ARTS/West

ARTS/West and the friendly people who tirelessly work to make it a special community space have enriched my life in many ways. I have taken classes, offered classes, performed and enjoyed performances, savored art — and found great bargains in used clothes and exotica! I have grown, and I have seen others grow, in its nurturing environment. I am very grateful to have this wonderful community resource in my town.

ARTS/West is the community hub for all mediums of Art! From choirs, to yoga, to musicals, fiber faires, and more! It is a beacon of light in an age where schools are dropping music and the creative arts! I love ARTS/West it will forever hold a special place in my heart to experience and to be a part of an experience there!

Arts West is the cultural heart of our community. The doors are open to all sorts of various productions - visual art gallery showings, plays, musicals, choirs, readings, camps. And it has the ability to produce professional events with full tech audio, lighting, and staging. Musically the space has great acoustics and the shape is comfortable for a large audience and small, more intimate settings.

Love the weekly classes and special events they have here. I'm grateful they're part of our community!

ARTS/West has always been welcome to all kinds of different groups and acts that come through. From drag shows to Shakespeare they always are open. The community wouldn't be the same without them. Student projects even get featured there from time to time. It's so important that their be cooperation between the city of Athens and Ohio University.

ARTS/West is a jewel of artistic and creative endeavors in Southeastern Ohio. From its inception, it has served the community with integrity, grit, and innovative and inspiring events. It is worthy of supporting and sustaining in any way possible.

I have attended many events at Arts West, from concerts to plays to social and political engagements. I was the development director for 14 years at a local visiting nurse association, and we had a couple of collaborations with Arts West in presenting innovative theater regarding critical topics such as end of life and the challenges surrounding aging. My professional experience with Arts West has been extremely valuable; they are always seeking new projects with wide appeal to everyone in our community.

As a frequent flyer in attendance at many events, I am so pleased we have this terrific resource in our community. I have enjoyed and afforded such a variety of great art, music and theater at Arts West; good management and outreach to all our residents. thanks, Arts West, for all you do to make our community a brighter place to live!

Milena Miller

I have supported Arts West from its beginning, and I have enjoyed such a variety of shows and art there. It is great to see friends and neighbors on the stage, and really getting into acting, re-enacting, singing, and often doing it for various worthwhile local causes.
The theater has come a long way. The choices being made are attractive but not extravagant. It is a great arts space for our area.

Arts West is a unique service in our community. It allows artists of all kinds chances to exhibit, interact and to develop their skills. It does great things for kids who receive less and less arts experience every year in school. Last weekend I went to a concert where 2 of the "Girls Rock" students sang on stage as part of a professional show. The Athens area is well served by Arts West.

I am deeply thankful for all of the enriching activities at Arts West.

Arts West is an integral part of our community. I look forward to my sin getting older and taking part of even more activities.

Arts West is our local public venue for concerts, plays, readings and performance art classes - classes dance, drumming, improvisational movement and yoga. There is even a clothing swap weekend and a gallery for displays of local visual artists. I've enjoyed dancing for free indoors and out side the building while drumming classes were going on. :)

ARTS/West is a staple in the Athens community. I worked as an intern here for two years and loved every minute of it! The staff is wonderful and passionate about the arts and what they do. They are always willing to help. There are many different classes that bring together all kinds of people together doing what they love in the arts. I would highly recommend trying out a class here or bringing your family to a production!

Arts West is a wonderful facility. My family has attended several events and the recent improvements are a must see! I think that the performance space gives an intimate feel for the audience while at the same time providing everything that one expects to find at larger venues. The only downside is that the bathrooms leave something to be desired.

Arts West remids me of the intro to the Beverly Hillbillies where the oil bubbles up and make the Clampetts rich. Arts West doesn't fill our pockets as much as it does our hearts and lives. Every week there are several ideas bubblling up and Arts West is there to give breath to their creation. My wife and I have used its services for meetings, performances, plays and all manner of community work. It is a vital part of Athens and the surrounding county.

I am a teacher at a nearby public school. Our 7th and 8th graders just returned from a "field trip" to Arts West to see the "Furry Fables". What a wonderful visit! The play was funny and the students thoroughly enjoyed it; and the Reading lessons from Conflict/Plot to Vocabulary were fantastic! I so appreciate having this facility so close as many of our students have so little interaction with the Arts. Thank you again.

