Some local artists will soon be sharing their skills with displaced workers and recent combat veterans.
The group is led by J. Lynne Myers, an artist from Spring Creek. Myers and her fellow artists were able to obtain a small grant to pay for art supplies to conduct art classes for workers who have been laid off or have lost their jobs due to companies closing, and for families that have loved ones serving in Afghanistan or Iraq as well as the military personnel who have returned from those combat areas.
Myers noted that the teachers of the classes are all local artists who are volunteering their time. The classes will be held the second Saturday each month beginning in November and running through August 2010 at First Lutheran Church in Warren. The subjects that will be covered include painting, photography, collage and sketching and drawing.
The classes are open to families, not just the displaced workers or veterans. There will be two instructors for each class, one for adults and the other for children. The following artists have already committed their time to the classes: Judy Cole Blank, Eileen Bovard, Diane DeLarme, Gary Lester, Carla Colosimo Melkonian and Myers.
The classes stand to serve the participants in several ways, according to the organizers.
"All of us have gone through stress," Myers said. "In my life, what has held me together is the arts."
Blank concurred and said, "It does reduce stress."
Aside from providing a little bit of artistic therapy, the classes will also allow participants to network with others experiencing the same hardships as well as providing a venue for socialization.
"Art is inter-generational," Myers said, adding that the same project she enjoys can be enjoyed by young children.
According to Blank, art also provides a way for people to challenge themselves and grow creatively.
The classes will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and lunch will be provided. Applications for the classes can be picked up at the Times Observer office, 205 Pennsylvania Ave. W.; Sheffield Pharmacy, 27 S. Main St., Sheffield; and Youngsville Pharmacy, 112 E. Main St., Youngsville.
For more information about the classes, contact Myers at 664-2598 or e-mail her at woodchucker@tbscc.com.