Needle Mittens
2018-11-03 09:00 - 12:00 (America/Chicago) | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Needle Mittens
Saturday, November 3
9 am – 12 pm
$30
Want to learn to knit mittens but can’t handle working on 4 needles? Relax – this easy 2-needle mitten method will allow you to make them easily. Skill level: Advanced Beginner/ knitters with basic skills or who have taken a Beginning Knitting class
Instructor: Diane Corson
Studio: Adams
Class Limit: 10
Bring to class: a 16” circular needle, size 7 or 8 (or a pair of 10” or 12” straight needles, size 7 or 8 – your choice), a skein of worsted weight yarn, a small stitch holder and a tapestry needle. The usual tools such as scissors, tape measure and notebook are also helpful. (Suggestion: look for wooden or plastic needles, which are much easier to handle than aluminum ones.) Handouts and all other materials will be provided. Please contact The Octagon if you have questions about the materials required.

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Registration closes on at 6am on 11/1/18.

Exploring Art (Session 3)
2018-10-30 09:15 - 2018-11-20 10:00 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Exploring Art
Ages: 18 months – younger 3’s
Tuesdays, 9:15 – 10am
$55 for each 4 week session — See the class listing for the other 4 week sessions.
October 30 – November 20
Children and their adult partner will explore art together in a relaxed environment. Toddlers will create their own works of art while learning new skills like tearing paper, gluing, cutting, coloring over texture, painting with different objects, moving through transitions and imitating art making processes. Activities will focus on age appropriate, playful, artistic and sensory materials.
Limit: 6 adult/child pairs.
Instructor: Beth Weninger
Hunziker Studio

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Registration closes on at 6am on 10/26/18.

Drop Spindling, ages 14+
2018-10-28 13:00 - 15:00 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Drop Spindling, ages 14+
Sunday, October 28
1 – 3 pm
$55
Making yarn without a spinning wheel has never been so much fun! We will discuss varieties of wool; its various preparations and how to buy it; while learning to spin wool roving into yarn using a drop spindle. You will use and take home your own wooden drop spindle, and we will provide several kinds of roving. Come with a sense of adventure and a sense of humor; this is a tricky skill and takes time, but well worth it! Maximum class limit: 8 participants
Instructor: Maggie Howe
North Studio

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Registration closes on at 6am on 10/25/18.

MAKER NIGHT: Paper Marbling
2018-10-26 18:30 - 20:30 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Paper Marbling with Rhonda Scott
Friday, October 26
$35 all materials included
6:30 – 8:30 pm
MAKER NIGHTS are for those ages 21 and above. Bring your friends and your favorite beverage & snacks to enjoy while you create! Or come by yourself and make some new pals. Novice and experienced makers are welcome!
Join Rhonda Scott in creating a collection of beautiful marbled papers using the Ebru method. Each paper is unique, made one-at-a-time — and the process is lots of fun. Frame your decorated papers. Or use them in collage work, journaling / book arts, scrapbooking, or other creative projects.
Minimum class limit: 6 Maximum class limit: 12
Studio: TBA

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Registration closes on at 6am on 10/23/18.

Felted Tote Bag
2018-10-24 18:00 - 2018-11-07 20:00 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Felted Tote Bag
Wednesdays, 6 pm – 8 pm
October 24 – November 7 (3 weeks) $60
Looking for a classy, fun-to-make knitting project that will give you a chance to learn some new skills? This versatile felted tote is perfect as a handbag, for shopping or carrying books to and from the library. Skills required: basic knitting skills (cast on, knit, purl, increase, decrease, bind off). Skills added: knitting “in the round” (circular knitting), I-Cord making, changing colors, working with natural fiber yarns, and the entire felting process. Skill level: Advanced Beginner
Instructor: Diane Corson
Studio: TBA
Class Limit: 10

Bring to class: a 24”circular needle, size 11, a set of 10” or 12” double-pointed needles, size 11, 3 skeins of all-wool, worsted weight yarn, in 1 or 2 contrasting colors, and four decorative buttons to compliment your completed bag (optional). The usual tools such as scissors, tape measure and notebook are also helpful.(Suggestion: look for wooden or plastic needles, which are much easier to handle than aluminum ones.) Handouts and all other materials will be provided. Please contact The Octagon if you have questions about the materials required. Yarn selection note: Using the correct kind of yarn is critical to the success of a felted project. DO NOT use any yarn with partial synthetic fiber content such as acrylic, nylon or polyester, Do NOT choose a wool yarn marked “Superwash” or “Machine Washable” – those yarns will not felt. Finally, choose a color/colors other than white, since the bleaching process used on white yarns also makes them “Un-feltable,”

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Registration closes on at 6am on 10/22/18.

