Arts on Main, formerly the Center for Art and Education, is welcoming the community today. The reception from 1 to 4 p.m. marks the launch of its inaugural exhibitions in its new home at 415 Main St. in Van Buren.
Organizers say: “The first exhibitions at the new Arts On Main will feature an installation by Jeannie Hulen, pastel drawings by Charles Peer, photography by Michael Leonard, and an exhibition of artworks from two private collections. The scope of these inaugural exhibitions validates the transition of the well-known Center for Art and Education to its new art center, Arts On Main. The exhibitions include artwork couched in traditional methods, form and subjects in concert with artwork that challenges the norm. These exhibitions are an opportunity for artists and patrons to compare and evaluate the diverse ways and means one might create and/ or acquire works of art.”
Peer’s “Familiar Places” features 80 to 90 recent pastel paintings, many honoring “‘familiar places’ of Van Buren [while] others are locations that simply feel familiar to us all.”
“Gibberish: Mineral Bilateral Stimulation,” by Hulen, is a part of a larger series of “Gibberish” installations that, according to Hulen, “examine global environmental issues and visually investigate the complex and troubling relationships between human beings and the natural world.”
Photographer Leonard’s “‘Architectural Blueprints’ allows viewers to peer into the past of the Arts On Main facility and see the decades of history contained within its walls.”
The “Collectors Collect” exhibition consists of “a comprehensive representation of modern and contemporary artists whose concepts, materials and methods define and redefine art as a dynamic endeavor. The work was collected by individuals who value art that defines their interest, perception, knowledge and aesthetics.”
For nearly 50 years, the Center for Art and Education “has served the people of the Arkansas River Valley by hosting art and cultural exhibits and events, promoting art education, and providing a venue for local artists,” says Terri Burt, the organization’s marketing manager. “We strive to create art experiences that improve the lives of children and adults through art programs that are presented at schools, in adult centers, in our studio, in traveling art classes and exhibitions. These events impact the lives of more than 5,000 residents each year.”
Burt tells me the group’s tag-line — “Engaging and enriching the community with unique art experiences for all ages” — means that it’s a place for everyone, “from someone who’s never picked up a paint brush to professional artists.”
[Our focus] “is not a single form of art — that’s why ‘arts’ is part of our name. Painting, sculpture, ceramics, pottery, children’s theater, classes, workshops. A place for everybody to have a chance to explore something new or to just come and get inspired.”
Burt adds that center leaders are “embarking on new types of classes to meet community needs and will be constantly updating our programs to meet those needs.”
The new facility boasts four gallery spaces with additional wall space available throughout the building, classroom studios, staff offices, a library, culinary arts studio/kitchen and a multi-purpose studio. A separate building in the garden area holds two “dirty” studio spaces, one of which is a pottery/ceramics workshop.
Online
For more photographs from these and other events, go to nwaonline.com/society/photos
AT A GLANCE
Opening reception
Who: Arts on Main (formerly the Center for Art and Education) What: The group launches its inaugural exhibitions. When: 1-4 p.m. today Where: Arts on Main, 415 Main St.in Van Buren Information: (479) 474-7767 or art-ed.org
Participants in charity events choose whether or not to remove their masks to be photographed, and the NWADG respects those decisions. We are all doing our best to follow guidelines.
Columnist Carin Schoppmeyer can be reached by email at cschoppmeyer@ nwadg.com .