Should I take an in-person art class?

September 11, 2020 11:07 PM

Just before Covid "started" I relocated to a new city for work. I was hoping to take an art class or two to meet people and, obviously, I never took those art classes. However, the Arts Center is offering them again and I really want to take one? Should I do this?

I was just about settled from moving and starting a new job around the time covid hit. So, my biggest social outlet here has been my co-workers and roommates. I've been feeling really lonely and bored lately. I just haven't had a chance to do anything since moving here. I was hoping to take an art class in March to at least get "out there" and meet people, but that never happened. I'm only in this city temporarily and I will be moving back to my hometown at the end of November.

The art classes are being offered again, according to their website students are required to wear masks and social distancing, sanitization, etc. are also in place.

I've been feeling really bored and lonely lately. I was a bit excited at the thought of taking an art class, but it also just makes me feel bad... like, is it safe (ok not that anyone can answer that)? At the moment there are 13 active cases in this city. Am I a bad person if I take this class? I don't want to be more at risk or put someone at risk, but I am just so. damn. bored. Is it okay if I take this class for my sanity? I have such mixed feelings, but I really wish that I could take the class.

posted by anonymous to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (9 answers total)

Hmm. My reading is probably a bit skewed, because I live in a place with pretty strict rules (Victoria, Australia) so I think if it's open it's ok- of course your government may vary!

It would be safer if outside. Failing that a space with good airflow. This mitigates the airborne vector. Masks & distancing will help droplet vector. Sanitiser mitigates the surfaces vector. Total time spent in class will help too- hopefully less than two hours.

I think you can take this class- remember that mental health matters too.
posted by freethefeet at 12:47 AM on September 12, 2020 [1 favorite]

If this is what you want, then go for it! Could you visit the first class and then decide? I’m OK with being out (with precautions like masks, hand sanitizer, etc.) but being in an enclosed space for so long with a lot of strangers would stress me out too much. But that’s just me!

It really sucks that your experience there has been limited to a lonely COVID quarantine: it’s so disappointing and frustrating! These times are unexpected so everything has shifted; (almost) no one could have foreseen this, and no one is living exactly the way they’d like right now. However, this is also not your only or last chance to live in the town, take an art class, make friends, etc. so do what your gut tells you but also don’t let potential FOMO steer your choice either. Good luck!
posted by smorgasbord at 1:36 AM on September 12, 2020

After reading this story, I would feel comfortable taking this class as long as I was wearing a mask the whole time.
posted by DarlingBri at 3:01 AM on September 12, 2020

What's the positivity rate in your city? WHO says it's safe to reopen if it's been below 5% for two weeks. That would answer my question, personally.
posted by shadygrove at 5:38 AM on September 12, 2020 [4 favorites]

Are any of your roommates in a higher risk category?
posted by blue suede stockings at 6:09 AM on September 12, 2020 [2 favorites]

I think taking the class would be fine, provided they are following the rules.

If your purpose is to meet people, if they are following strict social distancing rules that part will be difficult, and i wouldn't recommend taking the class. Trying to meet people may unconsciously make you bend/break the social distancing rules in order to interact with folks.

If your purpose is the art i would take the class.
posted by TheAdamist at 6:17 AM on September 12, 2020 [3 favorites]

This really depends on the conditions in your area. The positivity rate and number of new cases give you a clue to how likely it is that someone in the class will be covid positive.

Beyond that the number one precaution needed beyond masks and distancing is ventilation. If this class is in a small, poorly ventilated room with windows closed, I would not feel comfortable. If it’s in a big airy workshop with windows open and fans on, I would.
posted by mai at 6:54 AM on September 12, 2020

I'd definitely agree that in this context you should only expect relief from boredom, not new friends. I've been back at a part-time job and we used to hang out afterward and also just generally chat in between tasks, but now we have very compartmentalized assignments and have to go our separate ways at the end of the day and it's a very different vibe. I'd imagine it'd be hard to establish that first "hey maybe we'd get along" connection with a stranger through masks and distancing, and then there's the fraught issue of whether they'll turn out to be like you and very cautiously venturing out after many months of isolation, or someone who thinks this all is ridiculous and is therefore a much riskier person to be around because they're not taking the precautions seriously.
posted by teremala at 6:55 AM on September 12, 2020 [1 favorite]

I was taking printmaking (silkscreening) at a local non-profit art school and was between sessions when the lock-down occurred in March. The school pivoted to printmaking at home, which was expensive because I needed to basically outfit a studio at home rather than having a central location where resources were shared, and where there was a proper wash-out sink with high-pressure hoses, for example. I cobbled a set-up together and took the quickly-organized zoom class, using such on-line tools as a Google slide deck to add photos of work in progress, and chat to pose questions and comments. It has been partially successful; the biggest plus is that I can work for as long as I like when it is convenient for me, rather than having to confine working to the once-a-week timeslot of the previous class. There are days I've worked for 6 hours late at night with the music blasting, and days I've slacked off because I am the person controlling my schedule. And now I have a studio set up at home. This will enable me to work both in class (when school opens again) and continue at home. If you are taking a class with less set-up like watercolor or drawing, this would be easier by a huge amount - silkscreening does require space, washout facilities, and room to store paper, ink and numerous tools, hang prints, and isolate pets. One good development is that the teacher has started "office hours" twice weekly, where we can ask her questions on Google chat between our class meetings, and both questions and answers are shared with the group. With the in-person class there was no option for asking questions between classes and if someone asked a question and you were not standing right there, the information was never shared with you. There's an economy of information sharing in this iteration that's an improvement, I think.

On the other hand, I have really not "made friends" with anyone on line. There are a couple of people from the in-person class who are participating, but many others, some of whom are from outside the geographical area who are able to participate and are thrilled about it. I think most of us think it's a flawed substitute, but better than nothing. And when classes do open up again, we'll have a shared experience to talk about and are likely to pursue off-campus friendships at a higher rate. We all now have a new appreciation for the kinds of attention that need to be paid to foster friendships.
posted by citygirl at 7:20 AM on September 12, 2020 [1 favorite]