With First Friday fast approaching, we are taking time to highlight the rich history of our gallery space. Before The Depot was “The Depot” it was The Chesapeake Western Railroad Depot and was constructed in 1913 to rival other railroad companies in a location that blocked off possible expansions. It’s no surprise that a building constructed out of spite would house some of the hardest working railwaymen in Virginia. This summer we had the privilege of hosting a bench dedication for Walter P. “Tinky” Bryan and took time to honor his legacy with his family.
We invited several members of the community to come and speak about the history of the building and the similarity between the strength of the building itself and the railway workers that made it what it is. Our very own Charles Hendricks discussed the power of the Depot in the Harrisonburg community and how it functions as a symbol of resilience, history, and restoration.
Walter P. “Tinky” Bryan, was a man dedicated to his work, and his family, making sure to reserve Sunday mornings for taking his family to church. His goal in life was to go out with his boots on and sure enough, his wish was granted. We are incredibly honored to share The Depot with Tinky’s family and share the historic relics that live here. We are even more thrilled that Tinky has his very own bench at his favorite place for friends and family to enjoy and remember his strength, resiliency, and passion for his work.
Whether we notice it or not, art will always have a seat at the table in every community. Art has been used as not only a form of self-expression but a form of communication that can convey more than words ever could. When speaking about art in the context of community it isn’t just paintings, drawings, or even photography – it can be found inthe design of our homes, the ingredients of our food, and even the fabric of our clothes. Art also brings us together, whether it be at a gallery or sitting at the kitchen table staring at doodles on the fridge, it always finds a way of drawing us in.
These elements are all similar to those in our community, but not exact – we are united yet we are individuals. We can find the same way of thinking in the way spaces are designed. Every home we create is unique, while there might be elements that are common for the surrounding area, each plan is designed for the specific family that will be living there. While homes are mostly stagnant we understand that the inhabitants definitely aren’t, we design with your future goals, hopes, and aspirations in mind so we can create a space that encourages your plans for the future.
An example of this is a home we designed (built byBeck Builders) for a family that understands the value of children playing and exploring. They requested to create spaces their kids could hide and open floor plans for plenty of family space, ultimately we were asked to create a home where their children could enjoy childhood to the fullest. This resulted in creating a unique hidden room behind a bookcase, along with plenty of other secret hiding spots and passages.
These custom creative details not only allow us to design beautiful homes, but allow us to create spaces that encourage playfulness, growth, and memories for families. A custom design is one that facilitates the life you want to live. Your priorities, beliefs, and focus all come into the design to shape space or place. A house is the most complicated machine you will ever own, so this customization is critical to living fully. A custom design is more than just selecting colors or finishes, it is a process to understand you and your family and reflecting that in design. We infuse fun, creativity, tranquility, comfort, energy efficiency, durability, function all into the design solution. If you are looking for a custom home solution, reach out to us for a conversation, we would love to help.
Now that life is slowly shifting back to normal we are eager to start up our beloved First Friday gallery nights, featuring Andrea Konstant, and Cara Walton. Please join us on Friday, September 3rd, 2021 from 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm to celebrate our featured artists and enjoy getting back to community engagement, masks required, vaccines encouraged. You can also learn more or RSVP to this event here.
Cara Walton is a self-proclaimed “accidental artist” and Star Wars nerd who uses photography to take a step away from the stress that comes with work, life, and being an educator through the pandemic. Between being a high school World History professor, and teaching photography for educators at James Madison University, Walton makes time to find the beauty in abandonment.
Andrea Konstant rekindled her love of art in the middle of the pandemic and hasn’t looked back, she pulls inspiration from different aspects of nature such as flowers, shells, and rocks. There is no lack of inspiration for Andrea as she is constantly on the move, she has traveled to Nepal, China, Thailand, India, and all through Europe. She plans to eventually visit every single National Park in the United States, which will lead to even more creative pieces.
We are stoked to get back to First Friday celebrations and even more thrilled to host zentangle inspired artist, Andrea Konstant! Andrea grew up in Elkton and studied art at Blue Ridge Community College, she later went on to pursue a degree in organizational leadership at Eastern Mennonite University. When she isn’t creating new colorful works she can be found hiking, camping, or kayaking, or even in a foreign country.
Andrea Konstant rekindled her love of art in the middle of the pandemic and hasn’t looked back, she pulls inspiration from different aspects of nature such as flowers, shells, and rocks. There is no lack of inspiration for Andrea as she is constantly on the move, she has traveled to Nepal, China, Thailand, India, and all through Europe. She plans to eventually visit every single National Park in the United States, which will lead to even more creative pieces.
Andrea found that studying art didn’t provide the same satisfaction as creating art, and jumped into a zentangle class in hopes of getting back into touch with her creative passion. Her love of art took off more than ever before and she rediscovered her excitement for color, shade, and composition. Konstant’s style focuses heavily on color interactions and shades married with natural elements.
Although most of her work hones in on color, she enjoys experimenting with black and white illustration and geometric subject matter. You can check out more of Andrea’s colorful creations through the month of September at theCW Depot! Or check out her Instagram for her newest pieces! You can also learn more or RSVP to this event here.
As everything begins to shift back to normal, we start to get back to what we missed, one of those things being First Friday. We couldn’t imagine a better way to kick off the festivities than with some amazing artists, this month we will be featuring Professor Cara Walton, who was been featured in ArtSpace, The 1650 Gallery, and the Louvre.
Cara Walton is a self-proclaimed “accidental artist” and Star Wars nerd who uses photography to take a step away from the stress that comes with work, life, and being an educator through the pandemic. Between being a high school World History professor, and teaching photography for educators at James Madison University, Walton makes time to find the beauty in abandonment. Her work focuses on the details of decay and utilizes black and white tones to hone in on fine aspects that would otherwise be lost in full-color prints. On the other hand, she expresses her love of color through tie-dye work and exemplifies a selective eye when it comes to when and how to utilize the rainbow.
We could not be more thrilled to host such a talented artist at The CW Depot and begin to shift back to normal, celebrating art and music once again as a community.
Walton’s work will be on display during the month of September 2021 but to check out more of Cara’s art browse: Instagram, Facebook, and Fine Art America. You can also learn more or RSVP to this event here.
