like beginning drawings – yet another example of why taking a class here is awesome!  Dawn’s workshop included multiple techniques, including ink, colored pencils, markers, and even some drawing on paper towels (by design, not because we ran out of paper).

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2013 Ford Fusion

I know – what is a car post doing on the Art Center website? No, we have not been sponsored by Ford (although, it would probably allow us to offer more community programming, so if anyone has a contact…). Let me explain why this car is on this site.

All of us here at the Art Center value what creativity and innovation can do for people and communities. And we aren’t afraid to think of creativity and innovation in broad terms, either.  After all, the reason creativity is so important is that it helps move the world forward, helps us find better solutions to the challenges we face as people and communities. (more…)

I am thrilled to post this update: we now have over 150 pounds of LEGO® bricks for our upcoming Building Lab, available at Washington and Jefferson Junior High Schools this spring through LEAP and in selected summer camps here at the center (to be announced soon).

The full program launches next fall and will be available Monday-Friday after school for youth ages 6-13 and on Saturdays for people of all ages (yes, you will probably see me playing just about every Saturday). (more…)

Here is a great video of TED fellow Naomi Natale, describing her One Million Bones project. This is a tremendous example of how art, when approached with deliberate intention, can be an awesomely effective way to communicate ideas that words and numbers alone simply can’t convey, all while building communities of people, instilling a sense of collaborative empowerment, and encouraging action. Check out the video, then think about what your work communicates, what it impacts, and how your next project could be even more awesome.  Then tell us about it!

I wanted to congratulate two of our Master Studio participants, Brianna Manning and Holly Brimeyer, who worked with local artist and Master Studio Artist Ally Gail Chavenelle to apply for and win an Art Gumbo Community-selected arts grant for $750 – Whoop!

This is what the Master Studio is all about, going beyond just learning how to create art to learning how to be an artist.  (more…)