Old Town Artisan Studios 10 Year Anniversary
Local non-profit organization celebrates 10 years of serving the Coachella Valley
Old Town Artisan Studios (OTAS) celebrated its 10th Anniversary on March 4th.
Old Town Artisan Studios celebrated its 10th Anniversary on March 4th looking back on a decade of bringing art to the Coachella Valley. Since its inception, the mission has been to bring art into the lives of the whole valley. “When I noticed art was taken out of schools, I felt there was a need to have a way to provide art for everyone”, said Founder Victory Grund. She went on to say, “the emphasis on sports is everywhere in schools, in million-dollar stadiums and in our daily media. That is when I felt an “Art Park” was needed. A place where people could come and interact with art. That is when the dream began”.
After a series of moves of over the last 10 years, Old Town Artisan Studios purchased their current 16,000 sq. ft. facility on Calle Barcelona in La Quinta. It is a historic site of the legendary Cunard’s Restaurant. “We had just purchased the new space when I came on board”, said Thomas Burns, Executive Director. “Many fond memories took place at this location at Cunard’s. Now, we are literally creating new memories through the arts”. The large facility allows for multiple art classes to be held throughout the day. Classes include, ceramics, sculpture, painting, pastel, watercolor, glass and fiber arts. “Because of the size of our facility we are able to reach more people. Last year our Outreach Program shared 21,683 art experiences throughout the Coachella Valley. This is a number we are quite proud of”, Burns went on to say, “a lot of people don’t know, but we are a charity for charities. We like to work with other non-profits in the valley and help bring art back into the lives of those that need it most”.
Here is a partial list of the organizations that OTAS serves both current and past:
Angel View, Desert Arc, Alzheimer’s Association, YMCA, Boys and Girls Club (Palm Springs), The Academy of the Palm Desert Community Presbyterian Church, Atria Hacienda Senior Living, Braille Institute, Cathedral City High School, City of La Quinta Events, Coachella Valley Autism Society of America, Coachella Valley Community Trust (Indio Teen Task Force), Covenant Care, Desert Alliance for, Community Empowerment, Father’s Heart Ranch, Girl Scouts of America, City of Indio Teen Center, Joslyn Senior Center, Jewish Family Services, La Quinta Public Library, La Quinta High School, La Quinta Resort, Living Desert Zoo & Gardens, Mama’s House, Martin Van Buren Elementary School, Mourning Star, The Ophelia Project (Healthy Family Foundation), Pathfinder Ranch, Raices Cultura, Rancho Mirage Public Library, SafeHouse of the Desert, Salvation Army, Segovia Oakmont Signature Living, Shelter from the Storm, Tools for Tomorrow, United Cerebral Palsy.
New programs recently added include the Veteran’s and Alzheimer’s groups. Summer camps keep the campus active throughout the summers and events are scheduled throughout the season. Last year, Old Town Artisan Studios launched the first Gingerbread Lane event with attendance of over 4,000 people over 5 Saturdays during the holidays. In the next ten years, plans for major expansion of the facility are currently in the planning and design stages (more details to come!)
About Old Town Artisan Studios: Old Town Artisan Studios is a non-profit organization where people of all ages can reveal their creativity. We offer instruction and classes in clay, fused glass, painting, drawing, and other forms of art. Independent studio use, along with individual private instruction and classes for children, adults, and seniors are all blended with fee exempt instruction offered to numerous charities serving communities in our desert valley.
