By Andrea Holbrook

“I just love you guys, I just love being around you guys,” said Sue Geer Dickens, BLOC Ministry’s Art Program Director. She has been interested in art since she was a kid.

“I’ll have to say I’m a lazy artist.” In other words, she loves art but doesn’t like all the hassle that comes along with it.

She always knew that she was good so she followed through with art and went to college for it. “I went to Miami University with art and kinda learned as much as i could there and went to UC,” she said. Sue studied fashion design first, and then eventually, she went into fine arts. “I actually went to UC for a while for fashion design…they said go back and get your fine arts degree and so I did.” Many years after Sue got her fine arts degree, her two children went off to college and Sue had to find what she wanted to do with her time.

“So when my kids were both out of the house and off to college ya know, it leaves time, ‘cause I quit working professionally when I had my kids so I could be home for them and do whatever they needed….” Sue said. “So when I had that time it’s like, what do I want to spend my time doing? Honestly, I said: A, I love kids, that was the first thing, and B, I love what art has to offer because your brain tends to work a little differently. You kinda get occupied away from all the instant media stuff that’s out there now.”

Sue was referred to talk to the owners of BLOC about a building space where she could work with teens to do art.

“My brother actually works up here and he told me about this building and he said make a proposal to the owner of BLOC and say this is what I would like to do,” Sue said. “So, my original was I want to work with the high school kids because I know you guys got cut off of after school programs and I wanted to give you guys a place to come and it’s hard to do both. Anyways, they said ‘sure, here is your floor, go for it,’ and here I am.”

“So, this is part of the reason kids can come and go when they want and you guys can kinda be whether you wanna do art or not.”

After Sue got the building space, she continued to run the art center for five years and still continues to run it to this day. Every so often, Sue meets new people despite the pandemic. She likes her job overall, but her favorite part is the kids in general.

“The kids, conversations with you guys, and it’s not like, ‘oh, I have to pick their brains,’ I was like casual like if you were my kids and were coming into my kitchen after school,” Sue said. She asks students, “how’s things going? What’s going on?”

“It could be you got a problem, whatever, I just love talking to you guys. It’s A, the kids come first and B, the art is just a way to get you guys here – and maybe the snacks.”

Sue welcomes anyone who wants to come do art or just hang out at the arts building. Summer hours are Tuesday and Wednesday, 3 to 5 p.m. The BLOC Art Studio is located at 714 Neave St., about a minute’s walk from Oyler.