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About Us |
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The brainchild of artist Marietta Foster Smith, Rail Walk Studios & Gallery is located in the Rail Walk Arts District of Historic Downtown Salisbury, North Carolina, and is housed in a former warehouse near the restored Salisbury railroad depot. It opened in 2006. Currently, there are six artists with studios at Rail Walk Studios & Gallery: Sharon Forthofer, Karen Frazer, Annette Ragone Hall, James Haymaker, Rachel Lee, and Marietta Foster Smith. Artist Ingrid Erickson is coming on board in July 2011. In addition to the large gallery space they all share at the front of the building, each of the artists at Rail Walk Studios & Gallery has his or her own working studio space. All throughout the gallery and in the individual studio spaces, visitors will find original paintings in watercolor, acrylic, oil, pastel, and other types of mediums, as well as mixed media, sculpture, pottery, and jewelry, making Rail Walk Studios & Gallery a great place to purchase a wide variety of original art. Some of the artists also offer reasonably priced reproductions of their work, including greeting cards. In addition to her artwork, Sharon Forthofer also offers a giclée reproduction service to artists and photographers. The Rowan Arts Council also has its office in the art-studio area of the Rail Walk Studios & Gallery building. The Looking Glass Art Collective, an arts organization founded in 2008, is located in the same building, next door to Rail Walk Studios & Gallery. As the historic brick buildings on N Lee St. are gradually transformed from warehouses into spaces for artists, speciality museums, and complementary retail businesses, professional firms, and high-tech businesses, including restaurants, the Rail Walk Arts District will continue to expand. *** Marietta Foster Smith had the vision... The Story of Rail Walk Studios & Gallery When Marietta Foster Smith moved to Salisbury in August of 2005, she and her husband Mark loved it from the moment they saw it. Marietta knew that’s where she wanted to do her art. “I knew that Salisbury had lots of artists and a wonderful orchestra and theater and the fabulous Water Works Visual Art Center. I expected to have an easy time finding downtown space for my studio. I was surprised and disappointed to find that there was so little space available that would be suitable for doing sculpture and large paintings.” December 2005 The Quest Marietta began in earnest looking for studio space. She talked to everyone she met and tried to convince shop owners to open their upstairs space for a studio. She met with Randy Hemman and Betz Bigelow at Downtown Salisbury, Inc., where she saw exciting plans to develop the rail-walk area of N Lee St. into an arts district. Randy took her to meet Glenn and John Ketner of Rowan Investments, Inc., owners of the old warehouses on N Lee St. Glenn and John were very enthusiastic about the plans. They introduced her to Keith Collins, who had opened Cascade Sculpture two doors up, and showed her some of the spaces. Most were currently being used as warehouses, but they promised to call if the space she liked became available. March 2006 The Opportunity John Ketner called to say that the space she liked, 409 N Lee, was being vacated by the landscape company that had been storing tractors, mulch, straw, etc. It was bigger than she needed or could afford and needed a lot of TLC to make it usable for artists. She was certain that if she could clean it up and start working, she would attract other artists to share the space. The Ketners agreed and gave her until the end of July to find at least two other artists. April 2006 The Challenge Marietta and Mark borrowed a pressure washer, loaded up hoses, brooms, Clorox, and vacuum cleaners and got to work. By the end of the month, the walls had been patched and painted, and Marietta set up her art studio in the back corner and declared the place “Rail Walk Studios & Gallery,” in keeping with the city’s future plans. May 2006 The Campaign Marietta worked in the studio and hit the streets with posters and post cards, advertising for other artists. Several came by, but the fit wasn’t quite right. June 2006 One More Artist Bruce Wilson of Fine Frame and Gallery gave her the number of an artist he thought was ready for a professional studio space. Norma Velasquez Frink, figurative sculptor and painter, returned Marietta’s call and came down to visit the studio. They hit it off instantly and they both knew it was “right.” Norma picked the other back corner and began to set up. July 2006 The Deadline Approaches Time was running out. It was nearly the end of July and Rail Walk was still one artist short. Marietta was working in her space with the doors open when a lovely couple strolled by. They came in and asked about the studios. They had recently moved from Lexington. She was a retired school counselor.; he was an artist. August 2006 Success! It turns out Jimmy Alston, a pastel artist and musician, and his wife Leslie, were not just on a casual stroll. They had been looking for a space to use as Jimmy’s studio and a gallery to exhibit his art. In August, they chose the front corner and moved in. November 2006 Official Opening Jimmy, Norma, and Marietta worked on the studio and created art and were finally ready with a fabulous grand opening in November. April 2007 The Set is Complete Annette Hall, watercolorist, acrylic painter, and portrait artist, came to North Carolina on a scouting trip from Washington State to look for a new town, a new house for herself and her husband Don, and a studio space. Annette had visited several towns, selected Salisbury, found a house, and was looking for a studio. Greg Rapp of ERA introduced her to Michael Baker who told her about Rail Walk Studios & Gallery. Annette toured the space and it was clear that the set was complete. She selected the other front corner and set up her extensive collection of art and art equipment. June 2007 The Wall Goes Up Mark Smith, with help from Don Hall and Jimmy Alston, completed the wall to set aside the front space for a group gallery. The first group exhibit in the finished gallery space opens June 16th. July 2007 What’s Next? The Ketners were so pleased with the progress at Rail Walk Studios & Gallery, they decided to open the space next door for additional studios and galleries.
December 2007 Renovations Nearly Complete The adjacent space was nearly ready for occupancy. Artist Patt Legg and the Rowan Arts Council signed leases for part of the new area.
