Do you have awards, pictures, or even unit guidons to frame? If so, the Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation Arts and Crafts Frame Shop has a lot to offer, and the best part is you can even learn to do it yourself.
"We offer programs that develop a military members' own creativity and resiliency through art," said Bernie Riker, frame shop manager.
The frame shop has several services to offer FMWR-eligible patrons. "We offer engraving with an artist on hand. For those custom designed and framing/shadow boxes, the self-help area is a cost-saving venture that allows awards to be made by avoiding the service fee, which can range between $20 to hundreds of dollars per project," Riker said.
The frame shop can train one individual from a unit in how to frame a project or award and that individual can then teach more people in their unit to do the same thing.
"Allowing the creative aspects of any individual -- young, old, active, retired and units -- to participate in creating a project of their own or to give as an award is a rewarding and resilient experience," Riker added.
The frame shop also has several different events and classes based on the customers' needs throughout the year.
Some of the photography classes they offer are Photography101, which is geared towards digital photo editing, and advanced classes.
Crafts classes include paper quilling, flowerpot painting, cake decorating and collage classes. They even offer one-on-one classes on how to frame. The art classes offered are everything from acrylics to watercolors, sketching and pastels.
Depending on the size of the project, costs vary due to size, products selected for framing and the matt selected. The frame shop also gives out free estimates.
On Monday afternoon, Sgt. Christopher Wengard, Company B, 193rd Brigade Support Battalion, used the frame-shop services to create plaques for his unit.
"Our Soldiers were being transferred to different stations or going off to different units, and they would get a PCS award from the battalion but nothing from the unit, so we wanted to make sure all of the Soldiers who were leaving our unit left with something," Wengard said.
Wengard said he saves his unit an average of about $100 per plaque by using the frame shop on post. "If you were to price the plaques we make with any outside source, then it would probably be about $140 on average, but I can make the same thing for about $40," he said.
The Arts and Crafts Frame Shop is located at 490 N. Dakota Ave and can be reached at 573.596.0242. Hours of operation are from 10 a.m. through 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Social Sharing