Fairfield Business Offers 'A Fun Escape' With New Art Program

FAIRFIELD, CT — Particularly in the time of COVD-19, when many people are struggling with anxiety and a general sense of stress, The Studio Fairfield has adapted to provide its patrons with a comfortable home away from home.

“We changed our business model and the timing was perfect,” explained co-owner Priscilla Igram, who, along with longtime friend and fellow artist Christine Orlando, has made the studio at 43 Ruane St. in downtown a welcoming and inviting space.

After having to shut down for several months when the pandemic first struck last year, The Studio owners decided to try something a little different — offering memberships to adult clientele along with their schedule of regular classes for all ages, so members could come and go as they pleased and make use of the space.

“They would come and work with their fellow potters, mostly potters,” Igram said, though some painters and illustrators also took advantage of the arrangement.

“It sort of, like, kept us afloat and brought our business to the next level,” she said.

Now known as the Independent Open Studio, the program offers members an unsupervised chance to work with the wheels and use other facilities at The Studio, but not have to take specific classes.

Members need to demonstrate that they’re familiar with the basics of safety and use of materials, but largely they can be left to their own devices with their own entry code for use during adult studio open hours, which run late into the evening.

“We have recently added two new pottery wheels, and we added another kiln,” Igram said, noting client growth may ultimately necessitate finding a larger space.

Of course, many participants don’t want to just have private time to do their creative work, but rather enjoy the chance to be with others in the same pursuits.

“The Studio really helped me these past couple of years,” said member Maddie DeManche of New Canaan, “because it fosters an awesome sense of community, which really felt lacking at times during this pandemic.”

Her particular area of enjoyment and expertise is working on the potter’s wheel.

“When we were able to go back into the studio, it provided a fun escape,” she said.

Igram explained that she and Orlando first created the business 13 years ago. The two were parents of children at Stratfield Elementary School and saw an opportunity to bring some part-time art instruction to area students above and beyond the curriculum.

Their shared interests in art — along with their individual creative backgrounds — made the starting of the business a great fit.

“We started in someone’s basement,” Igram said, eventually opening at their current location five years ago.

The granddaughter of a Works Progress Administration artist named Esther Hepler, who worked in Philadelphia, Igram is thrilled to share the joy of creating with her students and the community at large.

“Whenever I can, I love sitting down to create,” she said, noting that both she and Orlando hope to convey the power of doing so — how it makes one feel, how it can serve as a distraction from discomforts, and how it’s a great means of connecting with others.

“People just drop any stuff they’ve got and they just get to work,” she said, when they arrive at The Studio. “Sometimes they need to vent, so they’re making good friends and connecting with them.”

“I love what we do,” she said. “We’re so grateful.”

For more information, visit www.thestudiofairfield.com.