Hands on Harps, ages 16+
2018-10-20 10:30 - 12:00 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Hands on Harps, ages 16+
Saturday, October 20
10:30 am – 12 pm
$35
Learn more about the harp and try out different sizes of folk harps. Participants will have the opportunity to learn to play simple melodies and chords, in unison and in rounds. The harp is a very beginner friendly instrument (even mistakes sound good on the harp!) No musical experience necessary. Class limit: 12 students
Barb Evenson
Community Gallery

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Registration closes on at 6am on 10/18/18.

Thursday morning Art Projects, ages 5 - 10
2018-10-11 11:00 - 12:00 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Thursday morning Art Projects, ages 5 – 10
11 am – 12 pm on October 11
Other classes in this series are held on:

September 7
November15
December 6

$15 per class. Pre-registration required. Class limit: 8 students
Create unique and interesting art projects each class while learning about new artists, their methods and materials. All supplies included.
Instructor: TBA
Children’s art studios, 2nd floor

To register:

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Registration closes on at 6am on 10/9/18.

Thursday morning Art Projects, ages 5 – 7
2018-10-11 09:15 - 10:15 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Thursday morning Art Projects, ages 5 – 7
9:15 – 10:15 am on October 11
Other classes in this series are held on:

September 7
November15
December 6

$15 per class. Pre-registration required. Class limit: 8 students
Create unique and interesting art projects each class while learning about new artists, their methods and materials. All supplies included.
Instructor: TBA

To register:

enter the number of “tickets” you want below (one ticket per student)
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Registration closes on at 6am on 10/9/18.

Mixed Bag of Art, K - 5
2018-10-08 09:00 - 15:00 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Mixed Bag of Art, K – 5
Monday, October 8
9 am – 3 pm
$45
Bring a sack lunch and get creative on your days off!

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Registration closes on at 6am on 10/4/18.

Contemporary Collage
2018-10-07 12:00 - 2018-10-28 16:00 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Contemporary Collage
Sundays, 12 – 4 pm
October 7 – 28 (4 weeks) $300 nonmember/ $270 members
1 credit: Heartland AEA credit available $35(registration for credit at AEA website by the first day of class)
Explore new uses of unexpected materials while introducing conceptual ideas into your art practice. Complete mixed media projects based on current issues and discover the relationship between found objects and visual art.
Instructor: Jack Wilkes
North Studio
Class limit 20 participants

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Registration closes on at 6am on 10/4/18.

Gallery Night: Aperture Awards & Smithsonian Exhibit Tailgate
2018-10-04 17:00 - 19:00 | IA
Join us for an exciting Gallery Night — FREE and open to the public!

Ames Downtown will host a tailgate event on Douglas Avenue in front of the Octagon. Details to follow!
The awards for Aperture 2018 will be announced.
Artist Bogumil Bronkowsk may also be with us; we are still working on this possibility.

Worlds Apart BOGUMIL BRONKOWSKI
2018-10-04 - 2018-11-10 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Worlds Apart by BOGUMIL BRONKOWSKI
October 4 – November 10, 2018
COMMUNITY GALLERY
My current body of work explores the concepts of struggle, place, and belonging. I immigrated to America at the age of nine; initially, no one told me that my family was permanently moving here. I boarded that international flight thinking that my family and I were coming for a vacation. It was devastating. I never said goodbye to many of my family and friends. I left behind everything that was familiar and came to a completely new environment, and since I was moving from a small town in Poland to Chicago, one of the most populated cities, the change was drastic. I had to navigate through this new, strange, yet exciting world without knowing the language or the customs of my new land. The process was scary, and many things did not make sense when I first arrived. It was similar to an alien being beamed down to a new planet; I had to learn a total new way of life.
My paintings reflect my personal experiences in that the viewer has to work to solve and make visual sense of each image. I play with the sense of space and depth, and my painting do not always make formal sense, much like America did not make sense to me when I first arrived here. Sometimes the image balances coming together as a whole, while other times it threatens to disintegrate into the separateness of the elements that compose it. My paintings are alien landscapes, confusing, exciting and intriguing.

