VALDOSTA — Artists On Ashley started with four friends, four artists, wanting a place to work together and exhibit their paintings.
Jeanne Cowart, Annette Crosby, Deb House and Pam Scruggs each had worked as artists in the past. Cowart, Crosby and House say they put their art on hold for several years to start families and raise children.
A few years ago, they found themselves back in art, taking classes together from area artist Fay Bridges Hyatt. Cowart, Crosby, House and Scruggs had not only returned to art. They formed a friendship in art and, eventually, a partnership.
In December 2007, they approached downtown property owner Buddy Walker about temporarily leasing space at 203 N. Ashley St. They wanted a place to exhibit their works, preferably by the first Downtown Valdosta First Friday of 2008. Walker agreed and Artists On Ashley opened in January 2008. However, what was intended as a temporary situation became more permanent. Not only did they enjoy having a regular place to exhibit their works. They enjoyed being part of Downtown Valdosta’s renaissance.
None of them had the best studio space at home. Artists On Ashley was a perfect fit for these four artists who enjoyed exhibiting and working in their Ashley Street gallery/studio.
More than a year later, the artists and Artists On Ashley were ready for some changes. They didn’t want to move to another location. They wanted changes in their gallery space as well as add a new member to the partnership.
The building’s 100-plus-year-old interior needed some work, and Buddy Walker was willing to help renovate the building’s first floor.
Several weeks ago, Artists On Ashley closed for about a month. It recently reopened with revamped flooring, a new ceiling space, gallery track lighting, and additional gallery space. Browning tiles had been the ceiling. Removing these tiles revealed a framework of wooden trusses. Walker considered removing the trusses, but he and the artists liked the look. The wooden trusses and open space give the ceiling an artistic rural-industrial motif. What had been a storage room was outfitted as additional gallery space. A large back room serves as the artists’ working studio.
Ellen Dewar became the fifth Artist On Ashley.
Given how Fay Bridges Hyatt brought these artists together, one may wonder if Artists On Ashley considers Hyatt’s downtown Kaleidoscope Gallery competition. Not at all. Cowart, Crosby and House believe in the attitude of the more, the merrier. Art patrons are more likely to visit downtown if there is more than one gallery to see. They see Artists On Ashley and Kaleidoscope as complementing each other.
That’s how they see working together as Artists On Ashley.
“There is a great camaraderie working together here,” House says.
“We create an artistic energy together,” Cowart says.
Q: How many artists do you have?
A: Five. Jeanne Cowart, Annette Crosby, Ellen Dewar, Deb House and Pam Scruggs. Dewar is the newest artist. “She is a very established artist,” Crosby says.
Q: Do you plan on adding additional artists to the gallery?
A: No. Artists On Ashley considers itself full with the addition of Dewar. However, Artists On Ashley does plan to host monthly guest artists, by invitation only. The first is scheduled to be local artist and Valdosta State University art professor Steve Lahr.
Artists On Ashley
Location: 203 N. Ashley St., Downtown Valdosta
Hours: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Downtown Valdosta’s First Friday and Art After Dark events. Artists On Ashley is also open by appointment.
Contact: Annette Crosby at 560-8800. Call Jeanne Cowart at 444-2515. Call Deb House at 563-6481.
Business
Related Photos
-
Deb House, Jeanne Cowart, Annette Crosby, Pam Scruggs and Ellen Dewar are the Artists On Ashley. Their gallery/studio was recently renovated. Picasa 3.0
-
Renovations on Artists On Ashley include revealing and refinishing the hard pine floors, revealing the trusses and open spaces in the ceiling, adding a new gallery room, installing track lighting.
Focus On: Artists On Ashley
- Business
-
-
Valdosta Shared Office Space
VALDOSTA — Though Valdosta Shared Office Space is not new to Valdosta, it is newly green. The first and only shared office space in Valdosta owned by Gino Fina, just became the first Downtown Valdosta business to work with the Georgia Cities Foundation’s Green Communities Fund to implement environmentally friendly, energy-efficient improvements, reducing energy consumption upwards of 50 percent. -
Downtown businesses to be mobbed this week
A few years ago, when everyone started talking through social media, flash mobs became the new in thing to do. Primarily in the big cities, although VSU did their own a year or two ago, a designated place and time would be set and masses of people would descend on these sites, sometimes dancing, sometimes singing, sometimes acting obnoxiously.
-
Keep tails wagging when your budget is lagging
I have a problem. Though I am a tight-wad when it comes to spending my money, I cannot resist the calling to buy adorable toys, collars and, yes, even clothes for my three cuter than all get out fur babies.
-
The Valdosta Mall: Revamped and Ready for Business!
VALDOSTA — The Valdosta Mall has made tremendous strides since its rebranding away from Colonial Mall in 2007 and it’s refocus in 2008 when it made a move from serving the community to being a part of the community.
“We had taken for granted our place in the community for a long time,” said Jerry Weller, general manager of the Valdosta Mall. “We don’t do that anymore.” -
Keep your clothes looking fab to avoid looking drab
As I get older, I’m beginning to learn that there are more important things than clothes. Ugh! It pains me to even form that sentence; however, it’s true.
-
Business This Week: Happy Mother’s Day!
Today is the one day a year dedicated to celebrating mothers, although we all use their guidance and wisdom every day. But for this one day, their sacrifices, kindness, love, and advice are recognized, hopefully, by the children they raised or helped to raise. It might not even be those born to them, as most mothers don’t limit their love and it flows over onto their children’s friends, family members, and the children they influence in the classroom, in Sunday school and in volunteer activities.
-
Downtown will have a new beat this week
The Brown Bag Concert Series produced by Valdosta Main Street will begin again on Monday and last all week.
-
Valdosta Regional Airport: Flying Valdosta to the Top
There are 104 publicly owned, public-use airports — nine commercial service and 95 general-aviation airports — in Georgia. Airports are significant to the state’s economic infrastructure and essential to transportation of goods and people. A single airport can support various diversified industries such as technology, manufacturing, distribution, agriculture and tourism.
-
Brittany's Budget Diary: Be Green to Save Green
“It’s not easy being green,” once said Kermit the Frog. No offense to Kerm, but it is in fact quite easy being green. I know because I am incredibly green.
-
Propex: Global Presence, Local Roots
VALDOSTA — Not every company sets out to build a better community, a better world and a better future. However, not every company is Propex.
Propex is known as a leader in building and rebuilding key infrastructure all over the world. Products made at Propex are used to protect hillsides, highways and waterways from damaging erosion by combining engineered fabrics with natural vegetation rather than broken rock. - More Business Headlines
-
