It all started with an idea to plan a pop-up art show in the former Grayson, Kentucky, fire station in 2011, a building that stood empty for eight years. When a couple hundred people showed up, organizers Dan Click and Mindy Woods-Click knew a place to gather was a need in their community.
They began working to open what is now the Grayson Gallery and Art Center.
at June 2019’s F!nal F!day
The Gallery is now a revolving door of exciting events and programs including a F!nal Fr!day ArtWalk, open mic music nights, Second Saturday Music Shindigs, Holler Down the Holler poetry slams, kids art camps, classes for homeschoolers, special programs for youth with autism, as well as those in recovery from addiction, and more.
Dan and Mindy said the community has come together since day one to support this effort in both big and small ways.
“We had a group of Cirque and Flow dancers scheduled to perform on straps for one of our F!nal Fr!day events. When they realized the place was too crowded for the dancers, the Fire Department brought their bucket truck down, helped the performers get set up, then lifted them into the sky to dance,” Mindy said.
The Gallery receives a small amount from the City of Grayson and has a 10-year agreement with the Tourism Commission for free use of the building. All other income is from donations and a few small grants. The staff is all volunteer.
Grayson’s economy is similar to other areas in Carter and surrounding counties, and many families were hit hard when the coal and tobacco industries declined. With a community that faces a 24 percent poverty rate, the Gallery works hard to provide opportunities to under-resourced youth and community members. An annual art camp offers a tuition-free arts experience for children and approximately 50 percent of participants come from under-resourced families.
“We’ve seen many kids develop an interest in art that might not otherwise have had any interest,” Dan said. “We have even had kids go on to major in art in college and now we have an art camp alumni who is teaching an art class for us.”
“The Gallery has gone way beyond what I ever could have imagined. We had a lot of artists in our community, but no place to display their work,” Mayor George Steele said. “This allows us to have a welcoming and fun place where visitors can see what Grayson has to offer.”
F!nal Fr!days, the monthly art show, gives professional and amateur artists from Central Appalachia a venue where they can display and sell their work. There is always music and food – all for free – with donations accepted at the door. Currently, the Gallery is featuring artists from Huntington, West Virginia, to Salyersville in Magoffin County, Kentucky.
The Gallery community is also looking forward to how the Grayson Sports Park – currently under construction – can expand on the work of the Gallery, in addition to providing an economic boon to the area through its sports tournament availability. The Sports Park, born out of a new restaurant tax implemented in October 2017, includes plans for an amphitheater for outdoor performance art, a sensory garden for children with disabilities, and much more.
Building spaces where the community can gather around the arts is a central part of a community where people want to live, work and play. These spaces are cultivating Appalachia’s New Day.
About: Appalachia’s New Day is a new storytelling effort offered by MACED to eastern Kentucky communities. We can work with you to help identify, shape and amplify stories about businesses, programs and initiatives in your community that are helping build a new economy in eastern Kentucky. Read more stories here. Contact us or sign up here if you would like more details.