Smithsonian Institution's Museum on Main Street Exhibit: Hometown Teams
2018-10-04 - 2018-11-11 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street Exhibit
Hometown Teams
October 4 – November 10
MAIN GALLERY
Our love of sports begins in our hometowns. We play them on ball fields and sandlots, on courts and on ice, in parks and playgrounds, even in the street. From pick-up games to organized leagues, millions of Americans of all ages play sports. Win or lose, we yearn to compete and play another day.
If we’re not playing sports, we’re watching them. We sit in the stands and root for the local high school team, or gather on the sideline and cheer on our sons and daughters as they take their first swing or score their first goal.
Hometown sports are more than just games—they shape our lives and unite us and celebrate who we are as Americans.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS UNIQUE EXHIBIT HERE

Exploring Art (Session 2)
2018-10-02 09:15 - 2018-10-23 10:00 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Exploring Art
Ages: 18 months – younger 3’s
Tuesdays, 9:15 – 10am
$55 for each 4 week session — See the class listing for the other 4 week sessions.
October 2 – 23
Children and their adult partner will explore art together in a relaxed environment. Toddlers will create their own works of art while learning new skills like tearing paper, gluing, cutting, coloring over texture, painting with different objects, moving through transitions and imitating art making processes. Activities will focus on age appropriate, playful, artistic and sensory materials.
Limit: 6 adult/child pairs.
Instructor: Beth Weninger
Hunziker Studio

To register:

enter the number of “tickets” you want below (one ticket per student)
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Registration closes on at 6am on 9/28/18.

Indigo Dyeing, ages 12+
2018-09-30 13:00 - 14:30 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Indigo Dyeing, ages 12+
Sunday, September 30
1 – 2:30 pm
$45
Explore the plant and science magic of dyeing with indigo! Indigo is a plant based dye that is use to create beautiful blue colors. All materials provided including two items to dye, however feel free to bring any extra item such as a t shirt, scarf, fabric, yarn or other natural fiber item to dye. We will fold, scrunch and twist items to make interesting designs and dye them in the rich, blues of indigo.

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Registration closes on at 6am on 9/27/18.

Knitting For Total Beginners
2018-09-29 09:00 - 2018-10-13 11:00 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Knitting For Total Beginners
Saturdays, 9 – 11 am
September 29 – October 13 (3 weeks) $60
If you’ve always wanted to learn to knit, this is your chance, while making something fun in the process. We’ll learn the basics of the classic, English-style knitting method that’s been used for centuries to create everything from scarves and sweaters to socks and mittens. Students will learn to cast on, knit, increase, decrease and bind off. Tips on reading a pattern, tool selection and yarn choice are included. Skill level: Beginner, no previous knitting experience required.
Bring to class: one skein of bulky-weight yarn in a light, solid color and a pair of size 10 knitting needles. Suggestion: try to find wooden (such as bamboo) or plastic needles, NOT aluminum ones. (Aluminum needles are slippery and much harder to handle!)
Instructor: Diane Corson
Adams Studio
To register:

enter the number of “tickets” you want below (one ticket per student)
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Registration closes on at 6am on 9/27/18.
Class Limit: 10

MAKER NIGHT: Travel Sketch Journals: Mapping it all out!
2018-09-27 18:30 - 21:00 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
MAKER NIGHT: Travel Sketch Journals: Mapping it all out!
Thursday, September 27
6:30 – 9 pm
$45
MAKER NIGHTS are for those ages 21 and above. Bring your friends and your favorite beverage & snacks to enjoy while you create! Or come by yourself and make some new pals. Novice and experienced makers are welcome!
Sift through your photos, writings and tidbits of collected ephemera from your summer travels and put it together in a bound journal that makes sense to you! We will provide the sketch journals, writing and cutting utensils, glue and scrap paper. You bring your treasures from your travels or special experiences.

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Registration closes on at 6am on 9/25/18.

