Art Always marks 25 years as community arts studio in Florence

NORTHAMPTON — Art Always, a community arts studio in Florence, is marking 25 years of operation under founder and owner Lindsay Fogg-Willits, who started teaching art classes part-time in the old Yankee Hill Machine building after returning to the area following her graduation from Skidmore College. What began as an evening venture alongside her full-time work as an arts educator at Northampton High School evolved into a thriving studio that now occupies space at 188 Pine Street in Florence and serves children and adults of all ages.

Fogg-Willits said the studio's growth was organic rather than planned. "The business grew organically out of my life, this community and the people I've met along the way," she explained. "One opportunity led to another, more families found us, and I just kept going." Early on, she balanced teaching at Northampton High School and the Hill Institute, leading after-school programs at area schools, and directing the Deerfield Academy Summer Arts Camp while running Art Always classes in the evenings.

Over time, her father encouraged her to commit fully to the studio. "You're going to have to take a leap at some point. You're going to have to sort of leave one thing and trust that doing Art Always is going to be enough," he told her. She eventually made that transition, shifting Art Always to a full-time enterprise as programming expanded and the studio moved to new locations, including inside the Brushworks Arts and Industry building and later into shared space with High 5 Books.

Fogg-Willits said she discovered early that families sought more than just art instruction. "So much of why people come to an art class is because they feel good when they're there," she said. "There's somebody who knows them, who talks to them, and they want to feel like they have community." She emphasized creating a studio that felt friendly and safe for self-expression.

The studio's quarter-century tenure has created intergenerational connections in Northampton and Florence. Children who attended Art Always classes years ago now bring their own children to the same studio, a shift Fogg-Willits said both humbles and ages her. "Here you are in this one place, and this one sort of art-making experience has brought generations of people together," she said. "What an honor to do that, to provide the place for that."

Reflecting on the milestone, Fogg-Willits said she felt pride in the work and gratitude to the community. "25 years is my whole adult life," she noted. The studio plans to celebrate its anniversary throughout the year with community members.