Column: Art Is, by Bev Jackson Cotter

Where did you get the idea that the Albert Lea Art Center is only for people who paint pictures?

Sometimes I want to climb up on a soapbox and shout, “Art is all around you!!! You are an artist!!!”

Creativity is a routine part of our daily lives. Whether you are a downtown Albert Lea business man who is trying to figure out how customers will find your back door during the streetscape construction, or a wedding guest deciding which necklace will enhance the new dress you are wearing, or a homeowner selecting shrubbery for the front of your house, you are using your own creativity.

Whether you are a teenager who is getting home past curfew and your creative juices are working overtime trying to think up a plausible excuse, or a new car buyer who is trying to rationalize the purchase of a fun sports car rather than a practical family vehicle, you are using your own creativity.

Creativity is beauty in the art on our walls and the problem solving that is a part of our everyday lives. I wish that our schools would focus more on helping young people with decision making. All of our lives we make choices – a banana or a Coka Cola for breakfast, walking or driving the two blocks to the lake, a red tie or a blue one for this important business meeting, decaf coffee or tea, a bike ride or

watching television, driving over the speed limit or a little below it, going on a picnic with the kids or changing the oil in the car, taking a photo of the beautiful fall colors or taking a nap. Maybe one of the required classes in high school should be called “Decisions – smart and/or dumb.”

Either way creativity is involved.

ALAC activities are for everyone. The 2013 lecture series calendar lists programs on Native American traditions, novel writing, midwifery, building a Windsor chair, organic farming, health and energy medicine, the beginner gourmet and Christmas stories. Exhibits include member shows both in Albert Lea and Austin with two and three dimensional art, student art for all ages, personal collections ranging from belt buckles to crystal eggs, Freeborn County lakes, faith art and holiday designs. ALAC has participated in community events and unique fundraisers and classes for kids and adults and a weekly open studio and special “famous person” galas. The list goes on…

This calendar covers a wide range of offerings, reaching out into the community in ways that have never been tried before, and the attendance records prove that more and more people are finding the Art Center activities connecting with their own lives.

Maybe you have some other ideas for shows or classes or events. We’d love your input. You don’t need to be an ALAC member to attend the events, but it is the membership and community involvement and creative ideas that keeps the organization moving ahead.

We’re in the process of planning for next year. The calendar is open and we’re looking for new ideas. We’d like your participation no matter what your age or art interest. Whether you do Impressionist painting or simply have an “ugly lamp” to sell at our garage sale, your unique creativity is important.

Before I step down from my soapbox (Did you know that this term originated when a wooden crate used for shipping soap or other dry goods was then used as a raised platform for giving an impromptu speech?), I’m going to ask you to call the Art Center at 373-5665, check out the website www.thealbertleaartcenter.org or email us alartcenter@gmail.com. We’d love to hear from you!

 

Bev Jackson Cotter is a member of the Albert Lea Art Center where the Peterson/Froiland Show will run through Nov. 15. Be watching for the 2014 membership drive and an exciting, new venue for this year’s Festival of Trees.