Kids, adults take flights of fancy

Light spills out into the darkening streets from the basement windows of the John Waldron Arts Center. One glance inside reveals a flurry of activity -- a stark contrast to the empty sidewalks. \nInside, a woman holds an apple-green, newly glazed pot into the air. She discusses the pottery with a man who examines it and points to specific details. Several people dart around the room, gathering the remnants of their work. Class at the John Waldron Arts Center, 122 S. Walnut St., comes to a close as the day ends. \nTalking to those who linger is Austin Goodman, teacher of the Teen Ceramics class, one of the courses offered at the Waldron through the Bloomington Area Arts Council. \nGoodman has been working at the Waldron for about a year. He came to Bloomington after studying in Arizona, where he got his degree in photography. He ventured into working with clay after taking a break from photography. Before teaching at the Waldron, he taught ceramics at the Creative Learning Center in the Indiana Memorial Union. \nGoodman said most people who take classes at the Waldron are those who just like to experiment with art in their spare time. Ceramics classes in both the Creative Learning Center and at the Waldron have been Goodman's first experiences with teaching. He began working as a resident artist for the pottery classes, "firing kilns, mixing glazes, and general studio upkeep." \nHe said he enjoys what he does at the Waldron, because he likes working with kids. But teaching children can also be a challenge, he said.\n"Facilitating a roomful of kids can be difficult," Goodman said. \nThe Waldron offers after-school classes for children and teens as well as night and morning classes for adults looking to delve into the arts. Many people who take classes at the Waldron took art classes in grade school or high school and want to continue to dabble in the arts, said Education Director for the Bloomington Area Arts Council Roger Meridith, who organizes classes at the Waldron. Meridith said the center's classes also attract some students who are not art majors but who choose to participate in fine arts on the side. Some instructors at the Waldron are also students; some graduate students teach classes.\nKatie Wolfe was a senior studio painting major at IU when she left school 10 years ago. She said she chose to leave after an environmental dispute with the University. Wolfe, who is the current resident artist at the Waldron, chose to explore a different medium after a tragedy in her family drove her to seek out new means of expression. She now uses her background in activism to educate and inform. Last year, Wolfe organized the Earth Day Arts Festival, with craft events for children using recycled objects and information about the environment. \nWhatever she does, from helping with classes at the Waldron to organizing events, Wolfe said she likes to take a lighthearted approach. \n"It has to be fun. I'm an artist," she said. \nShe instructs pottery classes at the Waldron. Wolfe began teaching a class for kids called "Dragons, Unicorns, Mermaids and Fairies," a ceramics class that encourages kids to use their imagination to create whimsical creatures. There was such a demand for the class that she now teaches two sections of the class for children, in addition to adding a section of the class for adults. She also teaches a general ceramics class for children on Saturday mornings. \nClasses at the Waldron are offered Monday through Saturday and run throughout the year. The types of class range from painting to drawing to writing, to acting to dancing to radio broadcasting.