Exploring the Art Center
The Art Center offers classes and events to teach beginners new forms of art
•
Published
The Art Center, located in Phillips Hall, is designed for students of all majors and includes classes in class in ceramics, metalsmithing, glass working, and 3D printing
Exploring the Art Center
The Art Center offers classes and events to teach beginners new forms of art
•
Published
It’s that time of the year again where students begin scheduling classes for the next semester. As they plan their course schedule, students might want to consider taking a class in ceramics, metalsmithing, glass working, or even 3D printing. Designed for students from all majors, the Miami University Art Center, located in Phillips Hall, offers all of these classes and more.
Taking place in open rooms with lots of windows and natural light, classes in the Art Center are typically seven-week sprint courses which meet once a week. These classes prioritize accessibility to beginning art students. Students are able to take a hands-on approach to learning, developing skills, and building creativity.
Jessica Raetzke, director of the Art Center, said, “To have an opportunity to take a class is really just about engaging a totally different part of your academic mind and being able to make things that you want to take home.”
Erin Heil, administrative assistant in the Department of Art, said, “It’s the opportunity for any student to dabble in art.”
Art Center classes also build community among students from a variety of backgrounds and majors.
Raetzke said, “I think the Art Center kind of touches on a lot of the things that Miami University is striving for, like creating connections between interdisciplinary students and having a space that is open and welcoming.”
Taking place in open rooms with lots of windows and natural light, classes in the Art Center are typically seven-week sprint courses which meet once a week. These classes prioritize accessibility to beginning art students. Students are able to take a hands-on approach to learning, developing skills, and building creativity.
Jessica Raetzke, director of the Art Center, said, “To have an opportunity to take a class is really just about engaging a totally different part of your academic mind and being able to make things that you want to take home.”
Erin Heil, administrative assistant in the Department of Art, said, “It’s the opportunity for any student to dabble in art.”
Art Center classes also build community among students from a variety of backgrounds and majors.
Raetzke said, “I think the Art Center kind of touches on a lot of the things that Miami University is striving for, like creating connections between interdisciplinary students and having a space that is open and welcoming.”
Ceramics classes are part of what is offered at the Art Center.
Students can continue developing the skills they learn in their sprint classes by participating in the Art Center Club. The Art Center Club allows students to use the facilities to expand their works and use techniques from prior completed sprint classes.
Students have also spoken highly of art center classes in the past.
Heil said, “The majority of students say it [their Art Center class] was the best class they took while they were at Miami.”
Rowan Bellet, a Chemical Engineering major, took a class in glassworking. “It gets you thinking in different dimensions,” Bellet said. “I thought it was really, really fun.”
Students can work in digital arts at the Art Center.
Ultimately, the Art Center offers students and community members valuable opportunities to create. With such an open environment and lots of natural light, the Art Center is an inspiring place.
Raetzke said, “It’s such a wonderful opportunity, a beautiful place, and a breath of fresh air to have a class like this in your schedule.”
“It’s a magical place,” Saunders said. “I think people are just happier and better when they’re creating.”
Students and community members are encouraged to consider joining a class or an event at the Art Center to develop community and creativity.
Established in 1809, Miami University is located in Oxford, Ohio, with regional campuses in Hamilton and Middletown, a learning center in West Chester, and a European study center in Luxembourg. Interested in learning more about the Art Center? Visit the website for more information.