Can’t fit ART 104 into your schedule? On the waitlist for photography again? Art classes at UNC fill up fast — but the Ackland Art Museum is looking for a new way to bring creativity to UNC students.
The first of the Ackland art lessons takes place today. The hands-on art lessons are geared specifically toward UNC students.
“This is a chance to be creative,” said Carolyn Allmendinger, director of academic programs at the Ackland.
Today’s lesson is still life drawing in the charcoal medium.
With eight sessions fall semester, the classes will range from still life to photography.
“You can go to one, you can go to them all,” Allmendinger said. “We’d love for you to come to them all.”
The three-hour classes will begin at 4 p.m. in the Ackland, where students will observe the art medium before, moving to Hanes Art Center to experiment on their own.
Allmendinger said they chose to hold classes Fridays at 4 p.m. because it is a transition period between classes and the weekend.
“Plus it was easy to secure studio space,” she said.
Instruction will be provided by Connie Zamorano — a master of fine arts student at UNC – and Erica Longenbach — a UNC graduate student of art history.
Entry into the each course is $8, and materials are provided. The courses will cap at around 15 students.
Allmendinger said she was pleased with how quickly the first course filled.
“Art classes fill up rather quickly, so this is really the ideal opportunity for students at any artistic level who crave this sort of creative outlet without it being a huge commitment or interfering with other school courses,” Zamorano said in an email.
Allmendinger said the courses will highlight art mediums not always displayed prominently in the museum.
“We’re highlighting the paper arts – collages, photography and such,” she said. “We hope to help build the art community by encouraging creativity as well as letting the community know of the great resources that are available to them.”
The lessons are a continuation of the 2010-2011 Student Body President Hogan Medlin’s initiative to get UNC students involved in the arts.
Caitlin Cantrell, a junior at UNC, said she counts herself fortunate enough to fit an art class into her science-heavy schedule.
“The arts are so important,” she said.
Cantrell said she plans to attend the Ackland art sessions in the spring.
Allmendinger said that those interested should keep an eye on the Ackland’s website for information about future sessions. To register for a session, RSVP to culbert@unc.edu.
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