Ashland University Groups Team Up with Our Town Studios of Mount Vernon
The Ashland University Art Club and Coburn Gallery have teamed up with Creative Foundations/Our Town Studios in Mount Vernon to have its artists create paintings on reusable shopping bags. These bags will be distributed by the Art Club during the annual Ashland University kickoff picnic in August.
“We thought this would be a great project that would be good PR for the art club, the gallery and Our Town Studios,” said Cynthia Petry, director of the Coburn Gallery and adjunct professor at Ashland University. “These artists were featured in our May Coburn Gallery exhibition.”
Creative Foundations founded Our Town Studios, an art studio/gallery within the adult day service program that gives individuals the choice to earn an income while creating art and selling it to the community.
“After seeing their inspiring work in the recent Coburn Gallery exhibition, the Ashland University Art Club was delighted to learn that the artists of Our Town Studios were willing take on the task of designing and painting nearly 60 reusable tote bags for us,” said Jennifer Winkler, Art Club president and a West Salem resident.
“As president of Ashland University Art Club, I was given the unique opportunity to see these artists at work in the beautiful Our Town Studios,” she said. “The Art Club is thrilled to be able to offer the work of these amazing artists and to be able to distribute it throughout the university. These one-of-a-kind bags will be available at no cost on a first-come, first-served basis at the annual involvement fair picnic this fall.”
Brandon Doup, who serves as director of Our Town Studio and is a 2007 graduate of Ashland University with a bachelor of science degree in fine art, was excited about the partnership program.
“These bags were each hand painted and designed by the adults at Our Town Studios in Knox County,” he said. “This project was a great success and was enjoyed by all the artists who participated.
Doup said Creative Foundations-Our Town Studios is a wavier provider for Adults with Developmental Disabilities in Knox and Delaware County.
“Our Town Studios is an Adult Day Service that focuses on independence, self-determination, and socialization skills,” he said. “Individuals at Our Town Studios can participate in the Art program, and have a studio/gallery to create and display their work. OTS also focuses on community involvement and awareness throughout the state of Ohio.”
Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.
