January 18 – March 2

Opening Reception: Friday, January 18 5:30 – 7:30 pm

Gallery Walk hosted by the Artists: Saturday, February 9 12:00-2:00 pm

Box Factory hours: Monday through Saturday 10 am – 4 pm

Free and Open to the Public

About Susan L. Moore:

Susan L. Moore received a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia College in Chicago, a

Masters in Art Education at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and most recently,

in 2003, she earned a Masters in Fine Art from Washington University, School of Art in

St. Louis, Missouri. Currently Moore is a Professor at Indiana University South Bend

where she teaches photography and serves as Chair of the Fine Arts Department.

Moore’s photography has been exhibited nationally and internationally. Her recent

landscape images were selected for exhibition at the South Bend Museum of Art and

she has received grants from the Indiana Arts Commission to support her landscape

photography projects. In 2018, she was awarded a residency at the International Studio

& Curatorial Program in Brooklyn, New York.

About Fictional Space:

The photographic image is both a form of fiction and a reference to the real. In these

minimalist images of empty places, the quality of light becomes the subject and the

visual grounding for the paper structures. The photographs of architectural maquettes

are based on minimalistic photographs of empty rooms. A narrative emerges as light

defines the physical characteristics of the space. The light and shadow reference the

space between life and death. This work directly relates to this process of grief, the

seemingly abstract concept of loss, the mysteries of the unknown, and juxtaposes light

and dark, life and death.

About Matthew Kasewurm:

Artist Matthew Kasewurm has been working with metal for more than 20 years. Growing up in his family machine shop made metal a natural fit when he started creating. Using the experience as a trained machinist, welder and fabricator, those skills are now translated into his industrial artwork. While originally from Southwest Michigan, the five years he spent in Chicago added photography and painting to his creative process, while he continued to do commissioned metal pieces. This show will focus on steel sculptures

About The Space Between:

The Space Between represents our lives and how we interpret the space between lyrics of a song, sentences in a book, or the silence in conversations. While creating these sculptures as an experiment a different song was played on repeat throughout the process except for one sculpture, a playlist of over 60 songs were compiled for that piece when Facebook friends were asked for their favorite 80’s song.

About Joel Brussell:

Joel Brussell has lived in New Buffalo for over twenty years. Living close to the beach was dangerous for his rock collecting habit but over the last few years the same spots now serve as photographic base camp. Joel says, “Often times I’m holding my camera at weird angles where I can’t actually see what I’m shooting. So it ends up being a kind of visual crap shoot. I tend to believe intention is an accident at best. Even if results aren’t good for the day the beauty is fulfilling in itself.”

About The Beach As Another World:

Besides a place for the beautifully enthused steps of infants and sunglassed teenagers with sports team coolies, there are other dimensions to the beach. It is a place of timelessness and mystery, a gathering of rugged beauty and sculpted calm. I want to find the here of everywhere. Black and white might be the visual breadcrumbs that lead there. My goal is to get a kind of eternal snapshot of other worlds in this world. All shots including the ice are at the beach or within a block or two of the beach in New Buffalo, Michigan.

About Brenda Bowyer:

Brenda Bowyer received an MFA from Goddard College in Interdisciplinary Arts with an emphasis in ethics and the impact of storytelling in film, television and photography. She has worked as a producer/director at WNIT Public Television for over 20 years. She created, produced and was one of the 10 participating photographers in the event called Canvas South Bend in 2014. The one-night community event transformed public spaces in downtown South Bend into an outdoor photography gallery with an opportunity to meet the photographers. Brenda says, “Not all photography tells stories. I create images that invite the viewer to step inside and wander within them. I work with subtleties, nuance and the weight of the moment. I want to make the viewer stop and linger, to consider the moment, the place or the thought.”

About Sonically Speaking:

Some words elicit an automatic reaction. This visual and acoustic examination of words allows the viewer to think about words in a different context. By spending time within a word, can we gain a deeper understanding of our own reactions?

About Ralph Harju – A Retrospective:

Photography was a lifelong hobby for Ralph Harju. He started early, as a little boy, and continued off and on all his life. Ralph moved to St. Joseph with his wife Elaine in 2000 and joined the local camera club, which reinvigorated his interest in photography. Ralph showed his work in many juried art shows locally, which he thoroughly enjoyed. He was happy to be recognized with an occasional placement in these shows. The Twin City Camera Club members became treasured friends to Ralph and Elaine. The photos shown in A Retrospective are a small part of Ralph’s body of work.

