Non-graded art classes offered

For the student interested in exploring his or her artistic side, taking a beginning art class through IU for a grade can seem a little daunting. Fortunately, less than 10 minutes from the Sample Gates, the emerging or even the experienced artist may be able to find a friendly and casual venue for creative catharsis in Bloomington's John Waldron Arts Center.\nClasses in acting and dance begin in early January and are open to the public.\nThe center, located at 122 S. Walnut St. between Fourth Street and Kirkwood Avenue, was formerly Bloomington's City Hall and is now home to the Bloomington Area Arts Council, a group committed to promoting art to people of all ages. \nThe center offers more than 350 small classes a year. Students can choose to take a variety of classes including ceramics, drawing and painting, jewelry, photography, woodworking, writing and even art appreciation. \nThe courses cost anywhere between $70 and $240, and many include the cost of supplies within the tuition and are offered in four major sessions. For a small per-session fee, the center offers studio hours when classes are not taking place, when non-students can make use of the center's 10-station dark room -- an often coveted privilege for aspiring photographers, said BAAC Education Director Roger Meridith.\nMeredith said he is passionate about his job and the center. \n"Art is important in all communities and in any person's life," he said.\nMeridith is also familiar with the instructors of the classes, who he says are as personally invested as he is in what they do. \n"They are usually area and regional artists and this is a way of supplementing their income," Meridith said.\nMichael L. Teague has been a cartooning, painting and drawing instructor at the center since 2000 and is also a working artist. "Blender Kitty," a comic strip in the Indiana Daily Student, is just one of his many projects. \nTeague said he is happy with the cultural atmosphere in Bloomington and more than satisfied with his teaching and working situation. \n"I have a lot of time left over to make art," he said. "I would rather make art than make money."\nJoe Frommer, a former IU art student, is now a student at the center and has taken a course with Teague each consecutive session since the fall of 2002. Meridith assents that this is not uncommon among different instructors. \nFrommer said he heard of the BAAC from friends and after taking an initial course with Teague, is convinced Teague's style matches up with what he is looking for. \n"One of the nice things about it is that he tailors his instruction to each individual," Frommer said. "I really enjoy his enthusiasm for art." \nNancy Krueger, the interim director of the BAAC, said despite the quality teachers at the center, IU students do not take advantage of the course offerings as often as the center would like. \nKrueger acknowledges the busy schedules of college students, but enthusiastically adds how the center can be a pleasant escape for someone who enjoys the arts, but must fill credit hours with academics instead of art electives.\nOutside of providing classroom experience for artists, the center also plays host to a variety of performances each year ranging from modern dance, jazz and both adult and children's theater. \nA $30 student membership to the BAAC will give individual discounts on such performance tickets, and also a savings of 10 percent off classes, among other benefits.\nAspiring artists or seasoned concert-goers alike can peruse the John Waldron Arts Center's course offerings or the upcoming performance schedule by stopping in during regular business hours or by paying a visit to its Web site at www.artlives.org.