I have been involved with ARTS/West from the planning stages and have been extremely pleased to find that if has found a way to begin to meet the hopes and expectations we projected for it. It has attracted attention from all ages - very small children through senior citizens. It has found ways to serve a very diverse population in our university, community/rural setting. Most surprising to me is that, unlike performance facilities I have worked with in the past, it does not have a single group of audience members but a number of audience groups each interested most especially in their particular experiences. There is some overlap but it is very interesting to note that ARTS/West has become a unique experience for a widely divergent group reflecting multiple interests and unique perspectives. ARTS/West could be more effective - serving more members of the community - if it had a slightly larger paid/professional staff to coordinate the work of the many volunteers, further upgrade/maintain the facility and improve its communications.

my wife and I have attended a wide variety of performances. We have taken or grandchildren to see Jack & The Bean Stalk, listened to a renowned jazz piano player, enjoyed plays and music events, viewed art on walls, laughed and cried. We have donated money from time to time as well as office equipment.

I've heard amazing music, participated in improvisatory music and dance, seen complex theater (a community collaborative project on issues around death- this involved movement, film, song, spoken word and more), Bread and Puppets theater came here too! My friend also had an awesome 5th birthday, complete with pirate themed theatricals in the basement. The staff were wonderfully helpful. Their Artoberfest is a great community art exhibit too.

ARTS/West, located in the middle of my neighborhood, has been an incredible nexus for creativity and community. Several years ago, a nearby neighbor, Bryan Everson, came to ARTS/West with the idea of a local arts festival occuring every fall. Emily Prince embraced the idea wholeheartedly. From this has been born an annual celebration of local art, including culinary, visual, performance, and other arts and crafts. We call it ARToberfest.

They provide an excellent space for communnity arts events and a space for incubating arts programs. I have had positive experiences with the staff.

For the limited resources, the budget, and the competition with theater at the big university next door, I give Arts West an A+. They are making a lot out of nothing and I can't wait to see where it is 10 years from now.

ARTS/West under the management of Emily Prince is priceless for our Community. It offers the Theater Community a place to audition, practice and perform. It offers the surrounding Appalachian Communities cultural diversity in every artistic endeavor. We are so fortunate to have such a non-profit facility in our own backyard! Break-Legs!

A great multipurpose arts center, with opportunities for many different types of artists. See music, theater, fine arts, or a fashion show. They also offer lots of classes and great prices for renting a room or the whole place. Also features up-to-date sound and lighting equipment.

Developing my play at ARTS/West was one of the best theater experiences I have ever had. The care and nurturing of the artist and the safe environment in which the process takes place is a treasure. Introducing new and vital American plays by a broad range of artists covering many different topics is something sorely lacking in America. That is why this organization is so valuable. If there is a better community based arts organization than Arts/West I haven't found it.

ArtsWest is an amazing venue for the community. They offer many classes, productions, and workshops for the public. The staff is delightful to work with.

Arts West is a great venue for art, music and meeting new, interesting people in the community. I have had many wonderful experiences at Arts West, most noteably, a Star Wars themed Valentine's Day exhibit and delicious pancakes!

As just an average person in the community, as a parent of three, as someone who knows that art has a role in living a full life, I am fortunate to live where there is a vibrant community grass roots resource that touches people from all segments of society---Arts West is art for all! My heart's favorite is the summer theater workshops for our young people. It is a rich reward to see these youth grow in skills, experience, and most importantly--their esteem.

Arts/West is one of the gems of Athens ,Ohio.I have attended several arts and community events that were beautifully presented,intimate and accessible to a wide audience.I am a retired choreographer/performer who has danced in many spaces-huge to small, and this former church has been cleverly and lovingly converted to be a welcoming space.The staff are always friendly, available and passionate about their work.The commitment to our community is palpable.I also love the range of classes and workshops that are on offer.

Hubby and I have enjoyed 5 different plays at Arts/West. We thoroughly enjoyed each one. Excellent choices. Everyone involved was extremely courteous each time. Warm, welcoming, helpful and excited. Great experiences. Has been very exciting knowing they have been doing so much with children (of all ages) from the community to enrich their lives and knowledge of art of many forms. The updates have been really special to us. No way to show appreciation completely.

ARTS/West is a fantastic nonprofit that really caters to the needs of its clients. As the former director of Factory Street Dance Studio, ARTS/West provided us with rehearsal accommodations prior to performing on its stage as well as helping with technical support & hosting our studio of *numerous student dancers! Staff is friendly, professional and efficient. As an audience patron, ARTS/West is a theatre space for numerous artists of many genres, and I enjoyed the range of productions they featured. ARTS/West could be helped by the addition of bleacher seating which would aid stage visibility for the entire audience.

We love ARTS/West! We have attended the "Front & Center" music events that our music teacher organizes as well as the plays which are preformed there! It is a GREAT part of what makes our community unique!