About the Box Artists’ Collection Art Sale:

Many of our Box Factory Studio Artists are collectors of fine art as well. For this exhibit, a number of these artists have contributed pieces from their private collections. You will find a variety of styles and media represented.

Get into the Box for our monthly Open Mic Nights! In January we are excited to welcome host Aiden Schnell!

Sign ups will be in person and begin at 6:30 pm sharp, with Aiden starting off the performances at 7:00. Time slots will be ten minutes each. Come ready to share your talent – be it music, comedy, spoken word… you name it!

Please keep in mind that the Box Factory for the Arts is a family friendly venue, so we do ask that you keep your performance respectful of all ages.

Admission is FREE for performers and just $5 for audience members (kids 12 and under $1).

As a new year begins, we invite you to make room in your life for art!

We are pleased to offer a new class from artist and instructor Sharron Ott, Building Foundations of Art, offered for interested students ages 16 and up.

The class will be held in our Gast Classroom Thursday evenings from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Sessions will be six weeks.

Session One: January 24 – February 28 // Session Two: March 14 – April 18

Members $96 // Non Members $120

Maximum class size is 12 students.

To enroll: 

Register on our website or in person, or call the Box Factory (269.983.3688). If you have questions, please email nikki@boxfactoryforthearts.org. 

Description:

Students will learn valuable techniques used for the creation of art. These skills will become tools, which they may use to express their view of the world. The course will cover drawing with pencil, as well as painting with acrylics and mixed media. Each 2 hour class will begin with a lecture, followed by work time. The last portion of each class will be used as a group critique.

Acrylic paint is a vibrant and versatile medium. It combines well with other water based mediums which  makes it ideal for experimentation.

The course will be ongoing – once a student feels comfortable with the basics, they may continue to move on, experimenting and learning, while developing their own style.

Example topics include: fundamentals (contrast and shading, composition and design, colory theory), landscape painting, perspective drawing, abstract art, trees and flowers, still life (impressionism, expressionism, realism and cubism), animals, mixed media and collage.

Supply List:

Bristol Board Paper Block 9 in x 11 in, or watercolor paper

Stretched canvases (2)

Acrylic paints in the tube (red, yellow, blue, white, burnt sienna and black – other colors are optional, but please do not buy the box sets with over 12 colors)

Brushes (smooth)

Rag

Smock (old shirt)

Pencils

Eraser

About the Instructor // Sharron Ott:

Sharron describes herself as a “career artist,” which she says for her has meant a great deal of discipline and hard work. In college, Sharron dreamt of working on giant paintings – a dream which came true when Sharron toured with the Cirque Du Soleil as “Artist on Tour,” painting the stage and props, as well as masks, shoes, etc. After that “grand adventure,” Sharron returned to Chicago and began working at the Steppenwolf Theatre, The Red Moon Theatre, Ron Guard and other scenic design studios. From these experiences, Sharron learned the joy of the collaborative process while creating with a group of artists.

Sharron has been consistently exhibiting her paintings since 1984 and a number of her works are housed in prominent collections. Sharron moved into teaching in 2007 and has taught at the Oak Park Art League in Illinois and Proviso Township High Schools. Many of Sharron’s students have gone on to pursue professional careers in the arts.

Being classically trained, Sharron believes in constant practice as well as knowledge of theory. Her studies began at the age of 11, under Eleanor King, and Expressionist, founder of The Elmhurst Art Museum II. Her first two years of college were at the Ringling College of Art in Sarasota, Florida and she finished with a Bachelors of Fine Art from the School of the Art Institute in Chicago.

Today Sharron lives in Dowagiac. She enjoys the beauty of Michigan and finds it inspirational for her work.

Making their first appearance on the Box Factory stage, please join us in welcoming the Jared Rabin Band!

Jared Rabin is a multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter, a veteran of the Chicago music scene and no stranger to the stage, the studio and the road. Jared started learning music at age five from his grandfather, who was the first chair violinist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Jared became a proficient multi-instrumentalist, went on to study jazz composition and has traveled the world performing an array of music. He is fluent in a wide range of musical styles on guitar, mandolin and violin.

Jared’s debut record, “Something Left to Say,” was called “An Americana masterpiece” by American Songwriter Magazine. The title track won First Place Folk Song in the 2016 USA Songwriting Competition, and the self-produced record reached #15 on the Roots Music Report Americana Radio charts after receiving nationwide airplay.  

Jared’s latest EP, “Wondering About the Weather,” came out May 11 2018. Midwest Action called it “unabashedly honest and warm, nothing short of a great album.” 

