ADRIAN — Three new studios are now up and running at the Adrian Center for the Arts, the result of a renovation that transformed a row of old garages into a place for creativity.
About $300,000 went into the renovations, raised from a mix of community donations, grants, and a state of Michigan crowdfunding program.
Classes for people of all experience levels are offered in the new studios, which add glass, sculpture, and jewelry/metalsmithing to a list of offerings that already included painting, drawing, ceramics, printmaking, fiber arts and more.
While the ACA offered some classes in glass before, the equipment in the new studio makes it possible to offer hot glass as well. The sculpture studio currently offers plaster casting and sculpture from everyday objects, but will eventually expand to offer welding and poured metal sculptures.
Valerie Herr, executive director of the ACA, said the classes are for people of all experience levels.
“When it comes to things like glass, metal and sculpture, people assume that they have to have some kind of skill, and they don’t,” she said. “We have classes for beginners, intermediate and advanced in all of our studios, and we want people to have the experience of coming and creating art.”
In addition to classes that are open to the public, the ACA also arranges personalized, private classes for groups. The jewelry studio has become an especially popular destination for teens’ birthday parties since it opened, Herr said.
The ACA offers a mix of one-day classes and ones that span several weeks. Prices vary, but Herr noted that scholarships are available for both youth and adults.
“We want to ensure that everyone has access to the arts,” she said.
Coming up on Saturday, April 6, the ACA will offer a day full of low-priced “mini-classes” in all of the studios. These classes will range from $15 to $30 and are intended to give people the opportunity to try something for the first time in a setting that doesn’t require a lot of commitment.
The Adrian Center for the Arts is at 1375 N. Main St., on the campus of Planewave Instruments. For more information, call 517-759-3005 or go to adriancenterforthearts.org.
