Welcome back to Michigan Tech, huskies, and, to the community, a very merry new year. Let’s say, hypothetically, that you attempted to get into one of the many amazing art classes at Tech and failed. Let’s say you’ve tried several times to get into an art class… and failed. Sometimes, there just aren’t enough spots and sometimes the scheduling is all wrong, but sometimes, you live in Houghton-Hancock, and that means I’ve got good news for you.
Not only does the Houghton-Hancock community have a variety of places to get your creativity on, such as the Magic Kiln in Hancock where you can pick out and paint a ceramic piece and then pick them up later, it also offers community art classes from the Copper Country Community Arts Center (CCCAC).
Among many things, these classes range from painting and block printing to writing workshops and sculpture-making. The classes are divided by age range for youth and adult classes from 16 and older or 14 if the child is accompanied by a paying adult. Some of the classes have grade ranges which allow for younger art enthusiasts to participate.
For example, October 10, 17 and 24 will have a class for felted mask making for third through sixth graders with Hannah Smith. There will be a short story writing workshop for ninth through twelfth graders on October 7, 14 and 21 with Stephanie Flint; however, the majority of classes and programs are for ages 16 and up, unless otherwise stated in the program heading, such as the Clay Class: Hand-building your favorite animal with Lindsey Heiden, which is on Oct. 17 and 24 and Nov. 7 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
There are far more classes than what we can reasonably place in this article, and I urge you to take a peek at the program and classes list which can be found online.
These classes do cost money and have registration deadlines which can be located within the description of the class in the program catalog. Prices for classes range from donations or free at the lowest end (more uncommon) to around $30 (more common) all the way up to around $100 (rarer). Members of the community arts center are given discounts for classes as well as early access to the annual Poor Artists Sale and monthly newsletters. Membership costs only $25 per year.
The CCCAC also has a black and white photography darkroom, clay studio and clay co-op and a letterpress studio. If you are experienced in these areas and are interested in learning more, you can email ccarts@coppercountryarts. com (that’s two c’s in the first half).
To see what classes are available from the talented artists and writers in the Hancock area, please visit www.coppercountryarts. com/classes–programs.html. If that sounds perfect to you, then you can register for any class your heart desires by contacting Copper Country Community Arts Center, 126 Quincy Street, Hancock MI 49930, by telephone at (906) 482-2333, or by emailing ccarts@coppercountryarts.com (again, only two c’s).
The CCCAC is open Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is a gem that exists in our very own backyard and should certainly be taken advantage of if you have the means and interest. Partial scholarships are available on a limited basis, because everyone should have equal access to the arts. If you are interested, you can contact cynthia@coppercountryarts. com for more information and scholarship availability.
