DOWAGIAC — Both new and old artists’ work in a variety of mediums will be on display in the hallway at Front Street’s Council on Aging.

The Art Groove Group, an art class taught by Sharron Ott that meets every Tuesday at Eagles Wood and Trace Apartments in Dowagiac, will be hosting an art opening of their exhibit, “Illuminate,” from 1 to 3 p.m. on Dec. 3. The event, sponsored by the Cass Area Artists, will feature tea and coffee refreshments and have art shown in the exhibit available for sale. The pieces will remain on display until March 3, 2020.

Ott first began teaching Art Groove Group classes in March, 2017, at the Cass District Library, where art exhibits would also take place.

A few months ago, the class changed locations to the dining room at Eagle Wood and Trace Apartments. Marcia Steffens, a member of the Cass Area Artist Group, also manages the Eagle Wood Trace Apartments and has allowed the group to create art there. Steffens was captivated by art in college and took a 40-year break from painting. She picked it back up a few years ago.

“She has been generous enough to let us use the dining room,” Ott said. “It is just a beautiful space with French doors overlooking the woods. People can actually look out the windows and do landscaping.”

Ott’s Art Groove Group meets from 1 to 3 p.m. every Tuesday. The classes, which cost $12, move through a variety of techniques and styles and include studying art history. Ott begins her class with a lecture and warmup exercise, then students work on independent projects.

Sometimes that means continuing a project from a previous class.

On a weekly basis, Ott said the group includes 12 members, but attendance can vary.

Ott is no stranger to exhibiting art in the hallway of Front Street Crossing. Kelly Casey, the manager of the Front Street Crossing COA, has allowed her to hang paintings in the hallway for some time.

“I’ve shown my own work and I’ve shown other artists in the community,” Ott said. “This is the first time that my students will have a show there.”

However, Illuminate’s exhibit will be focused solely on Ott’s students’ work and pieces they have created in class. A variety of art pieces in different mediums will be on display, including acrylic paint, pencil, charcoal and some collage.

For some artists, this will be their first exhibit.

“Some have exhibited at the Cass District Library before, but there has been new people that have joined in the past nine months,” Ott said. “This will be their first exhibit so they are very excited.”

In her class, Ott has begun teaching artists the technical side of exhibiting, like preparing the edges of pieces and putting wires on the back of paintings.

“I feel like exhibiting is the completion of the process of creating art,” she said.