Ceramic Bowls & Mugs on the Wheel, ages 16+
2018-09-18 18:00 - 2018-10-23 21:00 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Ceramic Bowls &Mugs on the Wheel Throwing, ages 16+
Tuesdays, 6 – 9 pm
(6 weeks) September 18 – October 23
$120 includes 25Lbs. of clay, all glazes and firing.
Students will learn basic throwing techniques from wedging to glazing. Students will have finished bowls at the end of the course.
Instructor: Suzy Block
Ceramics Studio
Class Limit: 6

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Registration closes on at 6am on 9/14/18.

Botanical Inks and Paints, ages 16 +
2018-09-16 13:00 - 15:00 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Botanical Inks and Paints, ages 16 +
Sunday, September 16
1 – 3 pm
$50
Add a new dimension to writing, drawing, or painting by exploring handmade botanical inks. We will use a variety of botanicals to create plant-based inks and fresh plant-made paints. See the artistic potential of flowers, weeds, and berries with fresh eyes! No art skills needed, just a desire to play and have fun. You will take home some freshly made natural, plant- based art supplies. Class limit: 15 students
Instructor: Maggie Howe

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Registration closes on at 6am on 9/13/18.

Aperture: The Biennial Juried Photography Exhibit 2018
2018-09-14 - 2018-11-21 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Aperture: The Biennial Juried Photography Exhibit 2018
Theme: Community Sports
September 14 – November 21, 2018
Main Gallery
We experience the world around us in flashes of action and emotion in the world of sports. From the youngest to the oldest members of our community, competitive games bring people together and spark movement and involvement. Photographers exercising their trigger finger are invited to submit their photographs highlighting athletes and athletic experiences in their lives.
This exhibit is a companion to the traveling Smithsonian exhibit: Hometown Teams.
Jurors: Alex & Dan McClanahan
McClanahan Studio is the creative collaboration of husband/wife duo Dan and Alex McClanahan. Their studio is headquartered in historic downtown Ames, Iowa – the town where Dan grew up and where he and Alex met as students at Iowa State University. The couple founded McClanahan Studio in March of 2009 and quickly established themselves as a fresh and innovative alternative to traditional photography in Iowa and beyond.
The couple has worked extensively in athletics, photographing pieces for the Iowa State University basketball and football programs and the Minnesota Vikings. The McClanahan’s distinctive style of imagery has become known around the world through success in international print competition.
In 2015, Alex won 1st place for best wedding album in the largest International Photographic Competition. In 2016, Dan took 1st and 2nd place for best senior portrait photography in the same competition. This year Dan took home three international first place awards in the Landscape, Commercial, and Artist categories. This year his landscape image was selected to represent Team USA for the World Photographic Cup in Japan.
Both Dan and Alex have received Master of Photography degrees from the Professional Photographers of America and have been heavily involved in the photography community as educators, teaching the craft at dozens photo conferences around the country.
AWARDS:
ADULT
1st Place
“Over Shadowed”
Matthew Lepke
2nd Place
“Taking the Bull by the Horns”
Shane Abbitt
3rd Place:
“Mets”
Mike Corones

YOUTH
1st Place:
“Untitled”
Samantha Wilbur
2nd Place:
“Batter Up”
Grace Long
3rd Place:
“Brother Playing Soccer”
Sadie Brockett

Lunch Hour Tai - Chi/ Qi Gong
2018-09-06 11:30 - 2018-09-27 12:30 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Lunch Hour Tai – Chi/ Qi Gong
Thursdays, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
September 6 – 27 (4 weeks) $55
These practices are moving meditations that relax and calm the body and the mind. Included in the classes will be mindful movements, breath work, self-applied massage, and meditation. Qigong originated in China about 2000 years ago and is a system of exercises that uses awareness and breath to move, transform, direct and balance our energies. Tai chi evolved from Qigong and was originally a martial art.
Instructor: Karen Bates
Dance Studio/Galleries

To register:

enter the number of “tickets” you want below (one ticket per student)
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Please contact us with any registration questions or concerns.
Registration closes on at 6am on 9/4/18.

Thursday morning Art Projects, ages 8 – 10
2018-09-06 11:00 - 12:00 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Thursday morning Art Projects, ages 8 – 10
11 am – 12 pm on September 6
Other classes in this series are held on:

October 11
November15
December 6

$15 per class. Pre-registration required. Class limit: 8 students
Create unique and interesting art projects each class while learning about new artists, their methods and materials. All supplies included.
Instructor: TBA
Children’s art studios, 2nd floor

To register:

enter the number of “tickets” you want below (one ticket per student)
click “add to cart”
complete the contact information form that appears after you add a ticket
complete the payment information
check your email for your receipt

Please contact us with any registration questions or concerns.
Registration closes on at noon on 9/5/18.

