From Crumpled Paper to Stained Glass: The Beauty of Club Create
Club Create shows off their artwork to Miriam. Photo by Miriam Pickens.
In February, I stumbled upon a dazzling exhibition at The Gallery on 5th in Calumet. The artwork, created by clients of the Goodwill Possibilities Program, was a vibrant display of Northern Lights, flowers, clouds, waves, and a spectrum of colors. Meeting the enthusiastic artists eager to discuss their creations truly made the experience a joy. Teresa Robins, the program coordinator, even extended an invitation to attend a Club Create session, a collaborative effort between Michigan Arts Access and Goodwill Possibilities.
Teresa Robins, Club Create Project Coordinator. Photo by Miriam Pickens.
On the third Wednesday in March, I visited the program situated in the basement of the Houghton Baptist Church on West Sharon Avenue near The Bluffs Senior Community. This is a full-day program for the participants, and they were just finishing up from lunch. Linda Lohman had just arrived to lead the art exploration, and we were both welcomed into the space. It was a happy and relaxed atmosphere, and the clients were eager to learn about the new project.
It was a fun project. Lohman instructed the class to tape the edges of their papers, like we do when we start a watercolor project, to mask out a sort of frame. Next, they had to do something unusual; crumple up the paper. When they flattened it out, they could see fold lines in interesting patterns and randomness, and they followed these lines with a fine permanent black marker. Finally, they used watercolor paints to fill in the spaces between the marker lines. The resultant pictures looked like abstract stained glass windows. At the end of the session, they brought out the big screen, and Lohman showed the clients pictures of abstract art by famous artists that resembled their own paintings.
Jane Reese enjoys working with this group. “I love to see their creativity come out. People sometimes underestimate people with disabilities. Anyone can make art.”
Linda Lohman shows the students different abstract art that looks similar to theirs. Photo by Miriam Pickens
This collaborative group, including Teresa Robins, Alysha Babb, Jane Reese, and a few others, provides fun and educational experiences Monday through Friday throughout the year, focusing on art projects and life skills. Teresa showed me a water lily painting experience she had led the previous week. Residents currently don’t pay a fee for these experiences because of state grants through Michigan Arts Access, a non-profit organization that strives to give people with disabilities the opportunity to participate in and enjoy artistic and educational programming. Clients are sometimes referred to the Goodwill Possibilities Program by Copper Country Mental Health, but the program itself is run by Goodwill Industries of Northern Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. Applications for this program can be found on the Goodwill Industries website.
Club create meets on the third Wednesday of every month from 1-2:30 p.m. For more information contact Teresa Robins at 906-482-6142.
Photo by Miriam Pickens.
It’s really great to live in a community with so many resources for art instruction. The Portage Lake District Library offers a Preschool Storytime on Wednesday mornings featuring a story and related craft project, free to the public. In April there will be clay and watercolor classes offered at the Copper Country Community Art Center in Hancock. At the Calumet Art Center on April 20 from 10-2 p.m., Wayne Walma will be teaching a Tree Applique in Wood Triangles class for $50 per student, and Sandy Van Patton (formerly Lindstrom) will be teaching a macrame class incorporating beach glass jar on April 28 from 11-1 p.m., the cost is $35 per student. Ilo shop, the Magic Kiln and Sew Cranky, all on Quincy St. in Hancock offer private and group art classes. Keweenaw CAPE (Community Alliance for Progressive Education) offers free monthly Art for Peace classes, and other creative experiences like 3-D Make It Up! Makerspace. The Finnish American Folk School offers a variety of classes during the year. You can still register for many classes focusing on fiber, and on Tuesdays from noon to 1 p.m., you can join a knitting circle in the Fiber studio at the Jutila Center in Hancock. For more information, check out the website.
Finally, check out the 2024 Art in Silico art show at the Copper Country Community Arts Center (CCCAC) in Hancock. This evening (April 4), at 4:30 p.m. there will be a show at the CCCAC, and then at 5:30 p.m. there will be a reception and announcement of winners at the Orpheum Theater.