Artisan Festivals Offer Locals And Artists A Way To Connect And Engage

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Within the historic old Weldon Hotel, you’ll find a new favorite place to immerse yourself in the arts. A beautiful stone building along the Perkiomen Creek in upper Montgomery County, this magical artist’s space has quickly become a neighborhood staple. There are opportunities for artists young and old, and a diversely talented staff eager to work with artists of all backgrounds; from furthering their education and developing a personal style and body of work, to offering exhibition opportunities for both emerging and established artists. And the owner of Engage Art Studio, Melissa Thurman, has cultivated a staff of artists and creatives who bring such joy to the space that it’s no wonder the studio has garnered a loyal following in the community.

If you haven’t uncovered this gem for yourself yet, a fantastic way to get to know it is at their outdoor Artisan Festivals. Back for the fourth season, these events offer an outdoor market of local artists to browse, along with free art activities for kids, food, raffles, and other fun. There are festivals June 26, July 31, September 25, and October 30 with new artists in the market each time. Open to the community and free for all to attend, the festivals are fun for all ages and pet friendly too. Set up right on the beautiful property of the studio, guests can enjoy wandering the beautiful grounds while they shop the market. There is food out on the back patio, and music to enjoy. Once you’re done wandering the festival, be sure to head in to the gallery.

When you get to the studio, you'll be amazed at how much there is to see. The large second floor studio offers great light and a quirky atmosphere. The stone walls of the old hotel are exposed, and hung everywhere are works in progress, project samples, and the colorful chaos of the more than 40 classes, camps, and specialty events that Engage offers year round. Out the back patio you’ll be greeted probably first by Rembrandt, studio rooster/pet. But then by mosaic’ed boulders, flamingo statues of all kinds, and projects that have been left behind but which they cannot dream of throwing out, all dotting the lush landscape. Wander down stairs and you’re in the Artisan Gallery. There’s an ever changing floor plan with more than 45 artists featured in the displays of the gallery. The owner Melissa, a graduate of Tyler School of Art, headlines the front room with her uniquely stylized paintings and pottery. Floral imagery blooms in both, with the fluid flowers of the paintings often erupting into Erte’ inspired elongated ladies that speak to feminine sensuality and strength. The collections of the other artists vary from traditional fine art, to extraordinary artisan items.

The gallery is a fun new endeavor for Engage. For six years the studio built a business offering fine art classes. With their distinctive style of approaching students as artistic peers and encouraging each to follow their personal vision, students can be themselves while learning from a staff of experienced, professional artists and creatives. Fine art classes in drawing, painting and ceramics for all ages and skill levels are offered year round. Artists as young as five are presented with all the same opportunities and mediums as adult artists, and there is a weekly schedule of classes to fit all the different age groups in. Fundamentals are important, but so is creative play, and that is where Engage shines. Helping each artist remember the fun and joy of why they began creating in the first place. This come as you are attitude has brought a ton of students to the studio and created such a following that it was soon time to find room to expand.

Although Melissa originally was looking to keep space in the village, a chance conversation while shopping at an antique store in the next town up presented a once in a lifetime opportunity for a truly one of a kind studio space. She fell in love with the historic stone building, the wooded hillside out back, and the serene atmosphere, and immediately went back to the owner with an offer. In six short months the studio had bought and moved into the building. Coming from a small space in the cramped village to a huge Victorian era hotel with two acres of land, there was room to spare. The decision was made to keep the lower floor as a retail space, and the Artisan Gallery opened its doors as the studio took over the building, with just twelve artists at the time working hard to fill the space. Now it’s bursting with artists and every little nook and cranny is home to someone new to fall in love with. Melissa and her eager artist staff are always carving out more spaces to try and open the opportunity up to new local artists. And they are truly local. Guests wandering the shop might be buying from a neighbor or friend, as the artist who is furthest from the shop is still only an hour’s distance, most living within 10 or 20 minutes of the gallery. And it’s been an unexpected source of pride for Melissa to be able to offer a dedicated space for artists to expand their business and audience. Nothing makes the staff happier than when a customer becomes a fan and comes back to buy again and again from the same artist. It’s so easy for that to happen with artist displays that are always new and changing, treasures are to be found everywhere. You’ll find expected pieces like paintings, pottery, jewelry, and textiles. But you’ll be delighted to discover exceptionally made unique artisan items such as hand carved gourd luminaries, journals created with vintage and upcycled papers and ephemera, and exquisite upcycled stained glass pieces. With three large rooms divided up into small feature spaces, the artist displays are truly varied and eclectic. There are hand knit baskets, children’s toys, knitted garments, tie dye clothing, pocket books and bags with organic dyes and repurposed leather. Tucked into various antique and handpainted furniture displays which are also for sale, it’s never the same shop twice. So it’s lucky they’re open 7 days a week because it takes many visits in order to try to see it all!

For information about festivals and gallery shop, please visit www.engagearts.com/gallery.html. for information regarding classes, please visit www.engagearts.com/classes.html.

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