Adrian Center for the Arts

Adrian Center Adrian Center for the Arts: for the Arts:

The pandemic put a hold on concert goers everywhere as the world of live music took an unprecedented shi� . As COVID-19 cases surged in the U.S., venues were le� with no other choice but to cancel shows, forcing ar� sts to fi nd alternate ways to entertain. As a result, people have missed out on rejoicing with fellow music fans and reveling in the sounds that unite us all. Fortunately, music lovers in Adrian are in for a treat as the Adrian Symphony Orchestra gears up for its fi rst season since closing its doors last year due to the pandemic.

Bruce Anthony Kiesling, ASO music director and principal conductor, recalls rehearsals being in full swing as Michigan’s fi rst round of COVID-19 restric� ons were put in place during concert week in March 2020.

By Anissa Gabbara Contributing writer

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, a great deal of joy dissipated along with the remnants of what folks once knew as “normal.” And while many plans were put on hold, crea� vity is unwavering and can serve as an escape when things have gone haywire. With a vision to “Inspire, Create and Grow,” the Adrian Center for the Arts con� nues to celebrate the visual arts in Lenawee County, and is growing to meet the community’s needs, even a� er a whirlwind of changes brought on by the pandemic.

Since 2015, the ACA has served as an outlet for established ar� sts to con� nue crea� ng, and students with a desire to hone their ar� s� c cra� , off ering classes in various mediums, including ceramics, pain� ng, drawing and sculpture. Furthermore, the ACA is dedicated to enlightening visitors on the visual arts through gallery exhibits.

At the beginning of the lockdown in March 2020, ar� sts and students were encouraged to keep their crea� vity alive at home as the ACA completely closed for two months. “We have 34 residen� al ar� sts who rent space from us, and they were aff ected by the shutdown, especially the ones who prac� ced here and didn’t have studios in their homes,” says ACA Execu� ve Director Lisa Neuman. In May, resident ar� sts were allowed to return to their studios, but the campus remained closed to the public.

Instead of dwelling on this tough reality, folks made the most of their � me away. ACA member ar� sts (ar� sts who have annual memberships with the ACA) kept their crea� ve juices fl owing by cra� ing artwork that refl ected their sen� ments during the shutdown. In June 2020, the gallery opened for the “While We Were Gone” exhibit to display these � mely crea� ons. “Because our gallery is so large, we opened it to the public and monitored the numbers that came in, following CDC and local health department guidelines for safety,” she says. That same month, the ACA received a grant to off er complimentary classes to frontline workers.

“We’ve had grocery store employees come and bring team members, and we’ve had nurses come as well,” Neuman says. “I think it’s been very therapeu� c for them to get out of their se� ng and be able to create.”

Classes resumed in early July 2020 with minimal off erings and smaller groups of students, according to Neuman. Addi� onally, large classroom sizes facilitated social distancing between students as staff required that masks be worn.

“We held outdoor classes for youth so that we had ample spacing opportuni� es,“ Neuman says. “Everyone seemed to follow the rules and really wanted to get back into the classroom making art.”

Looking ahead, the ACA plans to enrich their crea� ve footprint by bringing fi ne cra� arts to campus, and is currently wrapping up a fund campaign to renovate exis� ng space that will house new studios dedicated to three diff erent mediums: glassblowing, metalsmithing-jewelry and sculpture. “Our crowdfunding runs through December 20, and we are raising $25,000, which if successful, will be matched by the Michigan Economic Development Corpora� on,” Neuman says. “The overall goal is $300,000.” It’s all part of the ACA’s eff orts in becoming an educa� onal partner in the community.

“These mediums are in the lost art sector — they’re just not really being taught in high school or college curriculums anymore.”

As this new endeavor is underway, the ACA will keep the momentum going in other mediums, too. “We have a 2D program, clay and warm glass already going, which is glass beads and stain glass art,” Neuman explains. “We also have a pre� y robust youth program in clay, as well as a teen art club that meets here.” Moreover, the ACA off ers professional development for public school art teachers, in which they can receive con� nuing educa� on credits. “We do that three days in the summer, and we have 65 to 70 teachers from across Michigan come here.”

ACA members are in for a treat with upcoming exclusive events, such as the Professional Ar� sts Series (held on Sundays), where ar� sts visit the Gallery Classroom to discuss their strategy for selling art, as well as their experiences as crea� ves. They can also look forward to the Member to Member classes, an interac� on-based program, where members teach a skill they’ve learned about a par� cular medium to fellow members.

The 2022 agenda includes several gallery shows, workshops and classes, such as Lost Lexicon, which will be held in the spring. Poet Holly Wren is set to exhibit le� erpress printed works, and will also conduct a threeday, on-campus wri� ng workshop, in which par� cipants will have the opportunity to learn le� erpress. There’s also the Ties That Bind show, a refl ec� on of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We are working with an art therapist in certain classes, and the art produced in them will be displayed in our gallery, along with 250 cloth face coverings that have original art on them,” Neuman says. Students will also learn how art can be used to help cope with the anxiety created by the pains of the pandemic.

Stay tuned for upcoming holiday ac� vi� es. “Our biggest event is our Holiday Market, and it features 30 local ar� sts and diff erent mediums,” Neuman shares. “We’ll have clay, diff erent types of pain� ng, glass — so it just features all the mediums that our students par� cipate in and people really enjoy it.” The grand opening of the Holiday Market is Dec. 4 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and will run through Dec. 23.

For addi� onal informa� on about the ACA, visit: adriancenterforthearts.org.