Thursday morning Art Projects, ages 5 – 7
2018-09-06 09:15 - 10:15 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Thursday morning Art Projects, ages 5 – 7
9:15 – 10:15 am on September 6
Other classes in this series are held on:

October 11
November15
December 6

$15 per class. Pre-registration required. Class limit: 8 students
Create unique and interesting art projects each class while learning about new artists, their methods and materials. All supplies included.
Instructor: TBA
Children’s art studios, 2nd floor

To register:

enter the number of “tickets” you want below (one ticket per student)
click “add to cart”
complete the contact information form that appears after you add a ticket
complete the payment information
check your email for your receipt

Please contact us with any registration questions or concerns.
Registration closes on at 6am on 9/4/18.

Exploring Art (Session 1)
2018-09-04 09:15 - 2018-09-25 10:00 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Exploring Art
Ages: 18 months – younger 3’s
Tuesdays, 9:15 – 10am
$55 for each 4 week session — See the class listing for the other 4 week sessions.
September 4 – 25
Children and their adult partner will explore art together in a relaxed environment. Toddlers will create their own works of art while learning new skills like tearing paper, gluing, cutting, coloring over texture, painting with different objects, moving through transitions and imitating art making processes. Activities will focus on age appropriate, playful, artistic and sensory materials.
Limit: 6 adult/child pairs.
Instructor: Beth Weninger
Hunziker Studio

To register:

enter the number of “tickets” you want below (one ticket per student)
click “add to cart”
complete the contact information form that appears after you add a ticket
complete the payment information
check your email for your receipt

Please contact us with any registration questions or concerns.
Registration closes on at 6am on 8/30/18.

Kinder-Camp! Ages 5 – 6
2018-08-20 09:30 - 2018-08-21 11:30 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Monday & Tuesday, 9:30 – 11:30 am
August 20 & 21
$50
This mini – camp is intended for students entering kindergarten in the fall. Artist-inspired mixed media projects will make for a fun morning of art. Please provide a small snack and water for your child each day of camp.
Class size limit 12
Instructors: Cathie Gebhart and Beth Weninger

Natural Dyes: Serendipity Dyeing with Flowers, Berries, Leaves and More
2018-08-19 13:00 - 15:00 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Natural Dyes: Serendipity Dyeing with Flowers, Berries, Leaves, and More
Sunday, August 19
1 – 3 pm
$55
Learn to dye silk scarves and cotton fabric with a huge variety of easy to obtain dye materials. We will use fresh garden flowers, herbs, and leaves, as well as a variety of materials (copper pennies, spent teabags, berries, kitchen spices and much more). You will create and take home your own custom dyed 11” x 60” silk scarf and one fat quarter of cotton fabric. Take advantage of the dyestuff and dye as many scarves/fabric you like for an extra small fee.
Instructor: Maggie Howe
North Studio

Friday Morning Art Projects, ages 6 - 11
2018-08-17 09:15 - 10:30 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Friday Morning Art Projects, ages 6 – 11
Friday, August 17
9:15 – 10:30 am
$15
Students will learn and create using a variety of printmaking methods and materials.
Class limit 10 students.
Instructor: Beth Weninger
Hunziker/Adams Studios

