Studio News

Register for Summer Classes ~ May 14, 2008

This year the Studio will hold a different art camp every week. Check our class listings to find the camp(s) that are for you!
If you sign up for 3 or more half day camps, you will receive $10.00 off each camp!

Have your child attend all summer; ask about our extended time for extra art making.

PLEASE register one week before the start of a class or camp.  All classes are based on enrollment.

Kids build art bench ~ June 24, 2008

Project used to educate on diversity

Students at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School have learned just how involved art can be.

To contribute to a special bench at the school, students were instructed to take some raw clay, roll it out, let it dry a bit, decorate it and lather the pieces with under glaze.

Then, they had to fire it, put a clear coat of glaze on it, cook it a second time – when that’s all done – glue the tile to the bench.

“We told them to do their best because this will be around a long time,” local potter Jane Barden said.

And who said it was easy?

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STUDIO 1219 presents eleven weeks of summer art camps and classes for children & adults. ~ June 20, 2008

The term “summer camp” has a whole new meaning this year with Studio 1219 offering half day art camps and full day art camps.  Enroll your child in a Summer Vacation tradition at Studio 1219. It’s gonna be a hot one this summer, perfect for a dip into the creative palette! Twenty different topics are offered.  Ages six to twelve year olds are going to love our full day camps the last week of each summer month. June’s Mural Painting Camp will have campers designing and painting a large mural for the door of the Pottery Studio. July, it’s all about getting dirty playing with mud in the pottery Studio; in August you can learn fascinating facts about great art masters and mimic their style. Half-day camps offer many choices; some reinforce the libraries summer reading program of insects such as Flutter, Buzz and Zoom or “Clay Critters & Insects in the pottery studio.  Try making an Altered Books which recycles and reuses book in a new way!  Some Art Books made will be put on display in the Studio during Fire & Ice Art Education Festival in September and at local libraries.  Do you like to be surprised? Our mystery art camp is for you where every day is a new adventure; try “Glitz and Glam” if you love to glitter; messy might be your way during Dino, Sharks and Snakes; start Cartooning Around, make unique Wearable Art ; Ink, Press, Print or a 3D Art Camp is what your looking for; Soooo many to choose from.  Check out all the different half-day camps, full day camps, children’s art classes and adult art classes being offered at http://www.studio1219.com.  Families can save money by registering for three or more camp at a discount of $10 off per camp by calling (984-ARTS) or coming in to the Studio during gallery hours.  Please register 15 days before the start of a camp.  All camps are based on enrollment.

You won’t want to miss this adventurous art journey!

Studio 1219 is the largest public art gallery in Michigan’s Thumb Region.  It has 8,000 square feet of gallery, classroom, retail, and workshop space.  Studio 1219 is owned through a joint venture of the Port Huron Downtown Development Authority and the Community Foundation of St. Clair County.

Community Foundation works to reinvigorate Port Huron ~ June 03, 2008

PORT HURON, Mich.—Acres of abandoned industrial buildings were once a formidable barricade separating the St. Clair River from Port Huron’s downtown. Today, the area has been cleared, and the Community Foundation of St. Clair County is spearheading efforts to reinvigorate the central city and its historical neighborhoods.

The initiative complements the large-scale redevelopment of the city’s waterfront by James Acheson, a local businessman who has committed more than $84 million in support of this effort through his private foundation and Acheson Ventures L.L.C. since the early 1990s.

“I think most people would say that philanthropy is leading the local effort to revitalize Port Huron,” said Randy Maiers, president and CEO of the community foundation.

Acheson, whose father helped found the community foundation in 1944, provided $1 million for an administrative endowment and challenged the community foundation to become a partner in efforts to restore the city’s economic and civic vitality, Maiers said.

Studio 1219, an arts incubator funded in part by a state “Cool Cities” grant in 2004, was a major catalyst for this effort.

The “Cool Cities” initiative was launched by the state in an effort to build vibrant, energetic cities that attract jobs and retain “knowledge workers,” who could be a key to the state’s economic future but are leaving Michigan at alarming rates.

One link with the state has opened up others, Maiers said.

“We also initiated the ‘Renaissance Roam’ two years ago. It’s a tour to attract potential buyers for homes we’ve rehabbed—with the help of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority—in the downtown neighborhoods anchored by Studio 1219.

“We’ve sold most of the homes. Compared to overall county home sales, our houses sold in about half the time—an indication that people are choosing to live downtown. [But] the real estate market slump has hurt everyone, so we’ve had to focus our efforts elsewhere.”

As the local economy improves, the community foundation hopes to begin developing other types of downtown housing, including artist’s lofts.

“We have several empty buildings—too many, in fact—that would work for this purpose,” Maiers said.

“This is the first time the community foundation has dipped its toe into real estate. Although we’ve taken some bumps along the way, I think it’s been a success. It’s a great example of what partnerships can accomplish.”

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Residents ‘roam’ to enjoy local art ~ May 21, 2008

Standing at a table inside East Lake Builders on Military Street in Port Huron, Chris Noetzel stamped a yellow passport booklet.

“Welcome to Australia!” she said.

“Thank you,” said the visitors, a middle-aged couple who were in the architect’s building Saturday to check out locally made sights and sounds during the third annual Renaissance: Roam the Globe event in downtown Port Huron.

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