I worked alongside classmates to help ARTS/West with a public relations strategy. Not only was the staff encouraging, but they gave us plenty of ideas and opportunities to grow. The facility and everyone involved were a joy to work with. Everyone took time out of their already busy schedules to help us achieve goals we never thought possible. ARTS/West is a warm and nurturing environment for students and community members

Amazing facility with friendly and knowledgeable staff that fills a need in our community. It is a place for arts groups and community groups to meet, to work, and to find their voice. I have done tech for shows there, I have acted in numerpus productions there, I have taught classes at Arts/West, and am preparing to direct a production there.

I led a performance in the ARTS/West facilities and everyone was helpful and courteous. I've also attended multiple performances and have been impressed by the commitment ARTS/West has to promoting emerging artistic talent and exposing the Athens community to such a variety of great programming. Luke

amazing staff, Emily Prince is amazing and the scope of what they do there and what they provide for the community is unmatched....the sky is the limit to what ARTS/West will do for the community.

I am a youth theatre writer/producer/director and my group has used the space at Arts/West since the weekend it opened. In fact we were the first tenants! Before Arts/West we were in: 1. An opera house: which was beautiful but too expensive and too large for our budget and needs, 2. An airplane hangar in which the City used to house the recreation center: which was so affordable but not appealing inside or out and was eventually torn down, and 3. A visual arts center: which was beautiful but again too expensive and had no real performance space (no stage, no lights, etc.). So, we've been 'been there, done that' as it were, and Arts/West by far has been the most affordable and accessible venue we have ever had. Thousands of families have benefited from our classes and performances thanks to Arts/West. Simply put: there is no other facility where small non-profit/community arts organizations can go to share their creations with their community. We are so happy and proud to call Arts/West our home and our only regret is that it wasn't around when we first started on 2000! The staff at Arts/West is lead by Emily Prince, a professional with many years experience as a theatre artist and administrator. Emily's creativity and incredible business acumen have made Arts/West a model for this small community. Many organizations can take a lesson from Arts/West on how to cultivate a performing arts facility that showcases the wide variety of artists that our community has to offer. Thank GOODNESS for Arts/West!!

My high school daughter has been a volunteer at Arts/West for 2 years now. It is a wonderful place for young people to go as an alternative to hanging around uptown. Athens is a small rural community without a corporate base for non-profits to rely on, our main employer here is Ohio University. What amazes me most about this community center is how much is accomplished with little funding. The director is amazing at working with a WIDE variety of organizations who use the space and rallying the town to contribute for necessary improvements, etc. A former church, the main performance space and the downstairs rooms are in almost constant use 7 days a week. Everyone working at Arts/West seems to embody a can-do philosophy and they encourage and include anyone in our area who has an idea, wants to put on a show or hold a meeting there. Arts/West is one more reason to love Athens, Ohio.

ARTS/West not only gave me valuable experience in my nonprofit career, it also gave me the opportunity to learn amazing lessons in the power of arts advocacy, the importance of community, the rich culture of Appalachian Ohio, and the value of the arts in economically depressed communities. Led with passion and vision by the tireless Emily Prince, every decision at ARTS/West is made with the needs of the community in mind. ARTS/West is a place that nurtures the arts and artists of Southeast Ohio at every level: children's art classes, teen theater workshops, independent music festivals, experimental dance events - even a community-wide multi-arts festival and an annual playwrighting festival that celebrates both local talent while giving nationally known playwrights a place to showcase their work. ARTS/West is simultaneously world-class and locally-focused, and is truly a treasure of the Athens community. The City of Athens has given a gift to the region by purchasing the old Nazarene Church and turning it into a hub for creativity - keep your eyes on the talent emerging here, as it is becoming increasingly evident that ARTS/West's legacy will be longlasting and far-reaching.

I've been involved with various programming at ARTS/West for 3+ years through volunteering for the Aquabear Legion, one of its incubated organizations and coordinating the fall arts festival, ART/oberfest. ARTS/West is an outstanding facility and a wonderful resource to the entire community.

Since ARTS/West started I have been a teacher of art classes, worked with various non-profits, exhibited art, volunteered and have been the project coordinator for Humble Play for 4 years now. ARTS/West is one of the best things about living in Athens.

I worked with ARTS/West many times and in every instance they were very attentive and respectful. They were always very well organized and completely upfront with what was expected and what would be happening. The people I worked with were kind and the space was well equipped with up to date paper work and regulations. My experience with the company was always very positive and I would not hesitate to work with them again.

provides unique service to community. Providing opportunity for development,growth,nurturing of the arts and performance space for music ,theater and dance as well as gallery space for painting and sculpture. Facilities equipped with professional, state of the art lighting and sound systems. Staffed by professionals in their fields. Available to all members of the community ,especially youth and beginning artists. Invaluable community resource