With a total of 43 options<\/a>, including both in-person and online events, the PAC Academy is the brainchild of Executive Director Dorreen Aviv and former Program Manager Maggie Parr, and serves as a test run for what they hope will become a cornerstone of Petaluma\u2019s thriving cultural scene.<\/p>\n\u201cWe wanted to bring more classes to the community, and create more access to our educational programming, and this is one of the ways we\u2019re doing it,\u201d said Aviv, a Marin native who took on the role of executive director in September of last year. In noting that having a place people can be creative and connect is important for a community, she added, \u201cWe\u2019ve seen how art creates wonderful dialogue and opens up people to new ideas and new ways of thinking, and the point of an organization like ours is to offer as much access as possible, to as diverse a group of people as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
For employee-turned-board member Maggie Parr \u2014 during whose tenure as program manager the PAC Academy was conceived \u2014 it\u2019s also an opportunity to help local teachers and artists find ways to share their expertise. This is especially important with so many academic institutions, locally and nationally, shutting down their arts programs.<\/p>\n
\u201cPAC Academy is definitely a response to that,\u201d Parr said, \u201cthough we also did a survey of our stakeholders and discovered that what they wanted, really more than anything else, was more classes, whether it was for professional reasons or enrichment purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n
With a curriculum built from the passions and interests of the instructors that Parr and Aviv vetted through proposals, PAC Academy\u2019s goal is to offer something for everybody, adults and children, artists and arts appreciators, beginners or seasoned creators.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s definitely an inaugural effort,\u201d Parr said. \u201cWe put out a call for teachers and we got a wide range, which is what we wanted, and we\u2019ll learn from this and see what people respond to, enjoy the most, and we\u2019ll go from there. We also want to connect our local artists with our local audiences. And there really are so many amazing, talented, bright artists involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parr herself will be teaching, offering a class on the basics of oil painting and another on how to draw like an \u201cimagineer,\u201d the title for artists employed at Disney, where Parr used to design theme parks. If that sounds intimidating, Parr wants to be clear that anyone at any level in their craft is welcome.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe most common response I get when I tell people I\u2019m an artist is, \u2018I can\u2019t even draw a stick figure,\u2019 which is always surprising because not only can anybody can draw a stick figure, but I truly believe anyone can learn to draw anything,\u201d she said, \u201cArt isn\u2019t this mysterious thing that only some people can do. It\u2019s just that only some people get training.\u201d<\/p>\n
With so many art schools closing, and training becoming harder to get, artists have been forced to find new ways to educate one another, something Parr thinks may be a silver lining.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s certainly breaking down barriers,\u201d she said. \u201cThese days there are all kinds of ways to be an artist, not just one particular way. It\u2019s pretty much infinite.\u201d<\/p>\n
PAC Academy\u2019s broad array of subjects certainly supports that perspective. Highlights include a workshop on drawing clothed figures led by Chuck S. Pyle, a Father\u2019s Day class on \u201cThe Art of Comics\u201d taught by Sarah Maloney, and a \u201cPaint Your Pet\u201d workshop by Hannah Day.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to take that one,\u201d Aviv said, having always wanted to paint her dog.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to take all of them,\u201d Parr concurred.<\/p>\n
Assuming others are just as excited, the long-term hope is for PAC Academy to become an annual event, and maybe even offer certification, scholarships and artistic residencies at some point in the future. For now, the goal is to generate as much engagement as possible, ideally through attendance. Interested individuals can also volunteer, and sponsorship opportunities for businesses are available.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll always take donations for materials and supplies,\u201d Parr added, while pointing out that Petaluma Arts Center is not just about the fine arts, but can be a space for performance, music, literature and more.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels like we\u2019re always having to justify it in our society, but the arts are vital to our physical and mental health,\u201d said Parr, \u201cand it\u2019s no secret that Petaluma is a creative community with a lot of artists. We need to celebrate that.\u201d<\/p>\n
And for anyone who thinks art isn\u2019t for them?<\/p>\n
\u201cYou might be surprised,\u201d Aviv concluded, \u201cso come find out.\u201d<\/p>\n
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