COASTLINE CHILDREN’S FILM FESTIVAL
FREE Sneak Peek Screening
JEANNETTE, the Childhood of Joan of Arc
Directed by Bruno Dumont, France, Live Action, 2017
115 min, in French with English subtitles, Ages 12 and up

French master Bruno Dumont (Hadewijch) recreates the adolescence of the Maid of Orleans as a radical, electro-metal musical. The battles, trial, and martyrdom of Joan of Arc have been chronicled by such cinema masters as Cecil B. DeMille, Carl Theodor Dreyer, Robert Bresson, Otto Preminger, and Jacques Rivette — but seldom has the crucial period of Joan’s preadolescent formation been depicted on screen. With his tenth feature, Bruno Dumont radically delves into Joan’s childhood with a category-defying period-cum-techno-head-banging musical, derived from two works by French writer Charles Péguy. Set in 1425 France, with the Hundred Years’ War raging off-screen, the film begins with eight-year-old Jeannette tending fluffy sheep in the village of Domrémy. She confides her mystical calling to her friend Hauviette, and although dissuaded by Madame Gervaise (hilariously embodied by a pair of identical twin nuns), Jeannette is ultimately buoyed by her faith and sets out to fulfill her destiny.

Exquisitely shot in a palette of royal blues, heather greens, and sand by Guillaume Deffontaines, Jeannette oozes elemental beauty. Dumont casts non-actors in the leading roles and makes use of live sync sound for the sung, a cappella dialogue, creating an intoxicating combination of naturalism, amateurism, and anarchic artifice that is bolstered by an electro-metal score from French multi-instrumentalist Igorrr and a majorettes-meets–mosh pit choreography with hair-wagging paroxysms. Heady, strange, genuinely funny, and completely out of time, Jeannette is one heck of contribution to the canon of “Joan films” and further proof of Dumont’s astonishing versatility and uncompromising vision.

From The New York Times—the characters don’t only sing, they dance, and in astonishing ways. Ms. Prudhomme twirls, cartwheels, stomps and headbangs, as does Jeanne Voisin later on as the teenage Jeanne, who’s dropped the “ette” from her name. It’s a bit funny, but it’s also more than that. Between the music and the dance, the temptation is to conclude that Mr. Dumont is trying to “modernize” Joan’s story, as she becomes determined to follow her visions and create an army to save France. Given that the very act of filming is a modernizing factor, that’s true in a sense. But his artistic aim is, I think, the inverse of that. “Jeannette” throws the modern back at the medieval, making no distinction between religious ecstasy and that experienced in certain contemporary contexts of music and ritual. It’s a provocative proposition that yields a film of genuine spiritual dimension.

As a new year begins, we invite you to make room in your life for art!

We are pleased to offer a new class from artist and instructor Sharron Ott, Building Foundations of Art, offered for interested students ages 16 and up.

The class will be held in our Gast Classroom Thursday evenings from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Sessions will be six weeks.

Session One: January 24 – February 28 // Session Two: March 14 – April 18

Members $96 // Non Members $120

Maximum class size is 12 students.

To enroll: 

Register on our website or in person, or call the Box Factory (269.983.3688). If you have questions, please email nikki@boxfactoryforthearts.org. 

Description:

Students will learn valuable techniques used for the creation of art. These skills will become tools, which they may use to express their view of the world. The course will cover drawing with pencil, as well as painting with acrylics and mixed media. Each 2 hour class will begin with a lecture, followed by work time. The last portion of each class will be used as a group critique.

Acrylic paint is a vibrant and versatile medium. It combines well with other water based mediums which  makes it ideal for experimentation.

The course will be ongoing – once a student feels comfortable with the basics, they may continue to move on, experimenting and learning, while developing their own style.

Example topics include: fundamentals (contrast and shading, composition and design, colory theory), landscape painting, perspective drawing, abstract art, trees and flowers, still life (impressionism, expressionism, realism and cubism), animals, mixed media and collage.

Supply List:

Bristol Board Paper Block 9 in x 11 in, or watercolor paper

Stretched canvases (2)

Acrylic paints in the tube (red, yellow, blue, white, burnt sienna and black – other colors are optional, but please do not buy the box sets with over 12 colors)

Brushes (smooth)

Rag

Smock (old shirt)

Pencils

Eraser

About the Instructor // Sharron Ott:

Sharron describes herself as a “career artist,” which she says for her has meant a great deal of discipline and hard work. In college, Sharron dreamt of working on giant paintings – a dream which came true when Sharron toured with the Cirque Du Soleil as “Artist on Tour,” painting the stage and props, as well as masks, shoes, etc. After that “grand adventure,” Sharron returned to Chicago and began working at the Steppenwolf Theatre, The Red Moon Theatre, Ron Guard and other scenic design studios. From these experiences, Sharron learned the joy of the collaborative process while creating with a group of artists.