Tales from a Ghost Town JOANNE ALBERDA
2018-08-17 00:00 - 2018-09-29 00:00 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Tales from a Ghost Town
JOANNE ALBERDA
August 17 – September 29, 2018
COMMUNITY GALLERY
Virginia City is a ghost town—the skeleton of a booming Montana gold mining camp in the late 19th century. As a museum it is the record of one of hundreds of get-rich-quick dramas related to the search for gold in the American West. Some buildings in the city and in the area around it have been abandoned and qualify as “ghosts.” When I was a child my family visited Virginia City many times, a day long outing. Years later, returning to Montana to visit family, I revisited Virginia City with my camera in the fall of 2009, 2010, and 2011. By that time the tourists were gone, and the place did feel like a ghost town. The silence of this “dead” place gives the viewer time to examine the drama of decay. Empty rooms and broken doorways invite speculation about the lives of people long gone, but the decaying wood invited me to search out another story, the life of a living material that grew and developed, was cut and used by hands both skilled and unskilled, and finally left to dry and rot. Documenting the evidence of time through photography I was moved to capture some of these “tales” with hand dyed fabric, created by the ungoverned mixing of colors, which often resembles the growth patterns observed in cut and decaying wood. I have been creating these works over the past several years with various shades of the gray and rusty reds of decaying wood. Recently I visited an exhibition of works by Clifford Still, whose content and style reminded me very much of the decayed wood, but his use of bright colors encouraged me to expand my color choices.
In this exhibition I have included a few images of the town and area as it exists today, some digitally manipulated images of decaying wood, and textile works that were inspired and nourished by the images of wet and decaying wood.

Artisans Roadtrip
2018-08-17 - 2018-10-27 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
ARTISANS ROADTRIP
August 17 – October 27, 2018
SWEENEY GALLERY
This year is the 15th Annual Artisans Road Trip. Artisans Road Trip invites you to travel Iowa’s scenic byways and back roads looking for one-of-a-kind treasures. Artisans will offer a rare glimpse into creative processes as they demonstrate their craft in personal and unique work spaces. Our mission is to promote a venue for established artisans to demonstrate their skills, exhibit and sell their original fine art via a self-guided studio tour through scenic Northwest Iowa, thereby encouraging education, diversity, tourism, economic growth, and art appreciation.
The official Artisans Road Trip weekend will be held from 9am – 5pm on Saturday, October 13th and from Noon – 5pm on Sunday, October 14th. Professional artists welcome guests into their studios/local galleries to discover and purchase quality original works. Artists participating in the Roadtrip weekend will also have an artwork on display at the Octagon Center for the Arts.
Participating Artists: Penny Adam, Joanne Alberda, Mitch Eveleth, Danielle Clouse Gast, Hank Hall, Bill Lieb, Steve Mills, Mary Ortner, Lissa Potter, Mary Schumacher, David Strom, Holly Zinn, Deborah Burrow, Kirsten Elyea, Karen Ruddy, Marisa Sidles, Mark Bogenrief, Beth Cathcart, Barb McGee, Gene Polson, Cherie Courter, Joleen Dentlinger, Ken Harskamp, Abby Jones, Jerry Kahl, Haley McAndrews, Ron Netten, Denice Peters

Gallery Night with Joanne Alberda
2018-08-16 17:00 - 19:00 | Octagon Center for the Arts, 427 Douglas Avenue, Ames, IA, 50010, United States
Join us for a FREE reception with artist Joanne Alberta in the Community Gallery!
Artist Talk by Joanne Alberta at 6:30pm
Tales from a Ghost Town by JOANNE ALBERDA is on display August 17 – September 29, 2018
Virginia City is a ghost town—the skeleton of a booming Montana gold mining camp in the late 19th century. As a museum it is the record of one of hundreds of get-rich-quick dramas related to the search for gold in the American West. Some buildings in the city and in the area around it have been abandoned and qualify as “ghosts.” When I was a child my family visited Virginia City many times, a day long outing. Years later, returning to Montana to visit family, I revisited Virginia City with my camera in the fall of 2009, 2010, and 2011. By that time the tourists were gone, and the place did feel like a ghost town. The silence of this “dead” place gives the viewer time to examine the drama of decay. Empty rooms and broken doorways invite speculation about the lives of people long gone, but the decaying wood invited me to search out another story, the life of a living material that grew and developed, was cut and used by hands both skilled and unskilled, and finally left to dry and rot. Documenting the evidence of time through photography I was moved to capture some of these “tales” with hand dyed fabric, created by the ungoverned mixing of colors, which often resembles the growth patterns observed in cut and decaying wood. I have been creating these works over the past several years with various shades of the gray and rusty reds of decaying wood. Recently I visited an exhibition of works by Clifford Still, whose content and style reminded me very much of the decayed wood, but his use of bright colors encouraged me to expand my color choices.
In this exhibition I have included a few images of the town and area as it exists today, some digitally manipulated images of decaying wood, and textile works that were inspired and nourished by the images of wet and decaying wood.
