Community Calendar

Published 6:36 am Monday, January 12, 2009

By Staff
Today, Jan. 12
7 p.m. – Dowagiac City Council meets at City Hall, 241 S. Front St.
Tuesday, Jan. 13
4 p.m. – Dogwood Fine Arts Festival ribbon-cutting for its expanded office space in Huntington Bank, 207 Commercial St.
6:30 p.m. – Dowagiac Scholastic Clay Target Program organizational meeting for students grades 4-12 with their parents at Dowagiac Conservation Club, M-51 North.
Friday, Jan. 16
Fifth annual Hunter Ice Festival in Niles Jan. 16, 17 and 18.
5 p.m. – Keeler United Methodist Church dinner until 7. Menu: German potato salad, sauerkraut, smoked sausage, apple sauce, desserts and beverages. Donations accepted. Church is located in Van Buren County's Keeler at the corner of C.R. 687 and Territorial Road East.
5:30 p.m. – Krasl Art Center presents until 7:30 an exhibition devoted solely to its faculty and students. "From the Studio: KAC Faculty and Student Artwork" includes art made by artists of all ages and backgrounds, from experienced masters to beginners. For the opening reception, wine will be provided by Tabor Hill. Light fare by Panera Bread may be enjoyed by all. "This exciting exhibition offers us the opportunity to both boast and honor the talent that is often behind the scenes at the art center," states Tami Gadbois, director of exhibitions and collections. "The artists, faculty and students alike are so integral to our mission: to enhance the quality of life through art. They make this mission double-sided because they, in turn, enrich the lives of the staff and community." As part of the festivities, guests can enjoy "Artist on a Soapbox," beginning at 5:45 p.m. Select artists will take their turn standing on a soapbox before their artwork, providing two-minute rants and raves about their art. This is a family-friendly exhibition with an interactive component in the gallery for young audience members and objects of all kinds on view, from woodworking projects to ceramic pots, intricate jewelry, watercolors and paintings. The young musician Malechi Kittelmann will provide piano music at the opening reception. Malachi is a homeschooler whom the art center's education director, Julia Gourley, first heard play last summer. Impressed by his talent, she quickly recommended he visit the Krasl and try out its piano. Malachi and his parents visited, he played a few compositions and the center asked him to save the date of the student and faculty show. Krasl Art Center is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization owned and operated by the St. Joseph Art Association Inc. In operation since 1980, KAC boasts a membership of more than 1,100 and a 17,500-square-foot, three-story building at 707 Lake Blvd. in downtown St. Joseph overlooking Lake Michigan. KAC has three public galleries, five studios, a library/lecture room, a black-and-white wet darkroom, a gift shop and a permanent collection of 37 works of sculpture. With a mission to bring people and art together, KAC offers exhibitions, classes, outreach opportunities and cultural exploration. Krasl is open Monday-Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; and Sunday, 1-4 p.m. Call: (269) 983-0271; or visit www.krasl.org.