By KATE SNYDER

Community Arts Center

If art-making is on your list of New Year’s resolutions, the Community Arts Center has you covered. The Arts Center has announced its class lineup for the winter months and, with more than thirty classes on the schedule over the next two months, there’s something for everyone.

“The winter class session is always one of our busiest,” says Executive Director Niki Kinkade. “There’s something about the start of a new year that inspires people to try new things. We love to help channel that creative energy! And winter is a great time for art-making. When it’s too cold to be outside, you can cozy up indoors with a new project.”

Classes for kids

The Arts Center’s winter classes for kids include painting, graphic design, murals, and pottery. The popular Wednesday afternoon Kids Visual Arts class will continue with new lessons for the winter semester. The class is open to students in kindergarten to third grade. Elements of Painting, Graphic Design, and Murals 101 are geared to students in 4th through 8th grade and will be taught by Creative Director Brandon Long. Kids pottery is open to students ages seven and up.

The Arts Center will also debut a new “Art of Manners” class on Tuesday afternoons starting Jan. 15. This four-week class is open to children ages 5 to 5th grade. Students will learn about conversation tips & compliments, table manners & table settings, and thank-you cards. Kinkade says “There is an art to practicing manners and the activities in this class will reinforce respectful behavior while also teaching kids the importance of having confidence in social settings.”

Two new programs for kids are being offered in partnership with other arts organizations. On Saturday, January 5th, the Arts Center will host a one-day “Mini Music Camp” led by Emily Roberts, director of the Danville Children’s Choir. Ms. Roberts will lead students through a fun-filled day of musical exploration with an emphasis on singing. Special guest Joan Stansbury will also introduce students to the Orff Approach of music education, which combines music, movement, drama, and speech into fun, play-based lessons. At the end of the day, campers will present a short performance to friends and family.

In February and March, middle school students will have the opportunity to participate in a six-week cotillion class, led by Danville Dance Company director and owner Whitney Thomas. The class will introduce students to the basic steps to a variety of classic dances, including waltz, foxtrot, quick step, basic swing, and rumba. Each evening will also have a focus on etiquette in social situations and on how to be good hosts and hostesses.

Also new in 2019 is a four-week Kids Art + Yoga class for students in grades K-5. This class will meet Saturday mornings from 9:30am to 11:00am and will teach children how to connect mind and body through art and movement. Each week, students will spend time relaxing their minds and bodies through yoga, then create some intuitive, free-flowing artwork.

Classes for adults

The Arts Center’s winter class offerings for adults include a variety of “core” art skills, along with a variety of workshops. “We try to offer classes at a variety of levels,” explains Kinkade. “Some students are really looking to master a new skill, while others are more interested in a fun, social experience that is rooted in the arts.” Unless otherwise noted, adult classes are open to students ages 14 and up.

For the first time, the Arts Center will offer a nude figure drawing class, beginning in February. Instructor Rochelle Bayless calls figure drawing a “hallmark of classical drawing,” and explains that her course will focus on finding the form and action of the human figure in three-dimensional space. She says, “there will be both short and long poses to help the student process and work on specific objectives including gesture, line quality, foreshortening, perspective, modeling form, and anatomical accuracy.” The class will be open to students ages sixteen and up, with teens requiring parental permission to participate.

Drawing 102, Painting 101 and 102, and Introduction to Printmaking are among the skill-building classes on the schedule for 2019, along with several ceramics classes. Kinkade says that the Arts Center’s ceramics program remains among its most popular adult offerings and urges community members to sign up quickly as these classes often sell out. In addition to a Tuesday evening wheel-throwing class, the Arts Center has added a daytime wheel-throwing class on Tuesday mornings from 10am to 12pm, beginning January 15th.

For adults interested in branching out beyond function vessels, the Arts Center will also offer a seven-week ceramic sculpture class, starting in March, along with a series of clay workshop, each focused around a different project including postcards, wind chimes, and bird feeders. The clay workshops are intergenerational classes, open to children and adults alike and make great family activities.

Workshops for adults include Hand Lettering, Art + Yoga, and beginning knitting, along with new paintings for the Arts Center’s popular Starry Night Studio program.

After a brief hiatus this fall, adult dance classes will also return in the winter, with a six-week series on Argentine tango. Instructor Elizabeth Luttinger says “Argentine tango is all about simple yet sensual walking, ideal for working on balance, non-verbal communication, and musical expression. This class is geared for new dancers and anyone who wants to get moving in a new and beautiful style. As a partner dance, there are specific leader and follower roles, so we strongly encourage leaders to attend (bring your husbands and guy-friends)!” The tango class will meet on Thursday evenings beginning Jan. 31.

For a full lineup of winter classes, visit the Community Arts Center’s website at communityartscenter.net. Need-based scholarships of up to 90% are available for many classes. Please contact the Community Arts Center to request a scholarship application or visit communityartscenter.net/scholarship.

ON EXHIBIT

The Holiday Market closes on Saturday, Dec. 22. The New Year New Art exhibit will open on Tuesday, Jan. 8 with an opening reception Friday, Jan. 11 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.