Art is by Bev Jackson Cotter

Bev Jackson Cotter is a member of the Albert Lea Art Center, where the art of Sylvia Mullen and William Olson will be on display Sept. 22 through Nov. 2.

What is an art center? Wow, where do I start?

First of all, a little history. More than 60 years ago, Albert Lea artist Lloyd Herfindahl gave a painting class to some local residents. He was quite well-known for his murals, humorous and serious paintings and portraits. His pieces were sold regionally and he even had a following in Norway.

His inspiration was local people and their lifestyles. He worked late into the night and slept late in the morning and was often seen in the community wearing a white suit and a red necktie with gravy spots on it. Maybe they were soup spots. I don’t know.

Anyway, the students in his class enjoyed the camaraderie and the lessons so much, they decided to form an arts organization. They began meeting regularly, selected a board of directors, worked to get a 501(c)3 status and tax benefits, held art shows in local hotels and wherever anyone would allow them space, eventually purchased the little historic church on West Main, moved on to the Rivoli Mini Mall and a temporary home on West Clark Street, and then, in 2018, The Albert Lea Art Center took the major leap of purchasing the Tiger City Sports building at 101 S. Broadway.

That’s 60 years of history encapsulated into a paragraph. So, what is an art center? Do we need it?

It’s a bunch of kids having a ball painting windows, knowing that their artwork will be on display for only a few days. It’s a professional artist displaying oil paintings in an elegant gallery. It’s a small store where amateur and professional artists can purchase supplies, and area artists can sell their works and at the same time help to support the organization.

It’s a classroom for adults who can enjoy dabbling in the arts or continue learning new skills, and for children who love to think and work creatively. It’s a lecture hall for those who understand that art and creativity are a part of everything we do in life.

It’s a gathering place for those who like to think outside the box and to discuss their ideas with others with whom they may or may not agree. It’s a place where music and drama and painting and creative writing and photography and fabric arts and drawing and sculpture are encouraged and supported, and the list goes on.

It’s a unique environment for community receptions. It’s a gallery open to the work of all Art Center members in January and February and the all-area school student show in the spring, followed by the ever-changing variety of unusual exhibitions.

It’s a special location where the Christmas season is celebrated with tradition, excitement and creativity. It’s an environment where new ideas are welcomed.

The Albert Lea Art Center is all of the above. It is necessary. It is a cultural center for southern Minnesota and northern Iowa. ALAC has been providing arts opportunities for 60 years and will continue far into the future.

Do stop in, check us out, get involved, and find that you, too, are a part of the arts community.