Sharron has been consistently exhibiting her paintings since 1984 and a number of her works are housed in prominent collections. Sharron moved into teaching in 2007 and has taught at the Oak Park Art League in Illinois and Proviso Township High Schools. Many of Sharron’s students have gone on to pursue professional careers in the arts.

Being classically trained, Sharron believes in constant practice as well as knowledge of theory. Her studies began at the age of 11, under Eleanor King, and Expressionist, founder of The Elmhurst Art Museum II. Her first two years of college were at the Ringling College of Art in Sarasota, Florida and she finished with a Bachelors of Fine Art from the School of the Art Institute in Chicago.

Today Sharron lives in Dowagiac. She enjoys the beauty of Michigan and finds it inspirational for her work.

January 18 – March 2

Opening Reception: Friday, January 18 5:30 – 7:30 pm

Gallery Walk hosted by the Artists: Saturday, February 9 12:00-2:00 pm

Box Factory hours: Monday through Saturday 10 am – 4 pm

Free and Open to the Public

About Susan L. Moore:

Susan L. Moore received a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia College in Chicago, a

Masters in Art Education at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and most recently,

in 2003, she earned a Masters in Fine Art from Washington University, School of Art in

St. Louis, Missouri. Currently Moore is a Professor at Indiana University South Bend

where she teaches photography and serves as Chair of the Fine Arts Department.

Moore’s photography has been exhibited nationally and internationally. Her recent

landscape images were selected for exhibition at the South Bend Museum of Art and

she has received grants from the Indiana Arts Commission to support her landscape

photography projects. In 2018, she was awarded a residency at the International Studio

& Curatorial Program in Brooklyn, New York.

About Fictional Space:

The photographic image is both a form of fiction and a reference to the real. In these

minimalist images of empty places, the quality of light becomes the subject and the

visual grounding for the paper structures. The photographs of architectural maquettes

are based on minimalistic photographs of empty rooms. A narrative emerges as light

defines the physical characteristics of the space. The light and shadow reference the

space between life and death. This work directly relates to this process of grief, the

seemingly abstract concept of loss, the mysteries of the unknown, and juxtaposes light

and dark, life and death.

About Matthew Kasewurm:

Artist Matthew Kasewurm has been working with metal for more than 20 years. Growing up in his family machine shop made metal a natural fit when he started creating. Using the experience as a trained machinist, welder and fabricator, those skills are now translated into his industrial artwork. While originally from Southwest Michigan, the five years he spent in Chicago added photography and painting to his creative process, while he continued to do commissioned metal pieces. This show will focus on steel sculptures

About The Space Between:

The Space Between represents our lives and how we interpret the space between lyrics of a song, sentences in a book, or the silence in conversations. While creating these sculptures as an experiment a different song was played on repeat throughout the process except for one sculpture, a playlist of over 60 songs were compiled for that piece when Facebook friends were asked for their favorite 80’s song.

About Joel Brussell:

Joel Brussell has lived in New Buffalo for over twenty years. Living close to the beach was dangerous for his rock collecting habit but over the last few years the same spots now serve as photographic base camp. Joel says, “Often times I’m holding my camera at weird angles where I can’t actually see what I’m shooting. So it ends up being a kind of visual crap shoot. I tend to believe intention is an accident at best. Even if results aren’t good for the day the beauty is fulfilling in itself.”

About The Beach As Another World:

Besides a place for the beautifully enthused steps of infants and sunglassed teenagers with sports team coolies, there are other dimensions to the beach. It is a place of timelessness and mystery, a gathering of rugged beauty and sculpted calm. I want to find the here of everywhere. Black and white might be the visual breadcrumbs that lead there. My goal is to get a kind of eternal snapshot of other worlds in this world. All shots including the ice are at the beach or within a block or two of the beach in New Buffalo, Michigan.

About Brenda Bowyer:

Brenda Bowyer received an MFA from Goddard College in Interdisciplinary Arts with an emphasis in ethics and the impact of storytelling in film, television and photography. She has worked as a producer/director at WNIT Public Television for over 20 years. She created, produced and was one of the 10 participating photographers in the event called Canvas South Bend in 2014. The one-night community event transformed public spaces in downtown South Bend into an outdoor photography gallery with an opportunity to meet the photographers. Brenda says, “Not all photography tells stories. I create images that invite the viewer to step inside and wander within them. I work with subtleties, nuance and the weight of the moment. I want to make the viewer stop and linger, to consider the moment, the place or the thought.”

