Sometimes the rewards for doing a particular job come at the least expected times. Recently two groups of young people participating in a program through Westwood Behavioral Health came to the Wassenberg Art Center to create papier maché masks.
For four days, the basement of the art center was filled with shredded papier maché, paint, wallpaper paste, and the sounds of laughter and conversation. Why make masks? We all wear them in some way or another. Thinking about this can be a source for inspiration or simply creating for fun!
We had creature feature masks, cat masks, tribal designs, and even a mask representing one of the artist’s spirit animals — a wolf. At the end of the session one of the mask makers came up to me and said “Thank you. This was fun.” This is one of the times that confirmation of what the Wassenberg Art Center does for our community is fully realized. It’s one of those moments that makes me extremely happy to be doing that I’m doing. Members and those who appreciate the Wassenberg Art Center are part of a vital and necessary component of Van Wert.
If you haven’t been into the “Out of the Woodwork” exhibit, the show will be ending on August 12. Hurry in!
The Wassenberg Art Center is located at 643 S. Washington Street, Van Wert, Ohio. Contact us by phone at 419.238.6837 or e-mail wassenberg@embarqmail.com. You can visit our Facebook page too – just look for Wassenberg ArtCenter.
By Hope Wallace, Executive Director