Passion Works, a collaborative community art center in Athens that focuses on acceptance through artwork, is about to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
Patty Mitchell, the founder and executive director of Passion Works, got the idea for Passion Works, 20 E. State St., during her time at Ohio University. While living in the The Ridges in exchange for room and board, she would do activities with other residents.
“I saw that making art and connecting to people was positively transformative,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell always wanted a community space or an art studio for people who are typically on the outside. A lot of the artists at Passion Works have developmental differences, and the idea of the art studio is meant to encourage acceptance.
With Passion Works turning 20 years old next month, Mitchell believes that the artists have truly increased the quality of life in Athens.
“They have created the example of possibility to the world,” Mitchell said. “The bar is often set very low for them and there isn’t a lot of expectation. When you don’t have possibilities, you don't have opportunities.”
Mitchell wanted the community to witness the humanity and essence of people who are typically seen as different. She also wanted to encourage acceptance throughout all of Athens.
From the cigarette butt boxes, the Turn it Gold banners and the Athens News bins; evidence of Passion Works and its artists can be found up and down Court Street.
Mitchell said Passion Works has stayed dedicated to creating art and being a collaborative art studio. However, they have expanded in the sense that now they often partner with the university and community organizations. She says they have become an international training center for this model.
“We invite the world into Athens to come into the studio and learn about our ways,” Mitchell said.
Twenty years ago, Passion Works was located in a sheltered workshop, a segregated environment for people with developmental differences. Now, they are in the middle of E. State St. surrounded by members of the community.
The interior of Passion Works reflects how Mitchell wants people to feel when they’re creating their art.
“It seriously cultivates a positive vibe,” Mitchell said.
People can go to one of the art tables, the lounge area, quiet room or the gift shop. All of the mugs, jewelry, magnets and greeting cards featured in the gift shop are created by Passion Works artists.
Emily St. Amour, a senior studying journalism, has been an intern at Passion Works since May.
“It's an experience that has been deeply influential for me. I'm planning on going into education and see so much potential for applying the model that Passion Works uses to make a positive impact on this field,” St. Amour said in an email.
Mitchell wants Ohio University students to know that Passion Works is a place to find connections, purpose and friendships.
“Students are so stressed out, like, come on in and paint some polka dots!” Mitchell said.
Passion Works most well-known projects are the passion flowers. Passion flowers are the official flower of Athens. These art pieces are created out of recycled printing plates. Mitchell said artists can decorate them with whatever they’d like, then they are cut to the shape of the passion flower. They have sold over 26,000 passion flowers.
“When people graduate, it’s often a gift because they take a bit of Athens with them.” Mitchell said.
Passion Works is always looking for volunteers with small or wide ranges of artist abilities, Stephanie Robinson, the volunteer coordinator, said in an email. Anyone interested in volunteering can contact her or visit Passion Works.
The next big event for Passion Works is Honey for the Heart. It is a parade that kicks off the Halloween block party this Saturday at 6 p.m. Artists spend three weeks building puppets for the parade. They use this as an opportunity to elevate people’s Halloween experience and change the narrative surrounding Halloween.
Their 20th Anniversary celebration will take place Nov. 10 at The Ridges. You can also visit the Kennedy Museum through Jan. 6 to see the Passion Works exhibit.