About Sonically Speaking:

Some words elicit an automatic reaction. This visual and acoustic examination of words allows the viewer to think about words in a different context. By spending time within a word, can we gain a deeper understanding of our own reactions?

About Ralph Harju – A Retrospective:

Photography was a lifelong hobby for Ralph Harju. He started early, as a little boy, and continued off and on all his life. Ralph moved to St. Joseph with his wife Elaine in 2000 and joined the local camera club, which reinvigorated his interest in photography. Ralph showed his work in many juried art shows locally, which he thoroughly enjoyed. He was happy to be recognized with an occasional placement in these shows. The Twin City Camera Club members became treasured friends to Ralph and Elaine. The photos shown in A Retrospective are a small part of Ralph’s body of work.

About the Box Artists’ Collection Art Sale:

Many of our Box Factory Studio Artists are collectors of fine art as well. For this exhibit, a number of these artists have contributed pieces from their private collections. You will find a variety of styles and media represented.

Please join us for Songwriters & Storytellers Showcase – a cross between the two radio programs A Prairie Home Companion and The Moth Radio Hour, hosted by Dave Van Dyke of the Van Dyke Revue.

Recording artists Amy Van Dyke, John Lee, Ron Hamrick and Laura Whidden Wetterlin will offer “the best of the best” of their original songs. We will also hear from storytellers Gregg Fraley, John Van Dyke and Doug Stevenson.

Saturday, February 2

7:00 pm (doors open at 6:30)

General admission $10

As a new year begins, we invite you to make room in your life for art!

We are pleased to offer a new class from artist and instructor Sharron Ott, Building Foundations of Art, offered for interested students ages 16 and up.

The class will be held in our Gast Classroom Thursday evenings from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Sessions will be six weeks.

Session One: January 24 – February 28 // Session Two: March 14 – April 18

Members $96 // Non Members $120

Maximum class size is 12 students.

To enroll: 

Register on our website or in person, or call the Box Factory (269.983.3688). If you have questions, please email nikki@boxfactoryforthearts.org. 

Description:

Students will learn valuable techniques used for the creation of art. These skills will become tools, which they may use to express their view of the world. The course will cover drawing with pencil, as well as painting with acrylics and mixed media. Each 2 hour class will begin with a lecture, followed by work time. The last portion of each class will be used as a group critique.

Acrylic paint is a vibrant and versatile medium. It combines well with other water based mediums which  makes it ideal for experimentation.

The course will be ongoing – once a student feels comfortable with the basics, they may continue to move on, experimenting and learning, while developing their own style.

Example topics include: fundamentals (contrast and shading, composition and design, colory theory), landscape painting, perspective drawing, abstract art, trees and flowers, still life (impressionism, expressionism, realism and cubism), animals, mixed media and collage.

Supply List:

Bristol Board Paper Block 9 in x 11 in, or watercolor paper

Stretched canvases (2)

Acrylic paints in the tube (red, yellow, blue, white, burnt sienna and black – other colors are optional, but please do not buy the box sets with over 12 colors)

Brushes (smooth)

Rag

Smock (old shirt)

Pencils

Eraser

About the Instructor // Sharron Ott:

Sharron describes herself as a “career artist,” which she says for her has meant a great deal of discipline and hard work. In college, Sharron dreamt of working on giant paintings – a dream which came true when Sharron toured with the Cirque Du Soleil as “Artist on Tour,” painting the stage and props, as well as masks, shoes, etc. After that “grand adventure,” Sharron returned to Chicago and began working at the Steppenwolf Theatre, The Red Moon Theatre, Ron Guard and other scenic design studios. From these experiences, Sharron learned the joy of the collaborative process while creating with a group of artists.

Sharron has been consistently exhibiting her paintings since 1984 and a number of her works are housed in prominent collections. Sharron moved into teaching in 2007 and has taught at the Oak Park Art League in Illinois and Proviso Township High Schools. Many of Sharron’s students have gone on to pursue professional careers in the arts.

Being classically trained, Sharron believes in constant practice as well as knowledge of theory. Her studies began at the age of 11, under Eleanor King, and Expressionist, founder of The Elmhurst Art Museum II. Her first two years of college were at the Ringling College of Art in Sarasota, Florida and she finished with a Bachelors of Fine Art from the School of the Art Institute in Chicago.

