THE ARTS GARAGE

A FULL SERVICE ARTS & DIY STUDIO

Our Deal

The Arts Garage offers affordable DIY classes for all ages, taught by awesome local instructors, makers and artists.  Our mission is to rescue you from the tractor beam of your laptop or smartphone, plunge your hands into the proverbial dirt alongside a few of your neighbors, and turn up the creativity volume on that brain boombox of yours!

Painting, clay/ceramics, block printing, leatherworking, sketching… these are just a few of the many creative skills that we will arm you with at The Arts Garage.  We keep it easy breezy here, meaning that we utilize affordable, accessible tools and machinery, most of which could be acquired and kept at your home.  Of course you could scour bookstores or the internet to seek out learning on your own…. But what fun is that?  We create a fun, inclusive, hands-on learning experience, and will ensure you leave class with a new, creative skill and perhaps even a mantle-worthy DIY project of your own doing!  We offer a variety of evening and weekend classes for the general public, and we are available for private events and corporate / teambuilding offsites.

Our line of products on our sales floor offer a fun nostalgic aesthetic and we feature locally hand-made items that are great for unique homes and creative gift-giving. Enjoy our offerings and stop by often to check out our specialty blends of tea and craft faire.

Karyn Walker

Creative Director, Teacher, DIY GAL, ArtisAN

As a kiddo,Karyn always dreamt of opening a brick and mortar shop. She spent Saturday mornings with her Dad in the local garage/gas station where he worked his second job, or making art with other young creatives at the local Albright Knox art gallery.

She has participated in many art exhibitions across the east coast and the United Kingdom. After studying art in college she served on Boards of local Art Leagues as well as taught Art for over 25 years in schools, Art Institutes, and military installations. Karyn experiments with endless DIY projects from woodworking, gardening projects, printmaking, and even wildcrafting on her small farm with her kids and grandkids.

contact: karynwalkerart@gmail.com

Rick Walker

Business Ops, Class & Event DEVELOPMENT, GUITAR player and maker, diy badass

Rick grew up in Western New York.His dad worked at Grandpa Neal’s filling station back in the day. After college Rick explored Business Management with several small companies and acquired extensive sales and customer service skills as well as coaching, facilitating, and public speaking. He joined the US Air Force at 27 and traveled a bit of the world for 22 years. During his military career he moved and renovated many houses along the way with his family right along his side. They all learned about making and creating in those years.

Since settling in Smithville, TN he has also continued to invest in his “creative side”. When off the clock, Rick can usually be found at local music venues, shredding on his guitar, or sharpening his own DIY skills in woodworking, cigar box guitar making, and honey-do lists!

contact: theartsgaragetn@gmail.com