Bridging The Gap Between People And Art: Art Worlds

A bit of hesitation may cloud your mind as you view the steep stairway flanked by turquoise walls. Art Worlds is located on the upper floor of a building at 213 1/2 South Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor. Like its workshops and seminar it's always expanding. Its studios and art rooms will soon stretch over two to three buildings, existing now on two different floors.

The non-profit creative arts center founded in October of 1972 is organized by Cecil Taylor, a very pleasant, warm man who is responsible for its creation along with his wife Barbara.

Mrs. Taylor, a former teacher, has done much to contribute to the center with her love of the theatre, art and dance.

A former engineer and photography buff, Taylor deals with the goings-on at Art Worlds, a job that keeps him hopping a large portion of the day.

The Center now offers approximately 70 workshops with the latest addition of six more. The classes range widely in fine arts and crafts that include (besides painting, drawing and weaving) glass blowing, stained glass art, and batik and tie dye. They offer mime and magic classes in theatre and music and communications classes. In dance, two attractive classes have been Hawaiian dance and Beledi or belly dance. Modeling and physical and mental disciplines are offered, including yoga classes, Kung Fu, and T'ai Chi Ch'uan. There are a wide variety of photography classes available, with an excellently equipped darkroom.

Most of the workshops are held for sessions of 1 to 10 weeks with the cost averaging from $15 to $20, depending on the class.

Those who are unable to afford the total workshop fee are often able to work at Art Worlds to defray a portion of their fee. No monies or additional allocations support Art Worlds other than the fee of each individual workshop. Since the center is totally self-supporting and non-profit, volunteer workers and donations in many areas are needed and welcome for and future growth.

Because of the small size of the workshops, people get more individualized instruction as well as learning how to work closely with the other people in the class.

"We want a relaxed, informal atmosphere in which to learn," Taylor commented. "People haven't learned to stop and know people."

The workshops are not graded and are non-competitive, providing a retreat from the institutions that thrive on that kind of performance system. They are "designed for cultural advancement and self-improvement" for the individual.

Art Worlds has made many contributions to Ann Arbor by sponsoring groups for the community's benefit. Members of the Art World's Beledi classes participated in the Ethnic Fair held September 14 and 15 last year here. It will participate in this year's festival also, in connection with the Arabian division. 

Art Worlds also brought to town the Friends Roadshow, a troupe of internationally trained actors who performed acrobatics, mime, magic and dance in celebration of the city's Sesquicentennial birthday in May. Art Worlds always participates in the annual Art Fair Ann Arbor holds each summer.

The multi-media studio also rents dance studios and darkrooms to the public at a minimal cost.

The workshops are open to all people of all ages. It is a great place to be involved totally in small, "people-sized" groups, without the alienation so often found in large classrooms with lecture-type methods. If a student seems to be accelerating faster than the others, his needs will be seen to by the instructor.

Art Worlds functions by "bridging gaps between all peoples and cultural arts," specially helped by their friendly, energetic staff of workers.

"We are motivated by people, not money," stated Taylor.

"We enjoy working with people and making it meaningful."

Carol S. Johnson