The artists at The Arts Depot recreate a photo from the past. (photo by David Grace)
The Arts Depot, Abingdon, Virginia, celebrates its 35th anniversary this year, and it remains focused on fostering community and welcoming visitors to the gallery.
Welcoming people and sharing the arts with the community is what makes The Arts Depot thrive. The resident artists are there Thursday through Saturday to greet visitors and serve on committees and the board at varying times. The artists say that they get a boost from visitors.
Located in the old freight depot, The Arts Depot houses seven resident artists and three galleries.
Its original goal was to support the community through artists’ studios, arts education and to give the arts community a place to show and sell their works.That mission has remained constant.
“We are very focused on making sure that this organization lives well into the future and that we have a long-term vision so we can continue to support and promote artists in our region and carry on with our mission,” says Karen Moore, arts administrator.
She says that audiences are changing, and their clientele is different, so they are reaching out to people with more diverse backgrounds.
They have formed a marketing team and have plans to integrate them with the town of Abingdon’s goals, which include increasing tourism, serving residents and improving the quality of life for people through art and arts education.
They are planning to do more workshops including a basket making workshop Dec. 7 with Amanda Sprinkle. They are in the process of getting more teachers for regular classes during the winter. They also offer a self-led arts interactive station that usually corresponds with the spotlight exhibit. It is set up for children, but young adults can also use it. During the holiday season they will have an ornament making station.
“Another part of our outreach is the Urban Pathway project, where we’re putting public art along the urban pathway in Abingdon,” Moore says.
Abingdon established a one-and-a-half-mile pathway through town that can route bikes and pedestrians off the main thoroughfares to make it safer for them to travel. It goes from the Muster Grounds to the Virginia Creeper Trail, going past The Arts Depot.
“People would come in here with their bike helmets in their hands, saying ‘We’ve lost the Urban Pathway. ‘Where does it go,’ and I realized there aren’t enough signs marking the trail. So, we have been holding these classes for brick painting, and we’re going to install those bricks along the pathway to mark it. Everybody can participate — whether they’re artistic or not — they can paint a brick, and it can be on the Urban Pathway. We’re hoping some businesses will buy bricks to advertise their businesses,” Moore says.
The town of Abingdon and Dominion Energy have supported that project. The town also helped pay for the new mural at the Farmer’s Market created by Kori Ingle. Another public art project along the Urban Pathway is the interactive musical chimes at the caboose located outside The Arts Depot, created by Carol Raedy.
Moore says they plan to for apply for an additional grant to place small bronze statues along the pathway.
“We’re hoping to do some building improvements, and we’re making plans to ensure that we’re financially sustainable for the next 50 years. We want to make sure we’re always here for people to participate in any way that they want to or can,” Moore says.
The Arts Depot has three galleries: the Members Gallery, the Spotlight Gallery and the Founders Gallery. The Members Gallery features group exhibits of regional artists. The Spotlight Gallery features major juried exhibitions, and the Founders Gallery exhibits six specially selected exhibits.
The Arts Depot is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.abingdonartsdepot.org.
