Google Global Site Tag:
ARTICLE
In 2020, Marco Island Center for the Arts will be celebrating its 50th year of celebrating the arts, growing artistic skills in newcomers, developing expertise in the talented and promoting an appreciation of arts for patrons, the public and tourists. The core of the educational programming is the talented teaching artists that treat students like artists while focusing on fundamental skills and their specialized medium techniques. New classes in clay, metalsmithing, mixed media, oil and watercolor are being offered during the 2018 – 2019 season. Tracy Gamble joins the Art Center’s clay instructors as a visiting artist with over 25 years of experience as a studio potter and member of Actors’ Equity. She describes herself as a continual student with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre, Master of Library Science and a Master of Business Administration. Tracy is an educator for the American Art Clay Co., Inc. and will be teaching a related glazing workshop. Indiana native Glenn Woods will be teaching in the clay studio. He is known for creating functional and decorative pottery with strong influences from nature. Most of his work features stunning crystalline glazes, both gloss and matte. His class will explore two important forms – the vase and the bottle. As a child growing up near an Amish community, he learned to crochet and appreciate the fine stitching patterns in Amish quilts. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Art from Indiana Central University. Designing contemporary pieces from historical elements, teaching artist Amy Butts learned metalsmithing from her tool and die maker father and veteran crafter mother. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Metalsmithing and Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture from the School of the Art Institute in Chicago. Humorously, she grew up on “Jewel Avenue” in Chicago. Amy will be teaching a beginning metal jewelry workshop. One of the foremost mixed media artists and creator of an art form call “Layered Imagery”, Marjorie Pesek will be teaching workshops based upon her collage technique. This unique work describes both the process of creating each piece, as well as the visual story it reveals. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from University of St. Thomas, Minnesota. Since childhood, German born artist Rita Schwab has always loved to paint and be connected to nature. On scholarship, Rita attended the University of South Florida in Tampa where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts. With her Master of Fine Arts in hand from Florida State University she has been a self-employed studio artist and a mixed media abstract painter for decades. Rita will be teaching a fun and action packed class called “Mask Making.” Whimsical masks will be created from palm fronds that will be embellished with organic collectables. New to Florida is Charles Pompilius, a figurative painter from Detroit. He completed the official portrait of Michigan’s former Governor Jennifer Granholm that hangs in the state capital building. He has taught mixed media classes in art centers, school systems and at the University level. Charles will combine the use of watercolor and pastel for his mixed media workshops. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa. Oil painter Douglas David has a painting in the Collection of the Vice President’s Residence in Washington DC. His paintings reflect comfort, warmth, meaning and simplicity. David’s class will teach the basic principles of oil painting, painlessly. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communications from Indiana University Herron School of Art. Sometimes you just fall in love with the luminosity of watercolors. Charleston native Nancy Falciani did almost 40 years ago. She began taking pastel and oil painting lessons as a child. Nancy went on to become an exhibition director for the National Watercolor Society’s national show. Her watercolor classes will be using Yupo paper, a slick synthetic paper. She majored in Studio Art at the College of Charleston. Well-known local artist Karen Swanker will be teaching a specialty workshop on quilling. In this class, students will learn how to cut and curl paper to create a snowflake and a floral design. Before becoming a full-time artist she created advertising for over 600 colleges and universities across the country. Karen holds a degree in art and computer graphics. Marco Island Center for the Arts’ has a stellar group of education instructors that will be returning to teach their exciting classes and workshops. The following are the teachers: David Becker, Judy Becker, Shirley Blake, Linda Chambers, Diane Reed Eiler, Fran Foley, Barney Halaschak, Sandy Moore Howe, Inez Hudson, Hannah Ineson, Cedar Kindy, Jerry Leeman, Edythe Newbourne, Nancy Norman, Tara O’Neill, Johanna Petropoulos, Phyllis Pransky, Rinny Ryan, Jo-Ann Sanborn, Sonny Saunders, Joan Scherer and Ann Vreeland. The 2018-2019 Classes & Workshops catalog is available at the Art Center located at 1010 Winterberry. The center is open Monday thru Friday from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm. All education classes can be found on the website, marcoislandart.org.