   Beloit Art Center welcomes the community to join us as we open our monthly exhibits with a First Friday Gallery Reception in conjunction with the downtown Holidazzle event on December 2nd from 5-9pm. A gallery talk featuring Main Gallery artist Jeff McDonald will be held at 6pm. The exhibits will be open through December 29th. The Center will also be featuring a Pottery Studio Open House during Holidazzle. Jeff McDonald's photography has been awarded medals at international photography competitions in the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe, Africa, and Asia and he was awarded the Photographic Society of America's Proficiency Distinction (PPSA) for his extensive international exhibition record. He is a four‐star exhibitor in both PSA Monochrome Projected and PSA Color Projected competition divisions. He has received numerous awards at local and regional photography exhibitions, including the Beloit Art Center's Juried Photography Show, over the years. His broad photographic interests include black and white, long exposure, abstract, landscape, nature, birds‐in‐flight, microscopy, and high‐speed photography, along with photo illustration. Born in west‐central Iowa in the late 1950's, he grew up on a dairy farm in southern Wisconsin. After receiving Bachelor of Music and Master of Business Administration degrees from UW‐Whitewater, he spent 18 years working in information technology and executive management with a large supplier of musical instruments and related products in the Milwaukee area. He later spent 14 years working at a community bank as its information security officer and a member of its board of directors. For the last five years, he has been accountant and IT director at a Whitewater company. He has served as board member of the Whitewater Arts Alliance for 7 years, including several years as its treasurer. He continues to chair the Annual Fran Achen Photography Competition. Photography has been his passionate pursuit for over 15 years. In the Bell Gallery the art center is pleased to present a selection of works from tenants, board members and volunteers at the center. Featured artists include Steve Edwards, Jo Christofferson, John Hines, Mariclare Sheil, Pierre Charles and Ben Henthorn. We also invite you to shop our artisan gift shop during Holidazzle. We have recently added many new items and seasonal gift items including textile offering by Kristine Moser, holiday oranaments by Cheryl Kitzman, and original and prints by painter Lynette Redner. Stop by the library in December for one more look at BAC exhibit at the Beloit Public featuring work by the Beloit Art Center Photography Club. Formed in 2021 this group is for anyone interested in connecting with fellow photography fans and meets the second Wednesday of each month at 6:00. Five of the group’s artists are part of the current show. They are Ellen Zarnick, Larry Horsfall, Beth Doerrfeld, Melissa Lauer, and Jo Ribordy-Christofferson. The photographs will be on display and available for purchase through the end of December. Starting January 10, the Art Center will be offering a six-week wheel throwing pottery course. It will be held on Tuesday evenings from 5:30 – 8:00 pm. This class is intended for beginners and will start to explore the world of throwing on the potter’s wheel. Beginning with cups and goblets, students will develop the skills to throw bowls during the class. They will be introduced to the glazing methods needed to finish their unique creations. This is a beginner course, so all skill levels are welcome. Creativity rather than conventional forms will be emphasized in the class. The cost for the class is $150.00 and includes materials. Students will need to supply their own tools, apron, and hand towel. Tools can be purchased at the Beloit Art Center gift shop. Sign-up at [email protected]/classes soon, as this course will be limited to 6 students. Thanks to our Fish Frenzy Fundraiser last summer, all classes are FREE for cancer patients undergoing treatment and wishing to participate. Contact [email protected] to find out more information. Beloit Art Center is located at 520 E. Grand Ave. in downtown Beloit and has established a mission of partnering with the community and regional artists to maintain a center to teach, display and promote art through events, classes, and studio space. To learn more visit www.beloitartcenter.com. Gallery hours are Monday 10am – 2pm, Tuesday – Friday 10am – 5pm and Saturday 10am – 2pm.     November 1, 2022 - Beloit, Wisconsin – Beloit Art Center Announces November Exhibits and Classes Beloit Art Center is excited to welcome thirty-seven regional artists to the Main Gallery in November for the Beloit Wisconsin Regional Artists Program (WRAP) Exhibit. A First Friday Gallery Reception will be held November 4 from 5-7pm. A gallery talk will be held at 6pm. The reception is free and open to the public. WRAP originated in 1940 as an outreach program of UW-Madison and is now administered by the Association of Wisconsin Artists (AWA). WRAP encourages nonprofessional, student, and emerging artists to create and exhibit their work across Wisconsin. It is for people who have a serious interest in creating art. Each location coordinates a juror, who gives critiques and awards at the local workshops. These events also include an art demonstration or lecture. The top one third of artwork advances to the state exhibit, which will be held at the Pyle Center in Madison in September 2023. Vibrant color and stunning craftsmanship mark the paintings of Marek Kossiba, whose work will be featured this month in the Bell Gallery. Born in Poland in 1940, Kossiba knew from an early age that he wanted to be an artist as he watched his mother create her own works of art. As an adult he joined the Polish Navy and served with various merchant marine companies. He spent twenty years sailing around the world. During those years he visited many galleries and museums that fed his dream to be an artist. At that time, he used photography to capture the world around him and the photographs served as a stepping stone to the paintings he later created. Marek came to the united States in 1985 and eventually settled in Beloit, where he lived and worked as an artist until his death. His paintings cover a wide range of subjects from landscapes and seascapes, to provocative, imaginative pieces that draw the viewer through layers of meaning. Today, Marek’s art is well known regionally and is found in many private and public collections in the United States and around the world.    Beloit Art Center is also pleased to announce the return of pottery classes. For our second offering in the series of fall/holiday workshops with new instructor, Rebecca Rehpohl, students will have the opportunity to create Holiday Ornaments. Rebecca joins the Art Center with 38 years of experience as a public-school teacher and 22 years as a community education art teacher. She is excited about her new home and the opportunity to build a thriving “clay community” in Beloit. The workshop will be held on November 29 from 5:30-7:30 pm and additional sections will be added if the demand is great. Students will be creating tabletop holiday trees and sugar cookie hanging ornaments. Using slabs of clay, students will cut, form, and individually decorate the ornaments to create their unique and special holiday keepsakes. No previous experience is needed. Come and start your holiday season off with this fun and creative class. The cost is $35.00 and includes materials. Mark your calendar for more pottery offerings. There will be a six-week evening course for beginning wheel thrown pottery starting January 10 and a six-week evening class for hand-built pottery starting March 7. Details coming soon! Beloit Art Center is located at 520 E. Grand Ave. in downtown Beloit and has established a mission of partnering with the community and regional artists to maintain a center to teach, display and promote art through events, classes, and studio space. To learn more about Beloit Art Center visit www.beloitartcenter.com. Gallery hours are Monday 10am – 2pm, Tuesday – Friday 10am – 5pm and Saturday 10am – 2pm.  |