Today Sharron lives in Dowagiac. She enjoys the beauty of Michigan and finds it inspirational for her work.

As a new year begins, we invite you to make room in your life for art!

We are pleased to offer a new class from artist and instructor Sharron Ott, Building Foundations of Art, offered for interested students ages 16 and up.

The class will be held in our Gast Classroom Thursday evenings from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Sessions will be six weeks.

Session One: January 24 – February 28 // Session Two: March 14 – April 18

Members $96 // Non Members $120

Maximum class size is 12 students.

To enroll: 

Register on our website or in person, or call the Box Factory (269.983.3688). If you have questions, please email nikki@boxfactoryforthearts.org. 

Description:

Students will learn valuable techniques used for the creation of art. These skills will become tools, which they may use to express their view of the world. The course will cover drawing with pencil, as well as painting with acrylics and mixed media. Each 2 hour class will begin with a lecture, followed by work time. The last portion of each class will be used as a group critique.

Acrylic paint is a vibrant and versatile medium. It combines well with other water based mediums which  makes it ideal for experimentation.

The course will be ongoing – once a student feels comfortable with the basics, they may continue to move on, experimenting and learning, while developing their own style.

Example topics include: fundamentals (contrast and shading, composition and design, colory theory), landscape painting, perspective drawing, abstract art, trees and flowers, still life (impressionism, expressionism, realism and cubism), animals, mixed media and collage.

Supply List:

Bristol Board Paper Block 9 in x 11 in, or watercolor paper

Stretched canvases (2)

Acrylic paints in the tube (red, yellow, blue, white, burnt sienna and black – other colors are optional, but please do not buy the box sets with over 12 colors)

Brushes (smooth)

Rag

Smock (old shirt)

Pencils

Eraser

About the Instructor // Sharron Ott:

Sharron describes herself as a “career artist,” which she says for her has meant a great deal of discipline and hard work. In college, Sharron dreamt of working on giant paintings – a dream which came true when Sharron toured with the Cirque Du Soleil as “Artist on Tour,” painting the stage and props, as well as masks, shoes, etc. After that “grand adventure,” Sharron returned to Chicago and began working at the Steppenwolf Theatre, The Red Moon Theatre, Ron Guard and other scenic design studios. From these experiences, Sharron learned the joy of the collaborative process while creating with a group of artists.

Sharron has been consistently exhibiting her paintings since 1984 and a number of her works are housed in prominent collections. Sharron moved into teaching in 2007 and has taught at the Oak Park Art League in Illinois and Proviso Township High Schools. Many of Sharron’s students have gone on to pursue professional careers in the arts.

Being classically trained, Sharron believes in constant practice as well as knowledge of theory. Her studies began at the age of 11, under Eleanor King, and Expressionist, founder of The Elmhurst Art Museum II. Her first two years of college were at the Ringling College of Art in Sarasota, Florida and she finished with a Bachelors of Fine Art from the School of the Art Institute in Chicago.

Today Sharron lives in Dowagiac. She enjoys the beauty of Michigan and finds it inspirational for her work.

As a new year begins, we invite you to make room in your life for art!

We are pleased to offer a new class from artist and instructor Sharron Ott, Building Foundations of Art, offered for interested students ages 16 and up.

The class will be held in our Gast Classroom Thursday evenings from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Sessions will be six weeks.

Session One: January 24 – February 28 // Session Two: March 14 – April 18

Members $96 // Non Members $120

Maximum class size is 12 students.

To enroll: 

Register on our website or in person, or call the Box Factory (269.983.3688). If you have questions, please email nikki@boxfactoryforthearts.org. 

Description:

Students will learn valuable techniques used for the creation of art. These skills will become tools, which they may use to express their view of the world. The course will cover drawing with pencil, as well as painting with acrylics and mixed media. Each 2 hour class will begin with a lecture, followed by work time. The last portion of each class will be used as a group critique.

Acrylic paint is a vibrant and versatile medium. It combines well with other water based mediums which  makes it ideal for experimentation.

The course will be ongoing – once a student feels comfortable with the basics, they may continue to move on, experimenting and learning, while developing their own style.

Example topics include: fundamentals (contrast and shading, composition and design, colory theory), landscape painting, perspective drawing, abstract art, trees and flowers, still life (impressionism, expressionism, realism and cubism), animals, mixed media and collage.

