Today, we spent time at the Perkins Center for the Arts, at 30 Irwin Ave. in Collingswood. (There is a second location right in Moorestown, located at 395 Kings Highway). Led by Samantha Salazar, manager of Special Events and Education Assistant, we helped clean the massively impressive warehouse space, and we helped create artistic projects to be utilized in future events.
From the outside, the arts center looks like a mid-century automotive garage, but is, once inside, much larger and more captivating. There is a workshop space, filled with kilns, current arts projects (currently, glass mosaics for a swim-club in Collingswood), and tarps concealing paints, wood, tiles, and all the supplies to bring these pieces into conception. Steel beams and strings of white lights span the spaces, with the undulating tracks that once hoisted car engines and deposited them deeper within. Attached to this workshop is a lovely, sparse exhibition space for local, award-winning photography; photography adorns the walls, as light pours through the larger, high windows. Upstairs is Mrs. Salazar’s favorite spot: wood beams and sky-lights encase a loft that holds special events. And attached to this loft is the Monarch dance studio. All of these spaces weave in and out, and it is worth the trip alone to take in the wooden floors, window encasements, and architecture that combines yesterday with today.
To begin, we all pitched in to clean the workshop and upstairs facilities. Some of us moved bricks and old, heavy art projects. Some of us cleaned the storage closet. We also helped paint frames and large, hanging ornaments for an upcoming art event. Out of plastic pipes and joints, some of us constructed candle arrangements. After cleaning and sorting and constructing, we all gathered around a long table, helped create paper-flowers.
After we put in our day’s work, we went to the Pop Shop for a rewarding meal. To catch the bus, we ordered our meals to go and we headed home.
Overall, it was a fantastic day and everyone was super happy to have helped at such a wonderful place like the Perkins Center. And the food was amazing!
Thanks,
Brad and Alexis