Brush Up On Your Technique

Women’s Studio Center

Getting Started

The gallery is also an active studio. Tribune Photo by Ira Cohen

In the industrial trenches of Long Island City, there’s a small factory of art churning away. With its secluded, nondescript entrance, it’s hard to know from the outside that such a world even exists inside.

The Women’s Studio Center is a not-for-profit fine art studio dedicated to creating a safe and nurturing environment in which both visual artists and writers can hone their talents. There’s studio space available, which caters to artists of all skill levels, and is available for rent. It’s the goal of the WSC to empower artists and writers, giving them the necessary tools and space to create a beneficial and lasting career in their respective fields.

Digging In

Diego Salazar’s antique frames. Tribune Photo by Ira Cohen

The first thing you’ll catch when you walk into the gallery is the large mirror lying along the side wall. The mirror is one of Diego Salazar’s antique frames, inlaid with gold designs. Salazar is a well-known restorer of hand carved wooden frames that he trades and sends to museums and collectors all over the world.

The studio offers plenty of workshops, including one covering basic figure drawing. According to class instructor Jennifer Wroblewski The goal of this workshop is for beginners to realize that drawing is the primary act of art making, that it ultimately has no steadfast rules, and is guided only by the joy and determination of the artist. There’s also a creative writing workshop offered, in which writers can hone their skills in forms of poetry and fiction. A women-only writing class is also offered, aiding women to express their thoughts and sharing in their feelings.

Finishing Up

This fall, the WSC will be giving its first-ever online exhibition, “Virtual Foresight.” The exhibit will look into the effect of electronics on today’s world.

The WSC welcomes artists to submit work that predicts the fate of the virtual world, and the overlap between the virtual world and reality. Deadline for submissions are September 15th. There’s a $15 submission fee non-members of WSC, $10 for WSC members.

Women’s Studio Center
21-25 44th Ave., Long Island City
(718) 361-5649
www.womenstudiocenter.org
1 p.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Fri.

Donations accepted, call for workshop fees.