I moved here nearly two years ago from a vibrant arts community in Maryland. I wasn't sure if there were any artists here. There were no galleries on main street and no art centers. To be honest, I felt pretty alone and very depressed. Since that big move in 2009, I have come to know that there are many artists here in Grove City, but it didn't seem like anyone knew one another or were much of a community.
Fast forward a year... After praying for ten years that we'd be in the same town, my dearest friend moved to Grove City! She and I used to make art together during college. She got married and went to art school; I moved to Maryland to work as an apprentice to a sculptor. As many other art experiences we had, none were quite the same as two kindred spirits working together in the same studio. Finally, another artist in town. Then I met Stacey Hougue. She moved here the same time I did and was hoping for an arts community as well. She started showing her mixed-media pieces at the Blue Heron Art Gallery in Volant and organized the Artisans event at beans on broad planned for this weekend.
As my prayers for an art community grew louder, I started meeting more and more amazing and inspiring women. It turns out that there are several painters in my own neighborhood! Many of us have had children and placed our art on the back burner; now that our children are a little older, we are ready to get back to making art!
In October, I invited ten women to my house and my husband rented us a big tv so that we could watch a documentary film entitled "Who Does She Think She Is?" It features the lives of several mother-artists all struggling to find balance. We all identified with some aspects of the film and a lively discussion ensued. I was brought to tears to look around my living room at the beautiful faces around me- we did have an arts community in Grove City after all.
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