Historic McKinney Art House

Alas, summer camps have draw to a close!

It's Back-to-School time,
Check out the Fall Schedule

       
          Thanks to all the participant artists and instructors who made the camps a great success!
We hope to see you next year!,     
Sona &
Rocket & Daisy, the Art Dogs
               

Check out the NEW

 Decorative Finishes Workshop,
by Gina Davis,
for 4 weeks

Saturdays @ 1:00 - 3:00 pm
- starts October 2nd

Art House Potters and Friends
were at
                McKinney's Art on the Square 2010


Miss Sona - in front of Art House painting

                                                             
                   Angie selling her work             Potters/Instructor Angie & Jennifer

                     Sculptor Jake Dobscha at work

Our favorite Art Dogs were caught on camera! Princess Daisy and Rocket

And Sona was one of 3 artists featured in a McKinney Art on The Square article "The Art Scene" penned by Anne Royer from McKinney Today, July 2,2010 (excerpt):

"Sona Knox has been on her artistic journey since she was a small child growing up in the Midwest.  Her parents were P.E. teachers, and expected her to follow their path.  Accordingly, she majored in Physiology, but minored in Art, at University of Illinois.  Then she left for California, where she pursued a masters degree at UC Berkeley. 

Encouraged by God, and influenced by The Artist’s Way (Julia Cameron), Knox began to follow her dream to create a safe environment for young people and adults to find their creative voice. 

Art classes in Dallas led to a scholarship at TWU (Denton), enabling her to earn her teaching certificate in Texas.  After teaching art in Dallas, she and her family moved to McKinney, where she taught in the elementary schools.  During the summer, she worked and taught among the artists at Lake Tahoe.

In January 2005, Knox turned a corner on her journey:  she opened The Art House in downtown McKinney, just a few blocks north of the square, and began to create that safe place for creativity.  She was looking for her “field of dreams,” when she found the house on Kentucky St.  It has become a hub for artists in town, where they can run their own classes, and rent studio space.  Knox’s presence is a constant, and she effectively promotes the programs and artists that populate The Art House.

Last year, Knox and fellow McKinney artists Kerry Randall-Johnston and Molly Goodall, along with art enthusiast Lisa LaBarge, organized the McKinney Art Studio Tour (MAST), under the auspices of the McKinney Art Club.  The event startled many McKinney residents who followed the self-guided tour through an amazing array of art studios around town. 

Thanks to Knox’s vision, not only did the greater community begin to appreciate the breadth of artistic talent in town, but the artists were encouraged to work together as an arts community.  This year, the event will again take place during the second weekend in November (Nov. 13-14).

Knox is best known for her pottery, which she has in galleries in Dallas and McKinney (Garret Gallery, downtown McKinney).  Her current series of boxes was inspired by the assemblages of surrealist Joseph Cornell.  Touched by cast off remnants of the past, Knox’s assemblages, though mostly composed of clay forms, capture other meaningful objects, and invite the viewer to peer into a precious space which feels very familiar.  (Read more about Knox’s place at www.arthousetx.com.)"

Baubles and Brainstorms

is going strong and will meet again on Thursday Aug 5th
at 7:00 PM  in Lynne Hubner's Studio upstairs
at the Art House.

Reserve your space for September!

 See more at http://www.meetup.com/Baubles-and-Brainstorms/
 

Original Poem
By Catherine Stepniak

Come down to the art house!
You can meet all of the people and
        you will not even see a mouse.
Daisy and Rocket two loveable dogs
They will bark at you, woof, until
       you throw them a ball
       in the morning fog.

The old house has handprints all over the wall.
Handprints big or small.
Saturday here are full of fun.
Like a bucket full of water spilling as you run.

Spinning wheel with wet clay
Or sculpting whatever you can think
Maybe you will create a kid at play
Or a vase that is pink

It may be an old place
It may be crowded at some times of the day
It may be hot because of the sunrays
And maybe your pot has a bad base
But here at the art house we are all a big tack
We all hold each other up and watch their backs.

Come down to the art house
We know you will agree
This is the place to be
It will put a smile on your face
Come down to the art house
It is a special place

 What is the ART HOUSE?

 The Art House is  a 100 year old house on the edge of the historic district in McKinney.  An intuitive thought told me "to look for your building", the day I discovered the house on Kentucky. 

 So, it was kind of like: "if you build it, they will come" and they did come!

 Last summer we had over 150 children and adults take classes from 8 wonderful teachers!  It is a dream come true!  This summer will be even better!

I wanted a place in  McKinney where I could teach, create, and take art classes-but I did not want to run it.  So, that is the unique and wonderful thing about the Art House, it is more like a Community Art House because certified/degreed teachers and gallery/nationally recognized artists run their own classes and rent space.

 The other amazing gift has been the support from the community-we have received furniture, plants, art supplies and even snack food ...  Trinity Ceramics donated $200 in glazes, and an Artist from Nine Fish Restaurant, James Everton, donated $335 to our scholarship and free Saturday art camps! 

 We are here for you...let us know what classes interest you. I want this place to serve the community. 

Sona Knox and Rocket

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