"Crab Study" by Debra Keirce under the supervision of Sarah Siltala
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Why do I host other artists in my home studios? Why don't I just teach out of them myself, and exclusively? A student asked me this question recently, and then pointed out that it doesn't make sense, financially, for me to host my competition.
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"Well," I answered, "if I wanted to make as much money as possible, I would not be a professional artist. My engineering career was much more lucrative." But still, this question deserved an answer. I've thought about it quite a bit before and since.
Like many people in their 50's, we have a large house that we aren't quite ready to move out of, and our three adult children are mostly living on their own. They come back occasionally, but things are a lot quieter around here. We live in Northern Virginia, just a few miles from the Loudoun Station metro stop that will take you to Washington D.C. within an hour. We are a 15 min. drive from Dulles International Airport. And over the years, I've come to know hundreds of the artists in a one hour radius of where I live. This includes The District of Columbia, Arlington, Alexandria, parts of Maryland, and the foothills of The Blue Ridge Mountains. In short, people from many different socio-economic, geographic, ethnic and demographic communities can be at my doorstep in 45 minutes.
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"Chalice Study" by Debra Keirce
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This got me thinking about what, if anything, I could do to foster an arts focus in my community. They say charity begins at home. Ah - what good timing! I happened to have a home I can put to good use!
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I began by volunteering to facilitate and host workshops for friends, and I found there were many benefits to doing so. For example, I was meeting new people, and they were like minded people. These people were from my community, but some were flying in from other states and even countries to learn. I never would have met those folks by just attending local art openings. Another unexpected benefit was getting to know the instructors better. I provide food and lodging for the instructors I host, and even though I was friends with them, it was so rewarding getting to spend more time with them. We visited museums in D.C., dined out, or just went for walks. These relationships grew as a result of those experiences.
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Best of all though, was the feedback I was getting. When they experienced workshops in my home venue, students felt so much more relaxed, confident, and connected to the other workshop participants. They enjoyed the meals and snacks I provided, and said it was like they were getting together to paint with friends. Since I made sure we all communicated for several weeks before the workshops, in fact, they had developed friendships with each other before they even came to my home studios.
"Study of Connor" by Debra Keirce, under the supervision of Juan Jr. Ramirez
One day, after teaching an amazing portrait workshop here, my friend Juan Jr. Ramirez suggested we go for a walk. He proceeded to lay out a logical argument for why I should turn this into a business, and host contemporary master artists who I haven't met, but I admire. DebKArt Home Studios was born on that walk, that day.
Juan was right. While teaching is fun, hosting is so rewarding! Not only do I get to socialize with amazing artists, I am learning so much and having so much fun. While I am still keeping tuitions as low as I can, we have a minimum number of students required for each workshop to happen. This ensures that it doesn't cost me money to host these workshops. And, any profits can be used to purchase better equipment for future workshops.
Several students are registered for their second or even third workshop, and several instructors are set to return to teach again. I am really excited for the renowned instructors coming to teach here next year. So far, DebKArt Home Studios is a huge success. On a personal level, hosting workshops has enriched me immeasurably. I have been invited to give several art talks, a solo show at a local college, and I've been invited to participate in several art shows. All of these occurred because of contacts initially made through DebKArt Home Studios. Financially, I expect this venture to be profitable enough one day to pay for inspirational travel trips.
So the next time you are looking for an art workshop, whether you are a student, an instructor, or a host, consider home studios as your next venue. I think you will be pleasantly surprised at what you can accomplish in a family room and dining room near you. I sure was!
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