When I first moved to Middletown I was a little bit fearful that I had just landed in a cultural wasteland. Thanks in large part to Middletown Art Center (MAC), I feel that there is indeed hope for the Middletown Cultural Scene. I have been taking painting classes, jewelry/metalsmithing, and enameling there for about 6 months and am so grateful for this center.
They have new gallery shows every month in a very spacious well lit gallery space--free to visitors!! They have a wide selection of hand made art and gifts available for sale in their lobby area--made by the artists of MAC--some pretty talented people including Jean Vance, Todd Butt, Joyce Dysart, Kris Courteney, and many others.
They offer classes in watercolor, mixed media, drawing, portraiture, jewelry, pottery, enameling, and glass. They even recently purchased a very large glass kiln for fusing. And they are constantly looking for and adding new class options. The prices for classes are very reasonable for the lengths of the sessions (7, 9 or 10 weeks depending on the season). They have classes for children. They have a lending library to members (membership is $25 a year! Very reasonable). They have events periodically. And they offer workshops--some, such as the upcoming Karen Benedetti acrylics workshop at a VERY reasonable rate ($95 for the three day workshop! Wowza)
I'm thrilled to have found this gem, have had nothing but positive experiences there with the staff and the instructors and would definitely encourage anyone who wants to explore the arts, try something new or expand their repertoire to check out this location.
My biggest complaints are that the hours they are open aren't conducive to visitors who are on a destination travel excursion --they close at noon on Saturdays, closed Sundays. I wish they had open studio time like places such a Rowen Hall in Oxford offer for jewelry and enameling, as well as other disciplines. And I wish there were more publicity to bring in more people to take classes, teach, offer a wider variety of workshops.
But I know as a non-profit, finances are sometimes tight, the existing programs need nurturing, and that they have hired a new fund raising staff person recently. I know the staff and board work very hard and hope that Middletown itself will meet the challenge--that other businesses will find ways to cooperate with the MAC (kudos to Middletown Lyric Theater!), that the city council, Chamber of Commerce and other agencies will help to promote this gem, and that the people in and around Middletown will wake up and realize what a great resource for culture they have at their fingertips.
Other things I'd love to see? Scholarships for people who are having a hard time making ends meet to attend classes, short half or full day workshops, lectures and opening up the center to other types of creative work such as writing groups, art league meetings and ATC swaps without necessarily worrying about financial profits on these types of important art/culture offerings.
Still--all in all, I'm thrilled to be a member here and to have the opportunity to take classes. I do plan eventually to teach classes and workshops here and hope other artists will too. To see more check out http://www.middletownartscenter.com/. read more
