Tapping into creative energy is what fuels Falcon Fire Community Studio in Walkerton.
This artistic space opened in early summer 2024, as the result of two generous donations from community members Phyllis Wiley of New Kitchen Store, who gifted the studio space, and Rob Franey, husband of the late pottery artist Chris Franey, who contributed pottery equipment, a kiln, storage racks and other useful items.
The donors simply asked that the gifts be used to provide a place for people to expand their creative skills by learning new art-making techniques and gain appreciation for the works of local artists.
Managing the studio are Brendan Walter and Angie Yelton, both of whom hold full-time jobs for John Glenn schools in Walkerton. Walter is in his fourth year of teaching art to kindergarten through sixth-grade students, and Yelton is a bus driver for the school district. When not at their school jobs, the two share their artistic expertise with the studio customers.
Walter leads 11-week workshops, including the Ceramics 1 class. The class meets once a week for three hours, and the 11-week course costs $150. Yelton teaches hand ceramics, not wheel ceramics, and leads biweekly Sunday ceramics workshops. Walter refers to the workshop as a “make-and-take craft,” inviting customers to make a unique piece of pottery, which is fired in a kiln and picked up later. Yelton has an affinity for creating fantasy animal ceramics, and she has travelled to the Starwood Festival in Ohio to show her pieces.
The studio also holds classes for oil painting, metal jewelry making, and print art. Yelton says the connection to schools through her and Walter’s day jobs is an encouragement to kids, some as young as 3 or 4 years old, to come into the studio and learn to create.
The studio also holds days for anyone who wants to come in and work on their own project using the supplies in the studio.
One especially unique and welcoming project at the studio is the bead blanket. Yelton says that with a donation of beads from community members, “a strand of beads is started and then people come in and add a few beads from their own supply or the studio’s. It’s a great start for newcomers to art, and there is no pattern or age requirement – just an open project for all to enjoy.”
The two rely on a Facebook presence as well as Instagram to post new promotions, workshops and events – search for Falcon Fire Community Studio and Falcon Fire Ceramics, which is Yelton’s specific company Facebook page. Social media also offers a platform for showcasing the finished artwork for sale at the studio. The studio also serves as an art pantry, a spot where anyone can bring in their old art supplies, peruse the studio’s materials and take what they can use.
Walter and Yelton have launched a new initiative called the Walkerton Area Creative Collaborative (WACC), which meets regularly, aimed at bringing together artists and creatives from the community. “We work better together, whether it’s setting up a booth at an art fair or doing community service to foster awareness of the arts here in Walkerton,” says Walter.
Walter and Yelton are passionate about pooling local artists to participate in art festivals and fairs, including the Rebel Art Fest and Art Beat in South Bend, and ARTS in the Street in Plymouth. This is one way for artists to come together and show their work to surrounding communities representing the creative culture in Walkerton.
One idea that the WACC has considered involves painting one mural each summer around Walkerton to enrich the community. Walter would also like to explore partnering with local businesses, restaurants, the library, and coffee shops to showcase the works of artists, as a way to drive foot traffic and perhaps stir up interest from art enthusiasts from surrounding communities.
Falcon Fire Community Studio is located at 330 Liberty Street in Walkerton.
