Art students set up shop in church

For the second time in less than a year, the Columbia County satellite of the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art has christened a new location.

The art studio, where classes are offered for adults and children, moved into space donated by The Quest Church in the former site of Dye's Southern Fish Camp restaurant in Columbia Square.

"This is really to answer the need and there is a definite community need in Columbia County," said Kim Overstreet, the executive director of the institute.

The donated space inside the church building is still under construction, but summer camp classes were held in several other rooms inside the church, said Dorothy Eckmann, the institute's education director.

"It is fabulous," Eckmann said of the space. "We need to be in Columbia County."

The studio relies on donated space. The former space near Kroger on Columbia Road also was donated, but the space was rented and the institute had no where to teach for the spring. It moved into the new site at the beginning of the summer.

John Kenney, the pastor of The Quest Church, said he heard about the institute's need for a new space when his daughter, Morgan, 6, attended winter art classes in the satellite near Kroger.

"This room is going to look very different in three weeks," Kenney said of the back room that will soon have new paint, flooring and a large window. "We're hoping to stay together for a long time."

Eckmann said the room, when completed, will be more than adequate for the eight- or 10-person classes.

Fall classes begin Sept. 19 with classes for adults and mature teens in drawings and sketching, pastels, watercolors and acrylics. Fall youth classes include mixed media and art appreciation.

"These classes fill up," Eckmann said of past classes in Columbia County. "There is such a need."

The institute established a satellite studio in Martinez in January 2005, and the new space makes the studio's third location since then.

The Columbia County classes also attract seniors and students who can't drive to the institute's main location downtown.

"Really, for students after school to travel downtown for a 4 p.m. class, it is almost impossible," Overstreet said. "This will really help with that."

Classes meet once a week for 1 to two hours and run from six to eight weeks. Prices vary by class, and members of the institute receive a 10 percent discount on classes, according to the institute's Web site.

For more information, call the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art at (706) 722-5495 or visit www.ghia.org.