It was three years ago that we moved the Airigami studio into the Hungerford building. At the time, it was really scary. We knew we wanted more space but feared the added cost of maintaining a studio outside of the house would prove to be too much. The studio turned out to be the best thing we could have done for our business at the time. Suddenly we had space to build larger pieces, to do all of our photography in house and generally take on more challenging projects than we could before. In addition, we became part of an artist community and left the world of isolated creation behind.

Here we are, a few years later, and we've discovered that what used to seem like a giant studio isn't so big after all. We've found ourselves constantly converting the space between build space, photo studio, and classroom space. More of our time has gone into constantly rearranging things than doing creative work. Finally, we're solving that problem. We're expanding. We just took over the space next door to us, almost doubling our size to 2000 square feet of fantastic, workable space. The photo space isn't being broken down at the end of every shoot any more. We can build 12 foot tall installation pieces, take photos of visitors posing with them, and still be able hold classes and meetings.

First use of the new space: a master class by Debbie Stevens

Now that we have a bigger space, we plan on having more guest artists visiting. The first of those guests was Debbie Stevens from The Twisted Ones in Toronto. Debbie is an award winning artist that we've had the privilege of working beside at numerous events. She spent a day teaching to a packed crowd in the studio.

Upcoming events with Airigami

Friday, April 5 is First Friday. We'll be in the studio,  just hanging out and chatting with visitors from 6 until 9 pm. If you're looking for original art for your home, for gifts, or you just want to see some amazing, locally produced art, visit the Hungerford. Many artists in the building will have their doors open, anxious to show off what they've got. You can check The Hungerford web site to find out who will be open this week.

April 19-21, as I wrote about recently, we'll be at the Virginia Museum of Natural History building a giant scene from the cretaceous era. As that date gets closer, we're getting more excited about the trip.

May 4 is Imagine RIT. This is RIT's Innovation and Creativity Festival where students and staff show off one-of-a-kind projects that they've worked on throughout the year. This is the third year in a row that we've been invited to take part in the festivities. Note that the Airigami studio will not be open on First Friday, May 3 due to the work we'll be doing at Imagine RIT.

Hope to see you at one of these upcoming events!