Art abounds on Broad Street this fall as the Grinnell Arts Center gears up for another year of arts classes that range from black box theatre to drop-in ceramics.
The Grinnell Area Arts Council is a nonprofit arts organization that aims to enrich and develop the creative community of Grinnell.
“Offering classes in a variety of art forms furthers our mission because it enables community members of all ages to learn new skills and techniques for making things,” wrote Katie In, the education and operations manager for the Council, in an email to The S&B.
In order to support the creativity of all Grinnell community members, the Arts Council has launched a scholarship initiative for their Studio 6 interdisciplinary arts program.
“We think it is important to make the arts financially accessible to all community members,” In wrote. “This summer we launched a five dollar Stew class series with the intent to lower financial barriers for participating in arts classes.”
The classes were taught by volunteers and cover topics ranging from songwriting to computer-programmed embroidery.
Other exciting opportunities offered by the Council include a class for students ages 12 and up on Shibori, a Japanese cloth dyeing technique. Additionally, potters Tom and Wanda Clarke will return to Grinnell to run their annual Raku pottery workshop on Sept. 23 at 926 Broad Street. The Clarkes have been coming to Grinnell to teach Raku for over a decade, but this will be their final year running the workshop.
If any of these options are of interest, In provides five specific ways Grinnell College students can get involved with the Arts Council. Students can volunteer in Studio 6 or at an event, for example the Raku Workshop on Sept. 23. They can attend one of the classes, music shows, gallery openings or Grinnell Community Theatre productions. Students may also rent the Stew and host their own creative class or event in town, stop by the Arts Center “to say hi” and check out the two different locations, visit the Art Council’s website and like them on social media.
Students from any and all artistic backgrounds can contact info@grinnellarts.org if they want to get involved with the Arts Council.
“We want to support creativity in the community, and we hope to reach people whether they have a lot of experience and comfort with the arts or very little,” In wrote.
