In a little building off North Jackson Street, not far from Garrard Road, Linda Wade moves with ease around the new home of Main Street Arts.
In one room, six pottery wheels sit in a line near the window; in another, local artwork hangs in a gallery; in yet another, tables and circular saws form a workshop area.
The 2,500-square-foot building functions as a gallery and work space for local artists, but also as an art school for local youth and adults.
This spring, the Starkville Area Arts Council issued partial scholarships to 12 local youth who will attend art classes this summer at Main Street Arts, which relocated from downtown Starkville to North Jackson Street in January. The Arts Council gave scholarships worth $60 to $75 to the students to help pay for the six-week, $95 class. The students and/or their guardians must pay for the remainder.
The youth class will cover everything from painting and drawing to print-making and other activities, Wade said.
“With kids, we try to offer as many different media as we can so they will truly enjoy, understand and appreciate art,” Wade said.
Starkville Area Arts Council scholarship chair Paula Mabry was thrilled to give young artists the opportunity to enhance their skills at Main Street Arts and other art schools around the country. The Arts Council gave $1,000 scholarships to four Starkville teens who will attend schools throughout the Southeast.
Starkville High School graduate Nathan Ford has auditioned for and been accepted into the Musical Theatre program with the Department of Theatre at the University of Mississippi. Fellow SHS graduates LaTonya Lark and Anthony Lowe also received scholarships. Lowe was accepted into Mississippi State University, where he will study computer graphic arts, while Lark has been accepted at Savannah School of Art and Design, Mississippi University for Women and East Mississippi Community College. Lark will make her college decision later this summer.
Starkville Academy graduate Emalee Formica was the fourth local student to receive a $1,000 SAAC scholarship. Formica was accepted into the Savannah School of Art and Design.
The Arts Council also gave scholarships to seven students attending the Summer Scholars program at Mississippi State University; to two students taking art lessons at Dandy Doozlez; to two students taking private art lessons; and to two students going on the Lions Club All-State Band trip, Mabry said. The Arts Council also gave a scholarship for a private piano lesson, she said.
According to Mabry, the SAAC this year issued a total of $8,495 in summer and college scholarships to area youth.
“By doing this, we are able to give these children extra opportunities to develop the art interests they have and that makes them want to become better and better, and maybe become artists in the future,” Mabry said. “We know if we don”t educate our youth, we won”t have art supporters for the future and that”s important for daily life, from writing skills to music to communication and everything else.”
No additional scholarship money is available this year. To receive scholarship money in 2011, prospective art students must apply for it through the Arts Council and receive recommendations from teachers, mentors or others.
Main Street Arts also offers classes year-round, not just in the summer. While students can take after-school classes throughout the school year, adults also can sign up for classes ranging from painting and drawing to pottery. Main Street Arts also holds occasional “Painting Parties,” where artists show up to paint and hang out, Wade said.
Classes at Main Street Arts are taught by local experts, Mississippi State University professors and MSU students, Wade said.
To learn more about classes offered at Main Street Arts, call 662-323-1140. For more information on art scholarships with the Starkville Area Arts Council, call 662-324-3080.
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