Have you found your third space in Whitewater? A location that is neither your home or work that provides relaxation and recreation; one that isn’t breaking the bank each time you visit?
Well, if you haven’t, Studio 84, located in the heart of downtown, has recently revitalized one. With the help of a grant donated by Geneva Lake Women’s Association, the Second Saturday program is back in full swing. With themed activities each month, artists of any age are encouraged to stop by for as long or as little as they’d like to create a free masterpiece. Ranging from coasters, to clay and painted pumpkins, the itinerary surely has something for everyone.
“Deborah Blackwell – she’s now retired – but she thought it was a way of making art available to everyone,” Studio 84 co-director Ben Kelly said. “The artists taking our classes are paying to be here and while the community is of course welcome if they want to pay the fee, with second Saturdays anyone can come. Doesn’t matter if you’re the best artist or worst, millionaire or not.”
(Fleuretta Phipps)
The studio is open to anyone and even offers opportunities for artists to create revenue and recognition.
“Something really cool is that all our artists have different levels of needs and help that they require to do their art, and that it’s their option of whether they keep all their art or we also have a store upstairs where they’re able to sell their art. And all those proceeds go to the artist,” Studio 84 artistic mentor Karina Pittro said.
Despite the community’s success, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to operations.
“We obviously stopped doing in-person classes,” Kelly said. “We’d create little art kits to hand out so people could still create at home. But it eventually got to a point where making that a routine was strenuous with the quarantine.”
After years of footing, Second Saturdays seemed like a real possibility again. Aug. 9 acted as the second Second Saturday grand opening.
“I had previously been an employee but I had never heard of Second Saturdays until we got the grant,” Pittro said. “I was approached, told what it was and then was asked if I would be interested in running it. I was enthralled by it. I love doing anything art and being able to interact with people and teach them art is super amazing.”
What seemed like a sudden burst of good news, behind the scenes was a lot of paperwork, phone calls and time.
(Fleuretta Phipps)
“Most places accept grant requests at any time,” Kelly said. “You have to fill out the form and submit it to them and then wait for the process to go through. We submitted the paperwork in February so it was about six months of waiting.”
Fortunately for the Whitewater community, Second Saturday is planned to continue its services. Recent upgrades and tweaks include a revamp of posters and social media and a translation of the informational poster into Spanish in hopes to reach a greater scope of Whitewater.
“We used to have a grandfather and a grandson come in every single Second Saturday and the grandfather would teach the grandson how to create the art,” Kelly said. “The enjoyment you get from seeing the bonding experiences between families and communities is how I knew we needed to get it back up and running.”
Whether you want to make a physical art piece or a lasting community connection check out Studio 84’s Website.
