Art Center Releases Fall Calendar

The Indianapolis Art Center has released its fall calendar, this time in a fancy digital version. I'm not sold on the format; the class descriptions are accessible only via separate links, which makes the catalog very difficult to scan.

Another flaw: The weekend workshops are listed only within their categories, not in a separate section organized by date -- which used to be a great way to identify a class to take on a weekend you had free. That listing would only require one additional page, so I don't see why it would be omitted.

In terms of class offerings, you'll find all of the usual topics, with classes for beginning, intermediate and advanced students in everything from printmaking to steel sculpture. The depth of the schedule is impressive, even if most of the topics are ones we've seen before. Hey, these are tough times, and we can't fault the Art Center for sticking to tried-and-true classes that sell well.

On a personal note, I'm glad to see precious metal clay back on the schedule, for both a long-term class and a weekend workshop. Sign me up!

The catalog also includes listings for community events, such as the "Clay and Cocktails" events on several Friday evenings and "Community Nights at the Arts Center," the second Wednesday evening of each month. Topics include sugar skulls, animal clay sculptures, a powwow demonstration and sand painting, and fused glass.

I do think the Art Center is the best place in town to get good, solid artistic instruction, and I think it's doing the best it can in tough economic times. For the future, however, I hope for tweaks in the catalog design -- and a few new, unexpected class topics, too.