It’s been said that success breeds success.
Art in the Loft may soon be discovering the truth in that simple statement. Building on the success of last year’s three-day workshop that featured national-caliber collage artist Jonathan Talbot of New York, Art in the Loft has lined up three more recognized artists to conduct workshops this spring.
“This is something we really wanted to branch out and do,” said Art in Loft board member Karen Bennett. “We had such a great time with Jonathan Talbot. He then went back on the circuit and told other artists about us, and then they began contacting us to come here and do workshops.”
Appropriately called Spring into Art, the series of workshops already is gaining attention. One of the three classes has 17 registered participants who signed up once the dates and location went up on the artist’s Internet web site. Most of the 17 are not local residents, but instead are people willing to travel to Alpena to take the workshop.
This is good news for Nan Katzenberger, who has been busy making contacts with artists and setting the schedule not only for this spring and fall, but also into 2009.
“All of these artists are really accomplished, and for them to be able to come to our area and share their knowledge is a wonderful opportunity,” Katzenberger said. “We’ve been wanting to do this for years. We’ve always tried to provide workshops, but this is bringing it to another level.”
Among those scheduled to lead workshops are Jacqueline Sullivan of Clarkston, who works with mixed media metallics; Claudine Hellmuth of Orlando, Fla., who is considered a master collage artist; and Mary Ann Beckwith, a professor of art at Michigan Technological University who will explore creative methods of water media application.
Sullivan has worked as an advertising and publication designer. She has studied calligraphy and lettering arts, and has shown in galleries and juried art fairs nationwide. She also has taught at the International Calligraphy Conference in the U.S. and Canada.
Sullivan and her husband, Victor, own The Artful Framer, a custom frame shop and gallery in Clarkston.
Hellmuth is a nationally known collage and mixed media artist with a BFA in fine art from the Corcoran College of Art. Her work has been used for fine art posters, book covers and rubber stamps.
She has been featured in numerous magazines, and many of her licensed products are sold at Target, JoAnn’s, The Bombay Company and other stores.
Hellmuth teaches workshops in the U.S. and Canada. She has written two books about her techniques, “Collage Discovery Workshop” and “Collage Discovery Workshop: Beyond the Unexpected.” She has also produced three instructional DVD videos.
Hellmuth lives with her husband, Paul, in Orlando, where she also maintains a studio.
Beckwith is equally a painter and teacher with a passion for both. She has twice received Michigan Tech’s Distinguished Teaching Award. She is a signature member of the National Watercolor Society, a Nautilus Fellow of the International Society of Experimental Artists and other art societies.
Beckwith has exhibited, juried and taught nationally. She is featured in numerous art magazines and books as well as having her own book, “Creative Watercolor: A Step by Step Guide and Showcase.”
Katzenberger said a total of 22 people ended up taking Talbot’s class last spring and absolutely loved it. The artist had nothing but glowing comments about his experience in Alpena and Art in the Loft.
“He told us that we might not realize what we have here, that it was one of the finest workshops he’d been too,” Katzenberger said. “He looked around the town and everyone was so friendly. He just loved coming here, and said he knew others would too.”
Talbot’s positive response to Alpena and Art in the Loft was the added incentive Katzenberger needed to pursue more workshops.
“Talking with Jonathan, I realized that artists are willing to come to Alpena,” she said. “We just needed someone to organize it. By doing these workshops, we’re drawing more people into the area, including people who could be potential exhibitors in the Loft space.”
Collaborating with Katzenberger to plan the workshops are Rita Hess and Jean Mazur.
Besides the spring series of workshops, a jewelry artist from California will do an extensive workshop in September. Lined up for 2009 are workshops in photography, wildlife art, watercolor and portraits.
Art in the Loft has been in existence for seven years. Located on the third floor of the historic Center Building on Second Avenue in downtown Alpena, it offers workshops, events and exhibits in a spacious loft setting filled with light and tranquility.
For more information, call 356-4877 or visit www.artintheloft.com.
