It’s time to get a little dirty.

The NIU Art Museum’s Get-on-the-Bus program once again is sponsoring a trip, and this month’s is titled “20 Dirty Hands.”

The trip is an effort among NIU, Waubonsee Community College and Kishwaukee College.

20 Dirty Hands” is a trip to a series of ceramics museums in the areas of Galena, Elizabeth and East Dubuque, Ill. The museums together feature 10 artists who are doing ceramic art for a living and are able to survive off of it.

Michelle Erickson-Goettl, ceramics instructor and gallery coordinator for Kishwaukee College, is familiar with the trip.

“It’s a good opportunity for students to see the work of ceramics artists, a chance to ask them questions about their work and it is also a chance to see how artists are able to make a living off of their own art,” she said.

Jo Burke, assistant director for NIU’s Art Museum, agreed.

“You don’t have to be a starving artist to make an impression, and the artists we are going to see are living proof of that,” she said.

Graduate communication major Russ Hanes has an interest in pottery.

“Ceramics is an art form that is not really appreciated, and I would like to learn more about it,” he said. “So, this trip is a perfect opportunity to learn more about ceramics.”

The Get-on-the-Bus program has been going on for a number of years and is open to the public. Once a month, the program takes trips to art museums, galleries and architectural creations that are all primarily in the tri-state area of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin.

“20 Dirty Hands” is scheduled for Oct. 18, but the deadline for the trip is today. The cost is $20 and space is limited. For information, call the NIU Art Museum at 753-1936.