Alison McKane
     Staff Writer

In downtown Greensboro, there is a place known as Greenhill. Founded in 1974, it has become a center for artistic and cultural groups. In 1996, ArtQuest became a part of it.

The founders of ArtQuest wanted to create a hands-on studio space for children and families. Its time is split into two: in the morning, groups come and visit. And in the afternoon, it is an open studio.

“It’s great for kids whose schools don’t have the budget for a good art program,” said Laura Maruzzella, an Art Educator at ArtQuest, “It gives them a chance to spark their own personal creative ideas.”

Maruzzella also spoke of another challenge ArtQuest faces.

“We’re not just a non-profit — we’re a non-profit for the arts.” ArtQuest relies on grants and memberships, which range from $65 to over $2,000 a year. Memberships give families free entrance during open studio hours and discounted workshop fees, among other things. Without a membership, it is $6 to participate in open studio hours.

Mornings at ArtQuest start at 9:30 a.m. From then until 1:00 p.m., groups come in for tours and activities. “Most of the groups are from elementary schools,” said Maruzzella. “But we also get middle and high schools, employee retreats and retirement homes.”

Starting at 1:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m., the studio is open to the public. “They [the patrons] can use anything found [in the studio] to make anything they like,” Maruzzella said.

Along with open studio hours, ArtQuest holds weekly and monthly activities and events for people of all ages. On Wednesday evenings, from 5-7 p.m., they host family night, which is free to the public. Maruzzella said this brings in different kinds of people, many of who might not be able to afford yearly membership or the regular open studio entrance fee.

On Friday mornings, starting at 11:00 a.m., they have “Masterpiece Friday” for children ages five and under. The event begins with a “lollipop tour” — each child is given a lollipop as they walk around the gallery with a guide.

Maruzzella spoke about the clever and cute idea. “This is a great way to give young children a positive early experience with art galleries. The lollipops are also an added bonus because they keep the kids’ hands occupied so they don’t have them [their hands] all over the artwork.”

After the tour, the children and their guide sit down and read a book. They then make a piece of art relating to the story they just read.

Maruzzella, having just led one of these groups, spoke about her experience. “Last week, we read ‘Going on a Bear Hunt’ with the children and then made bear caves out of clay.”

For children a bit older, there is the Young Artists Kollective (normally just called YAK). It is for children between the ages of Kindergarten and 6th grade. For Kindergarten to 2nd grade, the children meet every first Tuesday of the month from 4-5:15 p.m. For children in 3rd-6th grade, they meet on the second Tuesday of the month from 4-5:15 p.m.

“It’s a bit more intensive,” Maruzzella said. “They get tours with the Curator and get to meet the artists behind different exhibits. It’s kind of the ‘behind the scenes’ of an art gallery, so to speak.”

The next time YAK meets on Feb. 2 and 9, and will be doing an art project called “Sharpie Pen Tie-Dye.”

Jaymie Meyer, the Director of Youth and Adult Education Programs, spoke about a group they have called Learning Art Together, a program for refugee and immigrant women with small children. “There’s childcare provided so the women can relax,” Meyer said. “That way they’re able to make art and work on their English.”

The next event they have is a monthly one known as “First Friday,” which takes place on the first Friday evening of each month. It goes from 6-9 p.m., and all of the galleries in Greenhill are open to the public to view.

Maruzzella and Meyer both spoke excitedly about the next one, on Feb. 5, because from 6:30-7:30 p.m., there will be an African Dance group performance.

Meyer, who leads the adult workshops, spoke about her next workshop on March 17 called “Painting without a Paintbrush.” She is leading one from 1-4 p.m. and one from 6-9 p.m. This workshop is meant to help people learn to paint abstractly using nontraditional “brushes.”

Speaking about what kinds of things might be used, Meyer said, “Spatulas, forks, sponges, probably a bunch of stuff fount [from around the studio], too.”

Registration is open until the day before the workshop begins and is $35 for non-members.

Finally, their weeklong projects are known as Table Top Projects. However, they’re changing them up. “We’re going to be making it more organic,” Meyer said. “It’s just another station, an extra thing for our artists to do.”

Instead of planning on what each week’s theme will be in advanced, Meyer and Maruzzella said they all decided to just let it flow more naturally for them. But other than that, it will be staying the same.

For more information on the events, membership, or location, please visit http://greenhillnc.org/artquest.