Springfield Art Gym moves to Clinton Street

The Springfield Art Gym, a versatile maker-space for art creators, has moved from its original Main Street basement location to bright, cheerful quarters on Clinton Street. Mona Frye, one of the original driving forces in the founding of the Art Gym, is excited about the move.

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Springfield Art Gym moves to Clinton Street By Karen Engdahl The ShopperJanuary 22, 2017 art SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – The Springfield Art Gym, a versatile maker-space for art creators, has moved from its original Main Street basement location to bright, cheerful quarters on Clinton Street. Mona Frye, one of the original driving forces in the founding of the Art Gym, is excited about the move. “We moved here to improve visibility, offer better parking, and expand our space,” she said during the first Open Art Day at the new facility. “We’ve been going strong since we started in August, and we’re thrilled with all the community support we’re getting.” Though the new art space is cluttered with boxes of supplies yet to be unpacked, it’s clear Frye and other volunteers have big plans for organizing the Art Gym. “We have lots of materials donated by artists who change their minds about the medium they want to use,” said Frye, as she pointed to a large table flanked with containers full of beads and beading equipment. “Here’s an example — beads donated by an Etsy crafter who no longer needed them, and a great beading table donated from the Recycling Center.” On a nearby stand, Frye points to a large stack of prepared canvases. “These came from a woman artist who was going blind — she couldn’t paint any more and her daughter brought these canvases to us,” she said. “I used one of them to paint the ‘Willingness is the Key!’ sign at the front of the gym. You feel a lot more mindful about your work when you know the story of materials like these.” Since its inception, the Art Gym has been run by volunteers who emphasize the importance of their motto, “exercising your creative process.” “We want this to be a place where people can try something new, make mistakes, learn, and try again,” said Frye. “We have free Open Art Nights the second Friday of each month from 6 to 8 p.m., open to people of all ages. One of the youngest members of our Steering Committee, an elementary-school-age student named Victoria Feickert, is here for almost every Open Art session.” “Most people want organized events,” continued Frye, “so we’re working on offering more structured classes like Paper Crafting, led by Elizabeth Meuse, Zentangle, a drawing class led by Wendi Lashua Germain, and a papermaking class with Diane Kemble in March.” Frye is also looking forward to creating a gallery at the front of the space where artists’ creations can be shown and sold to the public. “We’re also hoping to have musicians come and share music with us during gallery hours or for Open Art time,” she said. “We’d love to be a shopping and music destination as well as a studio space.” Complete class schedules and other information about the Art Gym can be found on its Springfield Art Gym Facebook page. Also on the Facebook page is information about donating materials and/or money to the Art Gym.