The Arts Center visitors will have the chance to look at a new exhibit while practicing a new set of protocols come Monday.
The Arts Center, located in Jamestown, is scheduled to reopen the offices June 1 after having been previously shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Sally Jeppson, The Arts Center gallery manager, said she is expecting a favorable response from the community regarding the opening of the gallery doors for public enjoyment.
"I think many of our members and people who typically come to The Arts Center on a regular basis will be excited to come and see what's new," Jeppson said. "We've been closed for a while, so I think everybody will be excited to come out and see what is new."
For the reopening, the center has put together a new exhibit for the gallery with art from Frank Sampson. The Arts Center staff also utilized the time during the pandemic to renovate the gallery. The walls have been repaired, painted and carpets have been professionally cleaned.
While visitors will have the opportunities to admire the new art exhibit and the newly updated gallery, The Arts Center is offering spaces for community members to create their own art.
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"I think people are interested in The Arts Center and what we are doing and when we are doing it and how it's going to look," said Mindi Schmitz, The Arts Center executive director. "We are a big part of the community and people look to us for activities."
Those activities will be available beginning June 15. The center's summer camps, designed specifically for grades 3-6 are scheduled to run June 15 through Aug. 15. Each camp is slated to run Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The center's first class of the summer is entitled "Stop Motion Animation." Students will write, film and produce a short film under the direction of Linda Roesch. A complete list of upcoming classes can be found at https://jamestownarts.com/event/summer-kids-camps/ .
While classes are scheduled to run, Schmitz said The Arts Center is still aware of the dangers of opening the business for public use. For this reason, The Arts Center is continuing to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations regarding proper practices during the pandemic.
"Our summer camps will be limited to 10 people because we are practicing social distancing with the students," Schmitz said. "We'll practice all of the social distancing and we'll encourage people to wear masks and we'll do a lot of disinfecting to make sure it is a safe place to be."
Schmitz said The Arts Center is working to make sure the Downtown Arts Market is a safe place to be later this summer.
"The Downtown Arts Market is going to look a little bit different this year," Schmitz said. "We are not going to have any vendors and we are not going to have any art activities so we will just have the performances. We are obviously going to encourage social distancing there. We want people to feel comfortable but be socially responsible."
The Downtown Arts Market performances are slated to run each Thursday from July 9 to Aug. 27 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Schmitz said the tentative schedule is subject to change. More information regarding the Downtown Arts Market will be released at a later date.
"I think people appreciate the Downtown Arts Market anyway but especially this year I think people are looking for things to do," Schmitz said.
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