Supply List:

Bristol Board Paper Block 9 in x 11 in, or watercolor paper

Stretched canvases (2)

Acrylic paints in the tube (red, yellow, blue, white, burnt sienna and black – other colors are optional, but please do not buy the box sets with over 12 colors)

Brushes (smooth)

Rag

Smock (old shirt)

Pencils

Eraser

About the Instructor // Sharron Ott:

Sharron describes herself as a “career artist,” which she says for her has meant a great deal of discipline and hard work. In college, Sharron dreamt of working on giant paintings – a dream which came true when Sharron toured with the Cirque Du Soleil as “Artist on Tour,” painting the stage and props, as well as masks, shoes, etc. After that “grand adventure,” Sharron returned to Chicago and began working at the Steppenwolf Theatre, The Red Moon Theatre, Ron Guard and other scenic design studios. From these experiences, Sharron learned the joy of the collaborative process while creating with a group of artists.

Sharron has been consistently exhibiting her paintings since 1984 and a number of her works are housed in prominent collections. Sharron moved into teaching in 2007 and has taught at the Oak Park Art League in Illinois and Proviso Township High Schools. Many of Sharron’s students have gone on to pursue professional careers in the arts.

Being classically trained, Sharron believes in constant practice as well as knowledge of theory. Her studies began at the age of 11, under Eleanor King, and Expressionist, founder of The Elmhurst Art Museum II. Her first two years of college were at the Ringling College of Art in Sarasota, Florida and she finished with a Bachelors of Fine Art from the School of the Art Institute in Chicago.

Today Sharron lives in Dowagiac. She enjoys the beauty of Michigan and finds it inspirational for her work.

As a new year begins, we invite you to make room in your life for art!

We are pleased to offer a new class from artist and instructor Sharron Ott, Building Foundations of Art, offered for interested students ages 16 and up.

The class will be held in our Gast Classroom Thursday evenings from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Sessions will be six weeks.

Session One: January 24 – February 28 // Session Two: March 14 – April 18

Members $96 // Non Members $120

Maximum class size is 12 students.

To enroll: 

Register on our website or in person, or call the Box Factory (269.983.3688). If you have questions, please email nikki@boxfactoryforthearts.org. 

Description:

Students will learn valuable techniques used for the creation of art. These skills will become tools, which they may use to express their view of the world. The course will cover drawing with pencil, as well as painting with acrylics and mixed media. Each 2 hour class will begin with a lecture, followed by work time. The last portion of each class will be used as a group critique.

Acrylic paint is a vibrant and versatile medium. It combines well with other water based mediums which  makes it ideal for experimentation.

The course will be ongoing – once a student feels comfortable with the basics, they may continue to move on, experimenting and learning, while developing their own style.

Example topics include: fundamentals (contrast and shading, composition and design, colory theory), landscape painting, perspective drawing, abstract art, trees and flowers, still life (impressionism, expressionism, realism and cubism), animals, mixed media and collage.

Supply List:

Bristol Board Paper Block 9 in x 11 in, or watercolor paper

Stretched canvases (2)

Acrylic paints in the tube (red, yellow, blue, white, burnt sienna and black – other colors are optional, but please do not buy the box sets with over 12 colors)

Brushes (smooth)

Rag

Smock (old shirt)

Pencils

Eraser

About the Instructor // Sharron Ott:

Sharron describes herself as a “career artist,” which she says for her has meant a great deal of discipline and hard work. In college, Sharron dreamt of working on giant paintings – a dream which came true when Sharron toured with the Cirque Du Soleil as “Artist on Tour,” painting the stage and props, as well as masks, shoes, etc. After that “grand adventure,” Sharron returned to Chicago and began working at the Steppenwolf Theatre, The Red Moon Theatre, Ron Guard and other scenic design studios. From these experiences, Sharron learned the joy of the collaborative process while creating with a group of artists.

Sharron has been consistently exhibiting her paintings since 1984 and a number of her works are housed in prominent collections. Sharron moved into teaching in 2007 and has taught at the Oak Park Art League in Illinois and Proviso Township High Schools. Many of Sharron’s students have gone on to pursue professional careers in the arts.

Being classically trained, Sharron believes in constant practice as well as knowledge of theory. Her studies began at the age of 11, under Eleanor King, and Expressionist, founder of The Elmhurst Art Museum II. Her first two years of college were at the Ringling College of Art in Sarasota, Florida and she finished with a Bachelors of Fine Art from the School of the Art Institute in Chicago.

Today Sharron lives in Dowagiac. She enjoys the beauty of Michigan and finds it inspirational for her work.

