Art Town looks for more people to be part of ‘creative renaissance’

Art Town at East Lake Station, which opened on First Avenue North in October, is a facility offering work areas for artists, a stage and event space, and fun, informal arts education for community residents.

And organizers are happy with the response they’ve gotten.

“The word of mouth about us is really good,” said artist Craig Legg, who helps manage the facility.

“We've had numerous successful events,” said Celeste Amparo Pfau, one of the project’s organizers, citing art shows, experimental music and a book signing.

But organizers have more work ahead, according to Pfau.

“The space needs more people, volunteers and staff to continue its growth,” Pfau said.

Art Town has several artist spaces still available for rent, according to Pfau.

And Pfau said Art Town would like to find a person or persons willing to dedicate “concrete time” to helping run the organization.

The ideal candidate would be someone who’s “organized, likes to network, has ties to East Lake” and wants to be part of a “creative renaissance,” Pfau said.

Located in the 7600 block of First Avenue North, Art Town began when East Lake merchant Vince Amaro closed his retail shop, Estate Liquidators, and invited some artists led by Pfau and Lindsey Christina, director of Birmingham Art Crawl, to convert the facility.

There are currently about 12 artist spaces and about six regular tenants, according to artist Craig Legg, who helps manage the facility.

“We're still trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t work,” Legg said, referring in part to efforts to find the best uses for the facility overall, including the individual artist spaces that Amaro created originally for use by antique dealers.

“The space is going to continue to evolve throughout the years, as more events and more artists get involved,” Pfau said.

“One of our events was a fashion show with wearable art, so there seems to be a lot of interest in that,” said Legg, who said that some of the smaller artist spaces work well for sewing or jewelry making.

Pfau hopes that Art Town can become a popular “creative resource” for the area, including schools, small businesses and area residents.

“Right now, we have a very long way to go, and I don't think enough people know about the space yet,” Pfau said.

“We are really community-minded,” Legg said. “There are people in the neighborhood who don’t get a lot of arts education, and they want to be artists, but they don’t know how. We’re really inclusive. We’re really diverse.”

“Art is for everyone, so if you are thinking, ‘I can't draw’ or ‘I don't understand art,’ I strongly suggest you come to Art Town and experience art in a welcoming, un-intimidating environment,” Pfau said.

People  interested in volunteering or finding out more regarding the administrative position Pfau described  should contact art.town.eastlake@gmail.com.

For information, go to Facebook @ARTTOWNatEastLakeStation.