Hello! My name is Cathy Nichols, owner of Axys Projects at 282 Main Street in beautiful downtown Clay, WV. I will be writing a weekly article focusing on news about the arts and culture of our town and about the events happening at Axys that will serve to support the arts community and economy of Clay County. I am going to start this week by giving a ton of thanks and all of my gratitude to each and every one of you who have logged on to Facebook, Etsy, and anywhere else in internet land and clicked on something somewhere to show your support for my little shop, or anyone doing business online from our hometown. The support was absolutely overwhelming, with over 1,200 clickers and brought me to tears each time I checked the status, so a giant THANK YOU to everyone! Now that we are established as a cool coffee shop where you can get something custom made as well, and that Clay County has established that its people are driven to bringing new and innovative business to town, I’m excited to say that it is time to move forward and shake up some interest in the arts!
Let’s begin with a little background of the purpose of the ArtBeat of Clay. Merriam-Webster defines art as: “something that is created with imagination and skill that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings.” John F. Kennedy once said that “If art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him.” Axys is a place where this happens daily. When you walk in the door here, I want and need to draw on your own creativity in order to sell you anything. I have seen about 1,000 smiles since opening, because when customers become creative, it releases joy and excitement and fosters creativity among our people that can change our whole town. Becoming creative instills a sense of freedom of expression that is being experienced each and every day here at Axys.
I created The ArtBeat of Clay in September, as a platform to launch a featured artist series and to launch a monthly art workshop. The September featured artist was Ms. Jenny McLaughlin and she was very successful with raising a ton of interest in her work. The October/November featured artist is Diana Manitu and she has also been a huge success in raising interest in her art. These two young ladies aspire to continue their education of the arts beyond high school, and our support of that will help them along tremendously! All proceeds from purchases of their items go to the artist, which helps them out a little, but more importantly it helps get their name out there and begins to build their portfolio for future employment!!! So be sure to take a look at their work when stopping by for coffee.
The ArtBeat of Clay art workshops will be featuring Quincy Potasnik Mitchell and Tiny Sparrow Studios as the instructor for monthly painting lessons and is being dubbed “Coffee With Quincy.” The workshop has been tons of fun, and with the delicious frappe’s being served, makes for a very relaxing, interesting, and creative evening. Anyone is welcome to participate, but I request that kids under 16 be accompanied by an adult and seating is unlimited at this point. To participate, the fee is $25 prepaid, and $30 at the door, and that price includes your choice of iced or frozen coffee, other drinks, and snacks for the evening. The November workshop will be held on Friday, November 20, at 6:00 pm. To prepay, just stop by the shop or mail your payment to Axys, PO Box 6, Clay, WV 25043. I am very grateful to Quincy for allowing me to offer her instructional expertise at my shop. She makes the lessons fun and easy and you will leave with a smile and a beautiful painting.
There is now a growing number of absolutely wonderful local artisans and crafters bringing their items into the shop on a consignment basis. I have a collection of handmade knives by Derek Summers, some awesome tarts and candles by Jennifer Tanner, some quilts by Wanda Coulter, and some nice shelves by Michael Ramsey. It is my hope to see the place full of all Clay County made arts and crafts, and maybe draw folks in from neighboring counties/states. Not only will this nourish our own cultures here, it will also nourish our economy!
So, the ArtBeat of Clay is off to a thundering start, and it is my hope to expand it and offer weekly events that serve to foster our local culture and creativity. Check out this weekly column for news and information, and call me at 304-587-7527 with any comments or suggestions of events you would like to see come to town.
