Lynndi Lockenour
The Grand Hall glistens on the canvases as the sun pours through the windows of the Foundry Arts Centre and onto the artwork lining its main corridor. Celebrating its first year in existence only a few weeks ago, the center opened May 9, 2004.
Once home to the St. Charles Manufacturing Company, the plant was founded in 1873 and was used to make railroad cars. Though most of the remnants have been eliminated with the recent $2.2 million renovation, the large industrial crane used to lift the rail cars can still be seen hanging from the ceiling near the back of the main gallery.
Joyce Rosen, executive director for the Foundry, said the design for the center
came from a torpedo factory she visited in Alexandria, Virginia. The old factory was converted into an arts center in 1974. “After going to see the factory in Virginia, I decided we needed something like this in the area,” she said.
Construction for the Foundry began in October of 2003 and was completed in April of 2004, a week ahead of schedule. Rosen said the project ended up just as she wanted it to.
“It’s everything I thought it would be and more,” she said.
Rosen first explored the St. Louis area as a possible site for the center, but found that at the time, the artists didn’t feel safe in the area. After finding the current location, she said the artists were more comfortable with the St. Charles area and said felt it induced the creative processes.
The Foundry currently has 27 artists working in 20 of the 21 studios upstairs. The last studio is left open for rentals and as a space for teaching classes. The artists work in a variety of mediums, including painting, digital imaging, sculpture, pottery and beading. Several of the individual artists work in multiple mediums as well.
Natalie Toney is one artist who uses different techniques to create her work. Graduating with her BFA in painting, and returning in the fall to WashU to earn her MFA, Natalie works with glass, Plexiglas, wood, and a variety of other materials. She then mixes chemicals like iodine and paints, applying them to the previous materials to create unique circular designs. She said the majority of her pieces go through at least 10 layers of painting and chemical applications before being completed. “With this type of artistry it’s difficult to know when I’m finished,” she said. “But after leaving it alone for four or five weeks, then I come back to see if there is something I feel needs improvement.”
The center is also home to the St. Charles County Symphony who holds practice every Tuesday night. “By also incorporating music into the Foundry, we truly are an arts center and not just another gallery,” Rosen said.
She said visitors have been happy with the center thus far. “The center has been phenomenally received,” she said. “The first word out of most people’s mouth when they come in is ‘Wow!’”
Rosen said the building has been nicknamed the “the building of happy light” because it is a more open space than most galleries, especially with it’s countless windows. “The artists upstairs say the light is wonderful to paint by,” she said.
Tony Schnabel said his studio in the Foundry has been a create place to work. Though he now creates digital art, he began his work as an artist in photography 30 years ago. “It’s better for me to work with natural light,” he said. “This is also a great space because it’s such an inspired environment and that allows my creative processes to flow.”
Rosen said she finds having the artists upstairs is something new for the patrons who visit the center. “They can see the artists at work and I think it allows people to see and understand the artistic process more,” she said, “especially with how the artwork is created.”
Rosen said even those who don’t think they will enjoy art might find something of interest within the center. “Creativity comes in many ways,” she said. “We are getting people in the door who never thought they would enjoy art, but if they are creative in some fashion, they find something they can relate with.”
For those interested in beads and jewelry, Kate Valleroy’s studio is a sight to see. Though she graduated with a BFA in metalworking and sculpture, she found a love for beads. “Sometimes I’m motivated by nature and other times by the color of something,” she said. “The materials are usually what tell me how something is suppose to look.”
Rosen said she thinks starting artistic activities at an early age is good for children. “Studies have shown that it helps with creative thinking and solving problems,” she said.
She said a lot of parents discourage the arts and schools cut art programs first when budgets are tight. “You hear stories all the time of young children who might not do very well in school,” she said, “but creatively they are brilliant and we should work with that.”
The center offers a children’s gallery, which showcases the artwork of children in schools throughout the county.
Rosen herself began as an artist. She said as a child she loved to draw and found a passion in creating art from an early age. She became involved with artists organizations, serving multiple positions within them throughout the years. “My interest has always been in the arts,” she said, “and finding ways to bring it the public. For me, creating this center was just another way to do that.”
