If you’ve strolled by the Ann Arbor Art Center lately, you've seen major changes to the building’s design. A peek in the windows on Liberty or the Ashley Street side allows passersby to watch students taking art classes or artists working away on pottery in the center’s ceramic studio spaces. Perhaps you’ve wandered into the gallery shop through the newly opened back door or noticed kids filing in and out of summer camp.

You may have even popped in to ask — when did the Art Center start doing all this stuff?

The truth is that the center has offered classes, studio space, and social service programs for a long time — beyond being a gallery shop and exhibition space. One of the aims of the Art Center’s recent consolidation and redesign was to make this more obvious and visible.

Earlier this summer, the Art Center sold its second location on Felch Street — called the Art Factory — to design firm ICON Creative Technologies in order to consolidate all of its programs and offerings under its more high-profile roof at 117 W. Liberty Street. Working with architecture and design firm rizzolobrown + novak, as well as JC Beal Construction and the Sign Center of Kalamazoo, the Art Center reorganized the way it uses the building’s space, opened up new areas, and made a range of improvements.

So far, the Art Center has reclaimed space that it was renting out; brought in its ceramics studios that were previously housed on Felch Street; and redesigned the space, by moving the gallery shop to the opposite side of the first floor, knocking down walls, and moving all of the exhibitions up to the second floor.

By September, more changes to the flow of the building are planned. The jewelry studio that was originally located on Felch Street will be in place, staff offices will move to a smaller space in order to make room for a large teaching studio, and more signs will let people know about all that the Art Center has going on.

“We wanted to make this place more open and inviting,” as well as “more efficient,” says President and CEO Marsha Chamberlin.

“Our idea was if someone from outside of the building could be attracted to the building, look in, and see a class in action, then they might wander in and watch that class, then wander upstairs to the gallery, and realize — I can go up to the third floor,” where they will find additional classrooms, Chamberlin explains.

The Art Center also offers a number of social service programs, including its ArtMakers outreach program and scholarships for kids to take art classes. It also aims to bring people into downtown, build communities, and benefit people in individual, personal ways. Some of these stories are available on the center’s “100 years / 100 stories” blog.

Art Center staffers find that the new design is drawing people in, sparking their curiosity, and encouraging them to find out more about all of the different things they offer — especially the ceramics studio, now visible from the window on Liberty Street.

According to educational assistant Jasmine Hentschel, “A lot of people didn’t know we had classes before. Now people come in and want to learn more about that.” She also notices people standing in front of the window and “really enjoying themselves just watching what’s going on in here.”

“I would say that about a third of the people who come in here are surprised to see the ceramic studio. Then I get a chance to tell them that we also have painting, sketching, drawing, and all sorts of other things that we teach upstairs. It’s definitely a door opener,” says controller Eric Wolff.

The consolidation and redesign have also created the opportunity to expand programming. The Art Center is currently developing a community artist membership program. For a monthly fee, a handful of artists will obtain complete access to the center’s studios, equipment, and storage space. They are planning to kick it off with around five ceramists and jewelry makers. If all goes well, there may be opportunities for more artists to participate in the future.

You don’t have to be an established artist to take advantage of the Art Center’s facilities. Anyone who takes a class can use the studios when classes are not in session. Chamberlin hopes this offering will “create a sense of community,” and encourage students “to plan times to come in and work on their art together,” she says.

Several potters who were working away in the ceramic studio agreed that the new space is much brighter, more social, and more convenient to the heart of downtown. However, they listed a few drawbacks, including parking and less space. Generally, their feedback was positive.

“We’re getting more exposure in the community. People didn’t know we existed before,” says Carole Tomsik. “We’re proud of the studio and we want people to come in and be a part of it.”

“You don’t have to be an artist at all to come. I think adults don’t often put themselves in vulnerable places where they learn new things. I think putting yourself in a new place and learning a new skill is important to personal development,” says Rebecca Lopez Kriss.

“This place is cleaner. It’s not broken in yet,” laughs Tom Herbst. “At the other place you weren’t afraid to make a mess. Here I feel like I’m in a little bit of a fishbowl. That’s not for everybody, but I’m getting used to it.”

Chamberlin recalls that back in 1986, “we had grown at such a rate that we needed more space.” When the Felch Street property went up for sale, the Art Center purchased the building “with the vision of that becoming a primary location for all of our studio activities. That never quite happened. We had some of our programs over there, and then our gallery, our retail, and other programs over here. It just became unfeasible, both from an economic and a management point of view,” she says.

About three and a half years ago, the Art Center “went through a very arduous strategic planning process — arduous in the sense that we knew that the business model we had wasn’t quite working and that we were gradually accumulating some debt.” She reports that the Art Center has regained stability and even has a bit extra left in the bank.

In the future, there may be opportunities to expand programming even more and perhaps add more construction to the Ashley Street side of the building; however, “we have to work hard not to risk the savings we have. We’ve got to make sure that we can continue to run the business the way we are running it and be stable for a couple of years before we get any grandiose ideas,” she says.

Jennifer Eberbach is a free-lance writer who covers art for AnnArbor.com.

Top photo: Ellie Schenk, 8, Brighton, right, and Cami Munoz, 12, left, Ann Arbor, paint slip onto the pottery pieces they were working on in the Clay on a Wheel pottery class for children at the Ann Arbor Art Center on Liberty Street in downtown Ann Arbor on Friday afternoon. Lon Horwedel | Ann Arbor.com

Bottom photo: Deb Esper works on a birthday pot for one of her students in the Clay on a Wheel pottery class for children at the Ann Arbor Art Center. Lon Horwedel | Ann Arbor.com

The Ann Arbor Art Center can be reached at 734-994-8004 X101.