Artists Collaborate With Community at Firehouse.

This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.

In the back room of the Firehouse Art Center are paint splattered tables, a coat rack of tan jumpsuits and a pile of black trash bags in the corner. It could easily be confused for a construction site, and that perception wouldn’t be far off.

Though the items have been discarded, these materials filling the trash bags are given a new life through the Working Artist Project. Led by artists Lindsey Webster and Cory McKague, the project is a community driven exhibition in progress. Running from June 15th through August 31st, the duo schedule blocks of time on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays to work with Longmont’s community to create unique pieces of art.

“We don’t really know what people are going to make, and I think that’s part of what makes it such a fun and energetic show,” said McKague.

A rolling tool cart of art supplies provides paints, markers, hot glue guns and other tools to assist in the creation of these wonders. The bags of materials themselves are incredibly varied, all having been donated to the project by members of the community. There have been toys, tiles, architectural tools, even a shop vac. “The donations tell a narrative about who these people were. Like these architectural tools, the musty smell they have. Part of the fun is exploring all these unique art supplies,” McKague contributed.

McKague and Webster went to art school together, where the first iteration of the Working Artist Project occurred. This time around, with the exhibition set for the Firehouse in September, it's the Longmont community that gets to exercise its creative muscle. The draw of the community is one of the aspects Webster was most excited about.

Webster's hope is for some creativity to be reflected back into the community as a whole. “I love the idea that anybody can do it, that it’s not this totally unapproachable thing. The inclusiveness, that it's this fun activity that gets put into an actual established gallery. It validates that what they did is good enough, whether it is abstract or silly, it’s good enough to get into a show.”

There are still plenty of slots available to build, create, paint and explore with the Working Artist Project, with a whole month left before the installation is set to take place. Either stop by in person, or sign up at their website. Keep up with the works in progress via Instagram.