We will be having regular classes about 2D media (drawing/painting/printmaking etc). I’ve got the first one on the calendar where we will go over some basic shading and observational drawing.
We will be rocking it show and tell style using our pets to model. I’ll be providing a dog. She’s quite famous on the high school ciruit. If you have other cool/interesting pets that won’t maim the members bring them. That’s right, you’re goldfish can be a star
I think that’s a great idea! 
I would suggest no uncaged fur-bearing animals though. We have at least one member who is extremely allergic to pet hair and may end up in the hospital if exposed… I believe there are restrictions in the lease as well. I’m not sure about small fur-bearing animals that can be caged, but it would be a safer approach for our members with extreme allergies as well as the lease.
I added the appropriate warnings to the class page and moved the class to interactive so we can close the door. If there’s an allergy that severe I’ll leave her at home. I usually give her an intense deshedding bath the day before she models and so far no problems but I don’t want anyone to be hospitalized. She’s a medium sized dog and far too big for a cage of any reasonable size lol
Thanks for taking the allergies into consideration.
I’ll try to reach out to the member I’m aware of to get his input. He has an account on TALK, but doesn’t use it much.
Thanks again!
It’s bad enough that second hand contact through the chairs cause him a lot of trouble. Our rule at the space has always been no animals allowed. (Service animals excluded)
And please don’t make him a service dog just to fit the bill.
It really is… 
This is part of his response…
The problems don’t stop when the animal has left. The dander gets in the air and sticks to the walls and floors.
And I know that he has had pretty bad reactions and as Pearce pointed out it’s not just direct contact.
The member we are referring to is highly allergic to dogs, cats, and birds.
Another thing we have to consider is the lease. From what I understand is that we are not allowed to have any animals except for service animals. I honestly don’t know how it’s worded, or if there are exceptions for small caged critters or not.
Is there any way that you might be able to rework the classes so that they remain within your vision without real animals? (Stuffed animals maybe? Or ???)
I do qualify for an ESA. I’m not severe enough I need her constantly. Its actually a pretty rigorous process so I promise if someone has one it’s not just to bend a rule. Most of us are considerate about it.
@LisaSelk thanks for bringing that to my attention. It’s not a huge deal. We will find other things to model. I’ll update tomorrow and make sure we are fur free. Please let the member know it wasn’t intentional 
@uglyknees what about some cupcakes or flowers? Better yet anyone have want to loan us some legos/min figs?
i wasnt trying to bend your arm about it, i just see a lot of false claims at the cons and stuff i attend. its a bother.
do you want the lego people figures? or built stuff? i can see if my parents still have all my old stuff
Yeah me too. Lots of folks trying to skirt pet deposits by having an ESA. Public is hard because legally if they have the vest you can’t ask and people sell fakes online. It sucks because it causes real service dogs problems
Legos are easy contours to draw but you can up the difficulty when you’re ready by adding in the not squared blocks and figs. The drawings come out cooler than something random like cups lol