Artist, author leads two workshops on storytelling through art

Two upcoming workshops will discuss history, immigration and the art of storytelling.

The first course entitled “Storytelling with Collage: A Workshop” will be led by Lucy Rose Fischer, award-winning artist and author.

Fischer’s book I’m New at Being Old contains a series of colorful collages; her glass art has been shown in more than 50 exhibits and is on permanent display in public institutions and private collections.

Her art will be on display at the Alexandria Area Art Association lobby October 10-20.

Collage, as an art form, entails taking materials that exist in some other context and transforming them into something else by dying tissue paper, drawing, painting, cutting and pasting.

This workshop will teach techniques of collage and how to capture personal stories into art.

Participants should bring six to 10 copies of photos of places, people and things with personal meaning, as well as poems and quotes. Copies can be color or black and white and should not be made with an inkjet printer. Photos may be brought to the Community Education office where copies will be made.

The session will take place Sunday, October 9 from 1 to 5:30 p.m. at Nelson Wellness Center Governor’s Room in Alexandria. Cost is $79.

Fischer also teaches the next session in the series – “Life is a Work of Art,” to be held Sunday, October 9 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at the Nelson Wellness Center Governor’s Room in Alexandria.

Fischer, who is nearly 60, asked herself one day: How old do I have to be to follow my dreams? In this session, she’ll tell about her journey into the third-age – how she launched her art career in later life and creates story-in-art. Cost of the session is $15.

Refreshments and conversation will follow both. The courses are part of a short course series titled “Everyone Has a Story.” For information, visit the website www.alexandria.k12.mn.us/ce or call (320) 762-3310.

The series is made possible with a grant from the Minnesota Humanities Commission and collaboration of Alexandria Community Education, Douglas County Historical Society, Alexandria Cultural Inclusiveness Committee, Diversity Resource Action Alliance, Alexandria branch of American Association of University Women and Friends of the Library.

Tags: variety, workshops