News
Community Arts Space To Open For Final Friday
By: Tyler Buchanan | The Athens Messenger
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A new community arts space is set for downtown Nelsonville, with an official grand opening scheduled for this week’s Final Friday celebration.
Around the Corner Studio, located at 49 W. Washington St., will host visitors Friday from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.
The studio was inspired by Jennifer L’Heureux, who said the goal is to have an open, available space in Nelsonville for various types of activities.
“I felt there was a big need for a community space where classes and events can take place here around the square,” she said.
Chris MacNeal, the main operator for the location, said the studio will host its own wide-ranging set of classes. They expect to vary both in topic and scope — from a day-long, beginners painting class to regular fitness sessions.
Much of what the studio hopes to feature is still in the planning stages, MacNeal said, but noted this gives the space a lot of freedom going forward. Along with hosting its own events, the space will be rented out for birthday parties, business gatherings and other similar activities.
McNeal said he also hopes to collaborate with area businesses to offer them extra space for classes and events. He added there has been a “lot of interest expressed” to have weekend arts events for tourists of Hocking Hills and elsewhere to visit while they are in the area.
There may also be things like karate, after-school programs, a children’s theatre group, writing seminars and photography lessons. One event planned for the coming weeks is a Saturday pottery class where participants can learn both how to make and design a piece of art.
“There’s a lot of people in Nelsonville that enjoy arts and crafts and different types of mediums,” MacNeal said.
Dates for many of the studio’s first events are still being finalized. MacNeal emphasized that residents and businesses in the Nelsonville area are encouraged to reach out if they want to teach and participate in a certain class or activity.
There is an “Around the Corner Studio” Facebook page and MacNeal is also available via email (aroundthecornerstudio@gmail.com). A website is currently being set up for the studio and pages for other social media platforms.