Creativity and creating connections the focus of new Somerset art studio

SOMERSET — There's a fun, new spot that's making quite a splash — of color —  in this corner of the SouthCoast, and offering the perfect cure to summer doldrums.

Do more art: That's one of the sayings emblazoned on the walls of Art Pop, a unique creative space that opened its doors in early July to an eager crowd of budding young artists.

Spearheaded by Allison Faunce, the founder of Southcoast Open Air Market, and Mary Kate Murphy, the studio made its unofficial debut on a gloomy late June weekend. But things were nothing but bright and cheery inside 1115 GAR Highway, Faunce said.

With a vibrant, eye-catching sign out front and explosion of color indoors to match, it certainly stands out at its corner plaza location, which was transformed from a stuffy bank building.

But its appeal goes beyond appearance, it's more about a feeling, said Faunce.

The duo's mission with their studio is to offer kids a space to let their imaginations run wild and create with no boundaries.

"This is hopefully a space that kids will come and know that their uniqueness is embraced here, they can have happy accidents, and they don't have to worry about being graded or judged," Faunce said. "It's not necessarily about the end product, but more the process too of how you arrive there."

How the journey began

The idea for their studio was born in the dark days of November, when ArtPop partners were lamenting the lack of outlets to keep their creative kids busy during the long winter days.

There are plenty of options for those interested in sports, music or even drama, Faunce noted, but outside of traveling to Rhode Island, there are few go-to's for young artists in the Greater Fall River area.

Murphy has 12-year-old twins, and two younger girls, ages 8 and 6. Faunce is mom to a 19-year-old, who goes to MassArt for illustration, and a 12-year-old son, who is very excited about Art Pop and served as a big motivator for her to embark on this journey.

"It all started as the tween age needing a place to belong and hang out and feel like they can be themselves in," Faunce said.

And from there that vision quickly expanded.

"We really want it to be a space where artisans and makers in the area can share their skills and talents," said Faunce, whose goal is to offer a slate of classes for all ages, from toddlers to teens to adults. "Everyone has a creative side to them. This gives them a place and a space to hone in on that and express that and feel inspired."

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The mom team, who met through their kids, both have a passion for art — Murphy with a background in art and graphic design and Faunce with a background in art education — so they decided to combine their creative talents and strengths into one unique space that the whole community can enjoy.

The stars ultimately aligned when Faunce received a grant for SOAM to start a creative space. Art Pop now falls under the SOAM umbrella, and shares the same mission: "to support the local artisan and maker community."

And what better way than to start nurturing this creativity when they're young, Faunce said.

First-time visitor here. What can we expect?

Want to get a peek for yourself? That's easy to do. They are making fun stuff everyday of the week at the Somerset studio.

Each day, classes focus on a different medium: Monday is Textiles, Tuesday is 3D art, Wednesday is Paper, Thursday is Nature and Friday is Color.

A drop-in-style Toddler Art Playgroup — on pause until August — is held in the morning from 9 to 9:45 a.m. (Playgroup Passes are $15), followed by the age 3-5 class at 10:15 a.m., ages 6-9 at 3:15 p.m., and ages 10-12 at 5:15 p.m.

Mid-day, from noon to 3 p.m., kids are invited to let loose at their TinkerBar, a drop-in open creation time (no registration required) for kids 5 and up. TinkerBar passes are $15 an hour, and parents can either leave their youngsters at Art Pop to unleash their creativity while they run errands, hang out and watch in the coffee lounge, or participate along with them.

They recently held a spell-binding Harry Potter-themed TinkerBar and are always looking for fun suggestions for future tinkering. Others have utilized slime, magnets and paint.

Once their regular programming really gets rolling, they are also planning to host birthday parties, Teen Nights — which will have a "club feel," with pizza and music, as teens create art — as well as adult workshops in the evening.

Art with no boundaries

For Faunce, the debut of Art Pop was a full circle moment for the former public school art teacher. Except this new setting allows her to expose youngsters to art with no rules, grades or expectations attached. It also challenges the societal norm and "left-brain thinking" that there's only one way of doing things, she said.

"There can be more than one correct answer, there are creative ways to solve problems and to think a little bit differently... this space is a catalyst for kids to learn that because in other settings they're told the opposite," Faunce said.

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Aside from offering an outlet for imagination, art can also serve as a bridge between people, Faunce noted, so a big part of what they're doing are collaborative art projects that bring the community together.

"It really is such a connective device for people who otherwise might seem like they have nothing in common on the surface," Faunce said. "We hope it becomes more than just about creating art, but creating connection with each other."

Built for the community, by the community

These past few months Faunce described as "quite a whirlwind." Their seed of an idea was planted seven months ago, they got the keys to their Route 6 space June 1 and were welcoming their first mini artists by the end of June, one week before their official July 1 opening.

That expedited timeline was thanks in no small part to a very generous community. Once news dropped on Facebook about their project, Faunce said they showed up ready to help.

"It's been overwhelming in the best way possible," Faunce said.

From friends to family to town officials to complete strangers, many hands were involved in everything from painting walls, setup, down to "the hard stuff ... and wanting nothing in return." Somerset-based Horner Millwork even put in $15,000 of pro bono work, Faunce noted.

"The outpouring of people who want to support us and believe in what we're doing and want to be a part of it in a small or large way has been the most amazing part of this so far beyond seeing how it's coming together," she said.

For more information about Art Pop, drop into the 1115 GAR Highway space for your own personal tour or visit https://www.artpopclub.com.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Art Pop adding much-needed splash of color in Somerset