Thursday Art Walk includes exhibition at new studio/gallery location, Alfred Arts Studio at the West

ALFRED, NY – Thursday’s Art Walk in Alfred included the exhibition The Grid, in a building that once served as the location for the popular restaurant Manhattan West, and now is undergoing a transformation towards a multi-purpose art studio and gallery.

The Grid exhibited work by recent graduates of Alfred University’s School of Art and Design BFA program: Emily Fedorchak and Kyle O’Connor, members of the Class of ’21. It opened in the Alfred Arts Studio at the West, located next to the Terra Cotta Coffee House. The Arts Studio has been under development by Caitlin Brown, Marketing Outreach and Communications Coordinator for the School of Art and Design, with assistance and support from Fedorchak; O’Connor; and ceramic artist Ashlin Cheyenne, who recently moved the Alfred area.

Brown, also a ceramic artist with an MFA from the University of Nebraska, says planning for the Alfred Arts Studio at the West began with meetings between her and faculty members in Alfred University’s College of Business, who helped develop a business plan and business name that would reflect both the Studio’s current purpose and the history of its location. Familiar landmarks of the Manhattan West restaurant will include the bar, which Brown says will be re-purposed for teaching and hands-on artwork.

Teaching and artwork are two of numerous purposes for the business, which Brown says has been hosting soft openings through the summer and will open officially in early 2022. The space will house small-manufacturing art projects and serve as a base for the monthly Alfred Art Walk. Alfred Arts Studio at the West will also offer art workshops, classes and studio rental space.

Brown envisions the space also hosting internships and opportunities for graduates of SOAD’s undergraduate and graduate programs, plus collaborative opportunities with academic programs on the campuses. There also will be space for an art gallery.

As a gallery and art studio, Brown says the Alfred Arts Studio at the West will complement the two other principal galleries along Alfred’s Main Street: The Cohen Gallery and Gallery 2. The three Main Street galleries in turn will complement galleries located on the Alfred University and Alfred State College campuses, as well as the Alfred Ceramic Art Museum.

Supporters of the project have been donating their time, advice, and equipment such as kilns, benches and pottery wheels, Brown says, extending her appreciation to building owner John Ninos. The names of the project’s numerous supporters are on the studio website, along with additional information and updates.

Thursday evening, the Alfred Art Studio at the West provided a stop for Alfred residents and visitors enjoying the Art Walk, the first of the 2021-22 academic year. Alfred Art Walks are held on the third Thursday of every month and are a collaborative monthly venture created by the galleries in the Village of Alfred, Alfred University and Alfred State College. The Art Walks program is intended to foster dialogues within local arts communities, support local artists and galleries, and to highlight Alfred as an arts destination.

Pictured in photo: From left, Kyle O'Connor, Emily Fedorchak, Caitlin Brown, and Ashlin Cheyenne gather Thursday at the Alfred Arts Studio Gallery at the West.