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New systems, new classes at CC Arts Center

Charles City Arts Center director Jacqueline Davidson pulls out a piece of the Arts Center’s permanent collection from it’s new home in the custom storage system. The center is also planning to renovate storage supply closets in the center’s basement level.  Press photo by Kate Hayden
Charles City Arts Center director Jacqueline Davidson pulls out a piece of the Arts Center’s permanent collection from it’s new home in the custom storage system. The center is also planning to renovate storage supply closets in the center’s basement level. Press photo by Kate Hayden
By Kate Hayden, khayden@charlescitypress.com

It would be hard to miss the gaping hole outside of the Charles City Arts Center, where the limestone staircase is being renovated. But once inside, the center has a few more facility projects in store.

The Art Center’s permanent collection is getting a new home in form of a redesigned storage system, built by volunteer Steve Gray. The cubby system separates each painting with dividers, and assigns a number to each art piece and it’s accompanying slot so pieces are returned to the same location every time they are removed. The permanent collection contains about 500 pieces.

“They slid in and out really well, so we won’t have to worry about them being damaged,” Director Jacqueline Davidson said. “When people borrow them, or when we hang them, they will have a home and a slot to go back to.”

The center is also developing a computer and print catalogue of all the items within the permanent collection, which people can use to locate the piece they are looking to pull from storage. The process has taken about a month to build, and there are still larger paintings waiting for a permanent home, Davidson said.

The Arts Center has much more in store for it’s lower-level facilities. A conference room next to the kitchen is being cleared out and ready for rentals, and donated frames from a closed hotel and furniture store are being made available to artists who volunteer their time with the center. The center will soon a matting system to members and non-members at a small cost, which is being determined. Matboard must be provided by the artist.

“Artists mat things with different materials, and we don’t have the room to keep that,” Davidson said.

The Arts Center is also considering renovating the storage/men’s bathroom space on the lower level to keep extra chairs and tables organized. The center would gut the walls underneath the staircase to expand storage for winter maintenance equipment.

GRAPHICS CLASSES

Two Arts Center volunteers are offering workshop classes to the community featuring Adobe Photoshop, GIMP and Paint.NET, Davidson said. With falling arts and humanities education enrollment in the midwest, organizations like the Arts Center need to offer support for graphic arts programs as well, she added.

Students in grades 6-8 who use Chromebooks at the Charles City Middle School can learn to use Paint.NET and GIMP programs for digital photo editing and image manipulation.

“We had a couple calls from adults, and they wanted to be involved in it too. So we may be doing adult classes” depending on the amount of interest, Davidson said. Adult classes would feature Photoshop or other Adobe products.

Those interested in taking a graphics course can contact Davidson at the Arts Center, 641-228-6284. The two classes will be separately taught by volunteers.

Classes aimed at middle school students will give them a head start in experience before they start working with graphics at a high school level.

“I think it’s important,” Davidson said. “If that’s what the future holds, we need to get it into the center.”

In the future, Davidson said she’d like to have tablets and Adobe products available at the Arts Center to teach graphic design classes.

“That’s what’s used professionally,” Davidson said. “If you’re going to get into art and make money off of it, I think in the future that’s going to be a big consideration.”

As the center makes decisions on facilities and classes, Davidson said the center is moving forward with an eye towards the community the Arts Center serves.

“As the [YMCA] does, and as the churches do in town, we also are responsible for providing an atmosphere to the youth in town that they feel safe and accepted … They know that they can come here and do art,” Davidson said. “It’s working. I’m glad we’re here, it makes me proud to be part of that.”

 

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