Exercising the creative process

The Springfield Art Gym, a community creative space, is moving to a new location at 62 Clinton St. on Saturday, Jan. 14.

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2017-01-10 / Front Page Exercising the creative process 'Art gym' moving to new space in Springfield By TORY JONES toryb@eagletimes.com Visitors to the Springfield Art Gym work on projects at a recent session. The SAG will move to Clinton Street this month. — COURTESY OF SPRINGFIELD ART GYM Visitors to the Springfield Art Gym work on projects at a recent session. The SAG will move to Clinton Street this month. — COURTESY OF SPRINGFIELD ART GYM SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Art Gym, a community creative space, is moving to a new location at 62 Clinton St. on Saturday, Jan. 14. Organizers hope the move will make the Art Gym easier to find, among other benefits, according to Program Coordinator Mona Frye. “The new location will be a huge help for us,” Frye said on Monday, Jan. 9. “The current location is really not good, and visitors are concerned with visibility and safety.” The nonprofit “art gym” is a grassroots effort, a MakerSpace-style gathering center where community members of all ages can learn new skills, create art, offer classes and rent space. It was created by Frye, Wendy Germain and Elizabeth Meuse, all Springfield residents, and opened in late summer 2016 on Main Street, Frye said. It was the fruit of an effort by the nonprofit Springfield on the Move (SOM) to establish a location where people in the community could get creative and teach what they know. SOM had announced in the spring that it was looking for interested persons who would like to create this kind of space. After a few attempts and meetings, the effort “kind of fizzled out,” she said. “Wendy and I are doers. We decided ‘Let’s just do it,’” Frye said. They found a landlord downtown because part of the original thought process was to help fill empty downtown spaces, she said. “We learned a lot while we set up shop,” Frye said. The group developed a volume base and a program. Germain developed a grant application, earning a $6,000 grant, which they received last month. Both Frye and Germain have worked in the nonprofit community for more than 20 years. Because they know the community is a bit “economically insecure,” they wanted to make the Art Gym affordable, she said. Anyone in the community is welcome to drop in during business hours, and for a small donation, can use the available tools and consumable materials to create. The Art Gym has a group of volunteers who are trained and willing to share the projects of the week, while others who may come with skills can create at their own pace. The space and materials are supported by donations in a “pay-as-you-go” system, she said. They are also hoping to rent out space in the building if people want to hold parties there. They plan to have Sip-and-Paint sessions, family-friendly Art Nights every second Friday of the month, and other events. The group also hopes to offer a retail space at the front of the building where artisans and crafters can sell what they make. “Part of the vision is to be a place where you can ‘exercise your creative process,’” which led to the Springfield Art Gym’s name, she said. The Art Gym will open again immediately after the move, she said. The new location, near a gas station and coffee shop, is a building that has formerly housed a music store and an art supplies store. Participants at the Art Gym can try their hand at jewelry making, upcycling, Zentangle, painting, paper crafts and other arts. Those who would like to give a class can also rent the space for two hours for $50, she said. Just a few weeks ago, visitors from New York, who were in the area skiing, came to the creative space to spend some time before heading out to a theater to watch a movie, Frye said. “We look forward to learning more about how to serve the community in this way, and are having a lot of fun with it as we go,” she said. The group found out a few weeks ago that Dick Blick Art Materials, which supports educational and nonprofit endeavors for creativity, awarded them a $200 gift toward supplies. The Art Gym is listed on Dick Blick’s Art Room Aid website as an educational group. “They said, ‘We support what you are doing,’” Frye said. “Dick Blick is so generous. I’m so grateful for this.” Frye said the Art Gym upcycles a lot of materials, many of which are donated from community members who have tried a craft and have leftover supplies. They welcome locally donated materials. “It keeps the costs down,” she said. “We repurpose a lot of things.” Through Blick’s Art Room Aid project, supporters can click to donate toward supplies for the Art Gym. The nonprofit had received a total of $329.45 toward supplies, as of Monday, out of a wish list totalling $573.36. The Art Gym’s list of needed supplies includes materials such as paint, brushes, glue, wire form, and fine-tip markers. Those who would like to support the community outreach may donate online at http://www.dickblick.com/ara/lists/7129/home. Anyone who wishes to volunteer and help with the move on Jan. 14 may email the Springfield Art Gym at springfieldartgym@gmail.com, or search for “Springfield Art Gym” on Facebook.