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Changes this year for Art Alliance

When you pick up the “Workshops and Events” schedule from the Boca Grande Art Alliance, it feels more like a small book than a flyer. That is because Midge Mason, the executive director of the Art Alliance, said that this fall and winter’s line-up of classes and lectures will be a little bit different than other years.

Mason, who has been with the Art Alliance for a year, said they are trying to “widen their base” and scope of information to include even those who don’t feel like true “artists.”

“Some of our newest classes are for people who don’t really think they’re artistic,” she said. “We felt like we were missing a whole constituency. Now, we have classes in silk painting, paper marbling and binding, shell and fabric art as well as our traditional basket-making classes with Judy Briscoe.”

The season will begin with the Fall Holiday Show, scheduled for Friday, Nov. 20. From 5 to 6 p.m. the doors will open to “members only,” and the public is invited from 6 to 8 p.m.

“This will be the first exhibiting members show of the season,” Midge said. “We plan on having a lot of smaller items for sale, things that would be great Christmas gifts like ornaments, cards, handmade journals, smaller paintings, things like that.”

After that show is held, the season at the Art Alliance will include 23 teachers, seven of which are new, and 47 classes. From oils to acrylics to what Mason calls “fine crafts” classes, Mason said that they have an “unbelievable array of talent” as far as instructors are concerned.

There are also changes within the studios of the Art Alliance building as well. A second room has been made available for classes, which allows for more classes to be held at one time.

Mason explained another change that will take place this season.

“We are expanding our ‘open studio’ concept,” she said. “Artists can buy 10 sessions of open studio time and get the 11th free. We will have the back studio available on Fridays and Saturdays, so anyone who needs the use of a studio but doesn’t have access to one here can utilize it. All we ask is that they lock the door when they’re done. A lot of people have beautiful winter homes here that don’t have a studio, so this can extend their time to be creative.”

This year’s lecture series includes some familiar island names, such as Boots Tolsdorf who will give a presentation on N.C. Wyeth on January 27 and Dodie Headington who will present “From Folk Art to the Hudson River” on March 24. A presentation scheduled for February 17 with Gwenneth Barth-White has been postponed.

Two lecturers that Mason is particularly proud of are a husband and wife team that include Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Val Mazzenga and his wife, garden photographer Shelly Lawler.

Mazzenga, a Chicago Tribune photographer who is the winner of five Beck awards and has traveled all over the world covering the most historic events of his time, will be presenting his lecture on February 24.

“Val is going to be explaining the ‘why’ of a photograph, what it means and why it’s taken,” Mason said. “His wife, Shelly, is a master gardener who picked up a camera because of Val and now exhibits all over the country. They rent a house nearby during the winter, and just walked in off the street one day. Having both of them speak is a real coup for us.”

The Carlene Stewart Art Enrichment Series bus trip will be held on February 20, and will feature the Naples Art Festival. Consistently voted among the top outdoor festivals nationwide, the Naples National is a premier collecting opportunity for serious art collectors.

“It’s huge, one of the best in the country,” Mason said. “They have jewelry, food, clothing and other vendors as well as art.”

The “Art in the Home” Tour held annually by the Art Alliance will take place on February 18, and will feature between six and eight Boca Grande homes. Mason said they are still confirming some of the locations.

“This event is a major fundraiser for us,” she said. “We will be looking at different archetypes of art that local people have collected.”

Anyone interested in becoming a member of the Boca Grande Art Alliance or in taking classes can sign up by phone or by mail, and are encouraged to use the organization’s web site, bocagrandeartalliance.org. A Paypal option is available for online registration.

“You can even include your 2010 membership dues when you sign up for classes,” Mason said. “I know everyone will enjoy this season, it’s going to be packed with interesting things.”

Call the Art Alliance at 964-1700 for more information.