Home sweet home: Local art club, center find new home for collaborations
Olivia Goudy | Herald-Standard
A large floor space and tables provide ample room for art and theater classes offered by the Phoenix Arts Center at their new home on West Main Street in Uniontown.
Olivia Goudy | Herald-Standard
Stephanie McClain, president of the Uniontown Art Club, displays a ceramic plate she created, infused with blue glass, at the Uniontown Art Club’s new home at 86 West Main Street in Uniontown.
Olivia Goudy | Herald-Standard
Artwork from students of the Phoenix Arts Center is displayed at their new home on West Main Street in Uniontown.
Olivia Goudy | Herald-Standard
Homemade ornaments created with molten wax are displayed at 86 West Main Street by their creator and president of the Uniontown Art Club, Stephanie McClain.
Olivia Goudy | Herald-Standard
The expanded space available at 86 West Main Street in Uniontown is conducive to creative classes for Phoenix Arts Center.
Olivia Goudy | Herald-Standard
Stephanie McClain, president of the Uniontown Art Club, talks about various mediums of artwork displayed at their new home on West Main Street in Uniontown.
Olivia Goudy | Herald-Standard
Items created by members of the Uniontown Art Club are on display in the storefront at 86 West Main Street in Uniontown.
A storefront. Large floor space. Storage. Central location.
Those are the things that help make the Uniontown Art Club’s new home conducive to their vision and goal with their roommates, the Phoenix Arts Center.
Earlier this year, the two entities finalized the documents to call 86 W. Main St. in Uniontown their new home.
“We’ve been doing work together for several years, and when we finally had the opportunity to cohabitate — we went for it. I just was right,” said Carrie Attaway with the Phoenix.
“Phoenix has been in the shadow of other businesses, but for the first time, we’re out. We have a space now, and it’s allowed us to increase our program offerings,” Attaway added. “It’s been wonderful these past months.”
The idea of a home base was also appealing to the Uniontown Art Club, who previously met at the Uniontown Library.
“They were wonderful with us, and still are to this day,” said Stephanie McClain, president of the Uniontown Art Club, adding that they ultimately needed more room — room for a store, and a building with an address that would allow them to apply for grants for their nonprofit.
The Phoenix and the Uniontown Art Club originally negotiated with the State Theatre Center for the Arts in Uniontown, though they both soon found that the amount of space wasn’t enough for them.
“The State was a stepping stone, but we outgrew the space too quickly,” McClain said.
“But going to the State was a good move for us because it helped show organizations how beneficial it was to have real space — not to just meet once a month and have maybe three shows a year. It was a good transition point,” McClain added.
After their move to 86 West Main, McClain said it helped put wind in their sails.
“It was like, ‘hey, we can do this. We can have store hours, art shows, theater activities,'” she said. “We realized we could do all these things here.”
Attaway said they’ve been able to not only increase the amount of classes they offer, but the variety as well.
They carry everything from knitting to theater to web design courses for youth and adults. She added that they are currently running a program through March every Wednesday that focuses on a new medium each week, whether it’s wood, canvases, recycled materials or even clay.
“We also just started a youth artist club — it’s not quite a mirror of the Uniontown Art Club, but it provides something similar for the youth of the community in that respect,” Attaway said.
She noted that they’re also able to offer their classes on a regular basis throughout the year, rather than in semesters as they had in the past.
The front portion of 86 West Main serves as a storefront for the various artwork of the Uniontown Art Club, including paintings, sketchings, woodwork, jewelry, glasswork and pottery. Store hours are 4-7 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays.
The back section of the first floor is an open space for theater activities and plays, though there are also several tables set up with shelves and cabinets full of art supplies.
McClain said moving into the new space was a smooth transition, attributing that in part to the support of the Uniontown Redevelopment Authority.
And though there are small growing pains associated with applying for and getting grants, and increasing their presence in the community, McClain and Attaway said it’s been a manageable process.
“When we moved into the space, our goal was the storefront. Now we’ve done that, and we’re getting more artists in. Now, our goal is to host at least one event every month — some sort of paint-and-sip or craft-and-sip, or renting the space out,” McClain said. They also have a vision of creating a coffee house vibe with tables and couches, so patrons can get take-out from the surrounding eateries and enjoy the atmosphere at 86 West Main or wait for their children in class.
Overall, McClain said she hopes their new home can help others learn more about and appreciate art and their respective organizations.
“We just need to get people’s mindset in a different direction. Art isn’t limited to one class or type of people — art can be for anybody,” McClain said.