Paint, write, share, snack, and play at West Edge for Pride!
Absolutely no experience necessary.
This workshop is an opportunity to be in community with others while you add your story and expression to a large-scale piece of art. Happy Pride!
THURSDAY, JUNE 23 6:00 pm-9:00 pm
Date/Time: Friday, May 27, 6:00-8:00 pm
Learn photo transfer and collage techniques in this two hour community workshop!
The work produced in this workshop will become a part of a large community mural. How cool will it be to see your photo memories or a piece of your favorite old t-shirt in a huge piece of collaborative art?
WHAT YOU NEED TO BRING: We will transfer black and white images to canvas, so you'll need to bring pictures! If you are able to print black and white copies of your photos to bring, that will save us some time...otherwise we can copy them on site for transfer. You are also encouraged to bring fabric to collage...the more meaningful, the better. Baby clothes, a grandmother's old house dress, pieces of a tattered family quilt...whatever you have that you'd like to contribute. (We will also have extra photos and fabric on hand if you just want to learn the techniques!)
The first two community art workshops at West Edge were so, so good!
The theme of my residency at West Edge is Healing…something we all need right now. There is so much to heal from…illness, loss in all forms, social isolation…the past few years have been so hard for us all. In all my years of teaching, one thing that has never ceased to surprise and amaze me is the power that art-making has to help heal. Allowing ourselves to be lost in creative exploration can be profoundly healing and transformative. My goal with these community workshops is to facilitate an environment where that kind of healing can happen. Being able to do that alongside others in a creative community has been amazing. Here are some photos from the first couple workshops…Stay tuned for the next workshop signups!
Get curious and playful in this two-hour art workshop!
We will be exploring a variety of mark-making techniques, and hopefully stumbling onto some new ones while we are at it. Perfect for anyone wishing to bring out their inner child and explore…seasoned artists and total newbies are all welcome. All you need to bring is yourself (and your play clothes!)
Click HERE to register!
Join us at West Edge for our very first workshop! This event is for anyone who wants to learn to tap into their creativity in a new way. We will be discussing ways to let go, relax, and let abstract marks happen intuitively. We will use sound as the inspiration, creating colors, textures, and marks in response to different types of music.
Perfect for a total beginner, or a seasoned artist looking for new inspiration.
Wear clothes you don’t mind getting messy!
Click HERE to register.
Barbara Lavalley Benton
Barbara Lavalley Benton is an emerging artist based in Huntington, WV. She is currently a senior art major in the school of Art & Design, minoring in Psychology at Marshall University. Barbara has an Associate’s Degree in American Sign Language from Mountwest Community COllege, and currently works part time as a Training Consultant. Her works Rachel-A Life Lived and Just Keep Living are included in the 2022 National Juried Exhibition at Marshall University. She is the author of a children’s book for grieving families called Nothing is Ever Lost, with previous works published in Marshall’s Et Cetera. Barbara’s art career began with an interest in art therapy, whiched bloomed into a love for art itself.
Join us Wednesday, January 19th for an opening reception!
An open house hosted by Coalfield Development and partners to highlight upcoming artistic and creative endeavors in 2022.
The West Edge Factory is owned and managed by Coalfield Development, a non-profit community and workforce development organization. The building is home to a number of artistic and creative endeavors, including artist studios, an event venue, an apparel company, and a future community black box theater. Over the next two years, Coalfield will partner with the City of Huntington, 14th Street West and Village Renew-All to host a number of artistic and creative initiatives supported through grant funds from the National Endowment of the Arts.
As a part of this grant, we are seeking an emerging artist to work alongside Sassa Wilkes during a residency through the summer of 2023.
Applicants should:
Be self-motivated, organized, creative thinkers
Possess a strong sense of community
Have the ability to work well with others
Be proficient in a variety of mediums
Responsibilities Include:
Working alongside artist-in-residence (on average 10 hours per week) during community workshops, providing guidance and assistance to attendees when needed
Assisting with the conception, design, and installation of community art projects
Maintaining a neat and orderly studio space
Communicating with the public regarding the space, works in progress, etc., during open-studio events
Application requirements:
A developing body of work in any medium (8-10 images of your work)
Letter of recommendation
Resume
Artist statement
Answer the following: Why do you feel you would be a good fit for this position?
Select applicants will be required to display their work during an opening reception for the studio in late January 2022 (date TBA) ; apprentice will be selected from this group.
Compensation:
24-hour access to a shared studio space
Mentorship in professional practice alongside established artist(s)
Stipend: $6,000
Send all application requirements/questions regarding the application process to sassawilkes@gmail.com by January 6th, 2022.
The first time I visited West Edge Factory I felt like I was dreaming.
The building itself is HUGE, and extremely cool…exposed beams and brick everywhere, remnants of all the ways it served the community since it was built in 1930. It was still rough in places, but absolutely full of energy and possibilities. A woman named Gina Milum was the first to ever walk me through the building. There was already so much going on there…a huge wood shop, organic greenhouses, a solar company, and a recycled t-shirt printing business. Gina’s enthusiasm for the unfinished spaces was infectious. She wildly gestured at the piles of lumber and architectural drawings, showing me where the future black box theater and artist studio spaces would be. When she showed me the turret space, I think my jaw hit the floor. The LIGHT. THE LIGHT in the turret studio is UNREAL. At the time, I didn’t fully comprehend what the space was about, or what we were going to do with it.
Learn more about West Edge and Coalfield Development here.
Fast forward many months, through many in-person and zoom meetings and edits of grant documents, and I am officially an artist-in-resident at West Edge Factory. That beautiful turret space is where I’ll be working and teaching, doing and sharing what I love with the community from now until the summer of 2023. Recently a group of students from Notre Dame came to visit and graciously helped clean the studio, which had been newly fitted with ductwork and outlets.
These Notre Dame students were visiting as part of an Appalachian studies course. I was so thankful for their help!
Seriously, the light in this place. Omg…
I’ve been hard at work developing some community art workshops and ideas for co-created public art that I really can’t wait to share with everyone. The next step is to hire an apprentice who will work alongside me. Things will be rolling full speed ahead in January, so be sure to check back for workshop and event announcements and progress photos.
❤️Sassa