Today we’d like to introduce you to Peggy Townsend.
Townsend Atelier, an independent art school in Chattanooga, Tennessee, was founded in 2009 by Stan and Peggy Townsend, who saw a burning need to fill a void in quality art instruction in Chattanooga and the Southeast region.
Atelier is a French word meaning “workshop” and in English, is used to refer to a working artist’s studio. The Atelier Method is a way of teaching fine art that is modeled after historic art studios in Europe where professional artists pass down their tremendous skill set to students through teaching classical techniques in painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture.
Located in the burgeoning art district in Chattanooga’s Southside, Townsend Atelier has been dedicated to providing this method of art instruction in Chattanooga since 2009. Taught by professional working artists, we offer classes and workshops year-round in painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture and a weekly figure-drawing studio.
Our students are adults of all ages, high school students, art teachers, and professional artists. While our core student base is local, we also attract students from states like Georgia, Alabama, Ohio, Florida, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, California and as far away as Hawaii and Canada. Locally and regionally, there is a need for beginners and professional artists to develop skills in the classical visual arts in a non-university setting. Our classes and workshops consistently fill to capacity. Since 2010, we have served over 1000 students from Chattanooga and the United States. Classes are taught by working artists who are making and selling their own art everyday. These artists
are dedicated to their craft and to passing along skills to others in the spirit of the traditional atelier method.
Because most ateliers are located on the east and west coasts, Townsend Atelier is filling a void for classical art instruction in the Southeast region. We have built a strong and loyal student and instructor base and a reputation for quality instruction.
Economic Impact:
We are creating a community of learning and sharing and contribute to economic impact of the arts in Chattanooga. We provide a mechanism to retain and nurture our city’s professional artists by giving them teaching opportunities and a means to study and share ideas with peers in their own field.
We provide a place where people of all skill levels can pursue their interest in making art. Our students are art teachers who wish to learn a new skill to take back to their own classroom. Our students are retirees who have always wanted to pursue art but are now enjoying the opportunity to do so. Our students are art majors at universities who wish to augment their studies. Our students are high school youth who are building a portfolio for college. Our students are professional artists who want to grow and to share ideas with others in their field.
Lastly, Townsend Atelier contributes to Chattanooga’s growing reputation as an arts destination and to its cultural economy. Students from all over the country spend money on workshop fees, travel to Chattanooga, stay multiple days in our hotels, eat in our local restaurants, shop our businesses and visit our cultural institutions.
Local Artists:
We support professional artists. Some of the best figurative artists in the country live and work in Chattanooga. We want to keep them here. Teaching at the atelier provides additional income so that they may continue to live and work our city. Core instructors include: Daud Akhriev, Timur Akhriev, Mia Bergeron, Anne Currey, Durinda Cheek, George Dawnay, Melissa Hefferlin, Cindy Procious, and Brett Weaver among others.
Visiting Artists:
Professional artists study with others who are nationally recognized in their field. We do this by bringing visiting artists to Chattanooga to teach master class workshops. We have attracted artists/students from as far away as Toronto and Hawaii who wish to study with our visiting artists. Visiting instructors include: Marc Chatov, Atlanta, GA; Sean Cheetham, Los Angeles, CA; Hollis Dunlap, New London, CT; Catherine Kehoe, Reeboth, MA; Alyssa Monks, Brooklyn, NY; Rose Frantzen, IA; Christopher Groves, Charleston, SC; Roberto Osti, Flemington, NJ; Carlos San Milan, Quito, Equador; David Simon, Los Angeles, CA; Nicolas Uribe, Bogota, Columbia;
Co-owners:
Townsend Atelier is owned and operated by Stan and Peggy Townsend. For over 25 years, Stan and Peggy Wood Townsend have been dedicated to making positive contributions to the arts and culture of Chattanooga. Stan has a BFA and MA in fine art from East Tennessee State University. He was co-founder of the Association for Visual Artists (AVA), has been an art instructor at Chattanooga State and adjunct faculty in the Art Department at UTC. He has taught drawing, printmaking and mold making throughout the country and at Townsend Atelier.
Peggy has a BA in Art History from Rhodes College in Memphis and an MA in Arts Administration from the University of Cincinnati. She has worked as an arts administrator in Chattanooga for many years including the Hunter Museum, Association for Visual Artists. In 2003, she was project manager of Chattanooga’s Public Art and then project manager for public art for the 21st Century Waterfront Plan which was completed in 2005. She managed the city’s public art program from then until 2016.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Parts have been smooth and part not so smooth. The smooth part has been the programmatic end of things and finding and selecting artists to teach here and subsequently attracting our student base. I think it’s been smooth because we know who we are and we have adhered to a clear vision of what kind of school we want to be from the onset. We have also grown very slowly and organically and not tried to take on more than we can handle. Of course, we are always worried about cash flow as any small business does. Every day is certainly a leap of faith but the rewards have been a building a solid reputation, a loyal student base, and building a special place where people want to come.
Our biggest struggle was early on with our first physical space. We moved into a relatively vacant warehouse building in a fairly undeveloped part of town –we had parking and plenty of space in which to grow and manageable rent costs. Within just two years of us moving in, the district became the next big thing, the building was sold and redeveloped, rent increased and parking for our clientele became an issue. The boom of new development was great for our city, but it became increasingly hard to do what we do. It took us two years to find another space that we love, but that process was stressful to manage on top of running the day to day and was definitely something we did not plan on.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Townsend Atelier – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Townsend Atelier is an independent visual art school and materials store located in the Arts Building in downtown Chattanooga, TN. We specialize in Located in The Arts Building in downtown Chattanooga, TN. We offer demos, classes and workshops year-round in painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture and a weekly figure-drawing studio. All classes are taught by professional working artists who are top in their field.
Our classes and workshops are modeled after the Atelier Method, where professional working artists pass down their tremendous skill set to students through teaching classical techniques. Our students are all ages and range from beginners to professional artists who seek to develop their artistic skills in a unique and welcoming atelier setting.
We are also known for our weekly figure drawing open studio. Each Thursday night, since 2009, we organize an unclothed model session for artists of all levels to come and draw, paint or sculpt. This time-honored artistic tradition is core to our mission and is a great way for artists to hone their skills while building community and fellowship.
Our reputation for quality sets us apart. Our instructors are top in their respective fields. Our facility also sets us apart, we have over 4000 square feet of warm and inviting teaching space in a historic renovated building as well as a small retail store. We constantly get feedback from students and visitors that they love being here and that it is welcoming and inspiring.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
We have been organizing small art shows and exhibits since we began that have featured student or instructor work. We would like to be a bit more intentional about exhibits and do have plans for several solo shows in 2020.
Pricing:
- $150-900: Classes and workshops depending upon length, instructor, etc.
- $15 ($10 with student ID): Weekly open figure drawing studio
- $250 Summer art camp for kids. One week of art classes from 9-3. Ages 6-18
- Free: lectures, demos, exhibits
Contact Info:
- Address: Peggy Townsend
Townsend Atelier
The Arts Building, 301 E. 11th Street
Chattanoooga, TN 37402 - Website: www.townsendatelier.com
- Phone: 4232662712
- Email: peggy@townsendatelier.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/townsend_atelier
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artchattanooga/?ref=bookmarks
Image Credit:
Grant Dotson Commercial
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