No stranger to the local art scene, silver jewelry maker Elizabeth Hay has opened Art a la Carte, an artisan collective in the Brockeroff building in Bellefonte that offers artists a place to teach, play, display and sell their work.
With a gift shop in the front of the building and a teaching space in the back, the collective offers a place for the community to come together.
“We are working to create community. We want people to come in and feel comfortable, and have fun and meet other people,” said Hay.
She said she wanted to create a space where artist could show their work and teach others about their art. “I wanted a space where artist and the community could connect and grow.”
In the front gift shop area work from 29 local artists, including Hay, is on display, ranging from jewelry, glass, woodwork, quilts, hand-woven pieces, felt, marbled silk, pottery, paintings, pastels, photography, handmade cards and Bellefonte memorabilia and souvenirs.
The back work space will be Hay’s new studio and it will also provide a classroom-type setting for instruction and a place for other adult artist to work. With local artists Ann Pangborn and Diane Maurer on hand to teach everything from felting, marbling silk, pottery, jewelry making and more, the collective looks to provide adults a change to explore their creative instinct.
Hay said that evening “Nosh and Play” classes with munchies and BYOB will provide a fun atmosphere to learn, and more in-depth weekend classes will help artist take a deeper look at a medium.
The collective is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday with classes in the evenings. A grand opening week for Art a la Cart is ongoing through Saturday. Class and artist information can be found at www.artalacartepa.com.
