Community

Passion Works Studio winner of The Governor's Award for the Arts: Community Development and Participation

The spirit of partnership and shared vision of Passion Works Studio represents the very best in collaborative, community arts. Passion Works Studio supports arts collaborations between artists with and without disabilities. The creative process at Passion Works places Passion Work Artists together with Resident and Visiting professional artists to create outstanding and beautiful works of art. The passion and focus with which the artists pursue their craft is infectious. Visiting the studio, one is hard pressed not to grab a paintbrush and join in on a project. While everyone present may have different abilities, the entire process requires the diverse abilities represented by all participants, "disabled " and "abled" alike. All are equally important, all are stakeholders, and all involved learn a valuable and rare lesson-that a community is only as rich and as strong as the collaborative, collective visions and dreams of the members of that community. Art produced by the Passion works Studio is highly visible throughout Athens. The jewelry, metal flowers (Passion Flowers: The Official Flower of Athens Ohio), colorful clothing, stationary and cards created by Passion Works Artists also are highly marketable. Production of these pieces has created employment for people with and without disabilities and has generated a renewable funding stream to continue arts programming. It also helps to raise understanding and respect and makes an economic impact in the community. This is particularly important in rural Appalachian Ohio where income and support for the arts are well below state and national medians. Passion Works is an exceptional organization dedicated to working interactively with many people from diverse backgrounds and creating community awareness and about the value of the arts in everyday life.

-- The Ohio Arts Council