Studio 1219’s rising profile yields record results
Posted February 04, 2008
Local artists see a jump in sales at Port Huron’s Studio 1219 as a sign the art incubator is becoming increasingly visible among area residents.
The art studio, which opened in fall 2005 at 1219 Military St., sold a record amount of artwork at the end of 2006, netting more than $38,000 in sales from October to December, said Gwyn Atkinson, the studio’s operations director. Typically, between $1,000 and $4,000 in artwork is sold monthly, she said.
More people are becoming aware of the studio as those who have visited spread the work and 1219 increases its marketing efforts, Atkinson said.
“People are certain to find out about Studio 1219 and what it has to offer,” she said.
Artists earned about $26,000 of the $38,000 in artwork sold between October and December, said Atkinson, a ballerina and violinist who stepped into her jobs as director about two months ago to market the studio and raise money.
She is employed by the studio, which is owned by the Port Huron Downtown Development Authority and the Community Foundation of St. Clair County.
Aside from the artwork sold, studio patrons paid more than $23,000 in the final three months of 2006 to take various classes offered at the studio, Atkinson said. The holidays helped boost the late 2006 increase, she said.
Painter Valerie Daggett, 29, of Fort Gratiot said she didn’t expect to sell anything when she started displaying her work at the studio, intended to help arts-related businesses by offering retail space at below-market rates.
She’s sold a few smaller oil paintings - done in a style she calls “contemporary expressionism” - that were priced between $90 and $150.
“I am excited about it,” Daggett said. “I will be glad when the season gets warmer and it draws some more people”
Artist Sam Borg would like to sell more work. Borg of Lexington, who specializes in bronze sculptures, has yet to sell a piece of his work.
But he is hopeful.
“I see a lot of activity, a lot of energy every time I go over there,” he said.
Others, who sell less expensive pieces - Borg’s work can be priced as high as $4,000 - have had more success, he said.
Aside from helping artists sell their work, three people have now moved from rented spaces in the studio to have their own businesses.
Duane Collins, 56, of Port Huron, a potter, said the studio continues to be a “focal point for artists in the community.”
“It’s something we’ve never had in this community before and it’s going to grow over time,” he said.
Story originally published in the Times Herald on January 31, 2008 by Danielle Quisenberry.