January 18 – March 2

Opening Reception: Friday, January 18 5:30 – 7:30 pm

Gallery Walk hosted by the Artists: Saturday, February 9 12:00-2:00 pm

Box Factory hours: Monday through Saturday 10 am – 4 pm

Free and Open to the Public

About Susan L. Moore:

Susan L. Moore received a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia College in Chicago, a

Masters in Art Education at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and most recently,

in 2003, she earned a Masters in Fine Art from Washington University, School of Art in

St. Louis, Missouri. Currently Moore is a Professor at Indiana University South Bend

where she teaches photography and serves as Chair of the Fine Arts Department.

Moore’s photography has been exhibited nationally and internationally. Her recent

landscape images were selected for exhibition at the South Bend Museum of Art and

she has received grants from the Indiana Arts Commission to support her landscape

photography projects. In 2018, she was awarded a residency at the International Studio

& Curatorial Program in Brooklyn, New York.

About Fictional Space:

The photographic image is both a form of fiction and a reference to the real. In these

minimalist images of empty places, the quality of light becomes the subject and the

visual grounding for the paper structures. The photographs of architectural maquettes

are based on minimalistic photographs of empty rooms. A narrative emerges as light

defines the physical characteristics of the space. The light and shadow reference the

space between life and death. This work directly relates to this process of grief, the

seemingly abstract concept of loss, the mysteries of the unknown, and juxtaposes light

and dark, life and death.

About Matthew Kasewurm:

Artist Matthew Kasewurm has been working with metal for more than 20 years. Growing up in his family machine shop made metal a natural fit when he started creating. Using the experience as a trained machinist, welder and fabricator, those skills are now translated into his industrial artwork. While originally from Southwest Michigan, the five years he spent in Chicago added photography and painting to his creative process, while he continued to do commissioned metal pieces. This show will focus on steel sculptures

About The Space Between:

The Space Between represents our lives and how we interpret the space between lyrics of a song, sentences in a book, or the silence in conversations. While creating these sculptures as an experiment a different song was played on repeat throughout the process except for one sculpture, a playlist of over 60 songs were compiled for that piece when Facebook friends were asked for their favorite 80’s song.

About Joel Brussell:

Joel Brussell has lived in New Buffalo for over twenty years. Living close to the beach was dangerous for his rock collecting habit but over the last few years the same spots now serve as photographic base camp. Joel says, “Often times I’m holding my camera at weird angles where I can’t actually see what I’m shooting. So it ends up being a kind of visual crap shoot. I tend to believe intention is an accident at best. Even if results aren’t good for the day the beauty is fulfilling in itself.”

About The Beach As Another World:

Besides a place for the beautifully enthused steps of infants and sunglassed teenagers with sports team coolies, there are other dimensions to the beach. It is a place of timelessness and mystery, a gathering of rugged beauty and sculpted calm. I want to find the here of everywhere. Black and white might be the visual breadcrumbs that lead there. My goal is to get a kind of eternal snapshot of other worlds in this world. All shots including the ice are at the beach or within a block or two of the beach in New Buffalo, Michigan.

About Brenda Bowyer:

Brenda Bowyer received an MFA from Goddard College in Interdisciplinary Arts with an emphasis in ethics and the impact of storytelling in film, television and photography. She has worked as a producer/director at WNIT Public Television for over 20 years. She created, produced and was one of the 10 participating photographers in the event called Canvas South Bend in 2014. The one-night community event transformed public spaces in downtown South Bend into an outdoor photography gallery with an opportunity to meet the photographers. Brenda says, “Not all photography tells stories. I create images that invite the viewer to step inside and wander within them. I work with subtleties, nuance and the weight of the moment. I want to make the viewer stop and linger, to consider the moment, the place or the thought.”

About Sonically Speaking:

Some words elicit an automatic reaction. This visual and acoustic examination of words allows the viewer to think about words in a different context. By spending time within a word, can we gain a deeper understanding of our own reactions?

About Ralph Harju – A Retrospective:

Photography was a lifelong hobby for Ralph Harju. He started early, as a little boy, and continued off and on all his life. Ralph moved to St. Joseph with his wife Elaine in 2000 and joined the local camera club, which reinvigorated his interest in photography. Ralph showed his work in many juried art shows locally, which he thoroughly enjoyed. He was happy to be recognized with an occasional placement in these shows. The Twin City Camera Club members became treasured friends to Ralph and Elaine. The photos shown in A Retrospective are a small part of Ralph’s body of work.

About the Box Artists’ Collection Art Sale:

Many of our Box Factory Studio Artists are collectors of fine art as well. For this exhibit, a number of these artists have contributed pieces from their private collections. You will find a variety of styles and media represented.