Forget frilly. This is art that starts gritty and ends with a splash of Gulfport funk.
Part machine shop, part studio, the Industrial Arts Center debuted in the courtyard of the city's art village in late August.
The nonprofit center offers classes in the industrial arts, a medium that steers decidedly away from so-called "flat art" and makes three-dimensional art from industrial materials like metal, wood and glass.
"It's art you can hold in your hands," said center director Jackie Ballard.
And Ballard, 60, and the rest of her staff are dedicated to making an artist out of you.
Classes are offered in glassblowing, wood turning, lampworking, glass fusing, metalsmithing and drum building, providing for an experience to create something — and maybe to even blow off a little steam.
"I think it's a little mental help," said Ballard, a 28-year-veteran glassblower. "Art can definitely do that for people."
Marc Katz, a Tampa podiatrist, visited the center with his wife and daughter recently for a glassblowing class. He applauds Ballard's approach.
"She pushes you until you feel confident," he said. "You're actually doing all the work."
So enthralled with the center was Katz that he plans on buying a 10-hour block of time there for private instruction.
Organizers say the center, a yellow and red garage front in the Gulfport Art Village, 2902 Beach Blvd. S, is the first of its kind in industrial arts education. It has a high-tech ventilation system, a surplus of tools and gas lines running directly into furnaces.
Despite that machine shop identity, the center is dotted with hints of artistic creativity. Colorful glass globes hang throughout the interior. A workbench is lined with discarded projects. Appropriately, a shelf filled with student art sits next to a red steel toolbox.
Ballard would like to be able to rent the space to local artists and one day hopes to expand classes to include at-risk youth. But right now, it's all about funding. Ballard pays the rent, the growing utility bills and several instructors on a $20,000 gift from a local philanthropist. Directors at the center hope that's only a start.
"It's an attraction," said Michael McKee, who heads the center's board of directors. He said they're banking on the idea that the hands-on, "dirty and hot" aspect of the course offerings will garner interest, and, more important, financial support, to sustain the center and eventually anchor the arts village.
Casey Cora can be reached at ccora@sptimes.com
>>FAST FACTS
Industrial arts classes
Where: 2902 Beach Blvd. S, Gulfport
Cost: Lessons range from $100 to $250 and are held at varying times.
Information: Call the center at (727) 422-5114 or go online to industrial artscenter.org.
News