January 2008 The "new" Rail Walk Studios & Gallery Everyone moved back to the renovated/remodeled Rail Walk Studios & Gallery. Artist Patt Legg took Annette Hall's old space. Annette took a larger space in the new area. Everyone got hard to work customizing and setting up their studio spaces. Plans for a grand reopening in March after the Rowan Arts Council moved in were talked about.
February 2008 Rowan Arts Council moves in The Rowan Arts Council moved in. The artists completed the customizing and setting up of their individual studio spaces. Painting and decorating the shared gallery space began. Plans for the grand reopening on March 7th were in discussion. The Rowan Arts Council planned to have their open house on the same day.
March 2008 Grand Reopening of Rail Walk Studios & Gallery The March 7th Rail Walk Studios & Gallery grand reopening was postponed to March 14th because of the tragic loss of two Salisbury firefighters, who perished on the 7th in the Salisbury Millworks fire. On Friday, March 14, 2008, the grand reopening was celebrated. All the hard work was done and everything looked beautiful. JAlston & Company provided soft jazz music and there was plenty of delicious food and beverages. Gift certificates for a free gourmet coffee at Spenzanelli’s were given out to the first 40 visitors, courtesy of Rail Walk Studios & Gallery and Rowan Investment Co. During the event, and until the end of March, donations were collected for the families of the fallen fighters and deposited in the fund at the Bank of North Carolina.
April 2008 Rowan Arts Council to have its open house On April 18, 2008, The Rowan Arts Council celebrated its move to Rail Walk Studios & Gallery with an open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony.
May 2008 Artist Sharon Forthofer moves in On May 1, 2008, Sharon moved into the next-to-the-last space available at Rail Walk Studios & Gallery. She is an oil painter who moved from Texas with her husband. She also does fine art giclée prints for artists and photographers. June 2008 Artist Carol Dunkley moves in On June 9, 2008, Carol, who has lived in Salisbury for over 20 years, moved into the last available space at Rail Walk Studios & Gallery. She paints colorful impressionistic art, specializing in unique paintings of colorful and cocky roosters.
March 2009 Photographer Jason Williams moves in In early 2009, artists Jimmy Alston and Norma Frink moved their studios to their homes. Jason Williams leased one of the vacant spaces and in March moved in and set up his photography studio. In addition to his fine-art work, Jason does wedding photography.
August 2009 Artists Caren & Bob Briley and Karen Frazer move in. Photographer Jason Williams left Rail Walk Studios & Gallery to return to school. Artists Caren & Bob Briley and Karen Frazer moved in, bringing the total number of artists to eight.
November 2009 Artist Cathy Sigmon moves in. Cathy Sigmon joined the Rail Walk Studios & Gallery family, filling the last available studio space.
April 2010 Artist Jane Foster Johnson moves in Jane Johnson from Winston-Salem, NC, took the space after Caren and Bob Briley moved out to pursue other activities.
Several artists leave Rail Walk in 2010 Cathy Sigmon, and Carol Dunkley decided to give up their studios because of changes in their personal lives.
March 2011 James M. Haymaker comes on board. Jane Johnson leaves Formerly, the Director of the Art department at Pfeiffer University in Misenheimer, NC, Jim has taken a double studio space. Artist Jane Foster Johnson did not renew her lease and left at the end of March because the commute from Winston-Salem, where she lives, infringed too much into her creative time. She is going to turn her recreation room at home into a studio. Her space at Rail Walk was reserved by Ingrid Erickson, who arrives in July 2011.
July 2011 Patt Legg leaves. Rachel Lee and Ingrid Erickson arrive. Patt Legg, who moved into Rail Walk in January 2008, decided after much deliberation to work exclusively in her home studio. She will be teaching her art classes there. For more information, visit her web site. Rachel Lee took Patt's old studio space on July 1st. She will be teaching beginner and intermediate oils, drawing and repoussé, and has plans for other interesting art activities that she will host at Rail Walk. She has been an artist all her life and describes herself as an artist~poet~seeker. Artist Ingrid Erickson arrived in the latter part of July. She fell in love with the art of cut paper when she lived in China and Thailand. Her pieces are all individually hand-cut; each is unique. She uses scissors ranging in size from one-inch folding scissors to full-sized shears. She also works with an x-acto blade and utility knives. Nature is her chief inspiration. In addition, she draws insight from textiles, printmaking, and Asian screens and scrolls. Her web site is in development. December 2012 Rachel Lee leaves. Rachel is now working out of her large studio space on her farm in Woodleaf. Her studio at Rail Walk was taken over by Sharon Forthofer, a prolific painter who needed more space. February 2012 Jim Haymaker leaves. Jim is planning to build a studio on his property. *** Artists interested in renting the available studio spaces should contact Marietta Smith. Call 704-431-8964 or e-mail mariettafsmith@bellsouth.net.
___________________________________________________ Home | About Us | Contact Us | Artists | Schedule | Arts Links Web site design and hosting courtesy of Annette R. Hall. Rail Walk Studios & Gallery logo design by Marietta F. Smith. All images on this site are © 2007—2012 by Ingrid Erickson, or Karen Frazer, or Sharon Forthofer, or James Haymaker, or Annette R. Hall, or Elizabeth McAdams, or Marietta F. Smith. All rights reserved. |
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Video about Rail Walk Studios & Gallery, provided by Downtown Salisbury, Inc. |
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About Us ______________
HOURS: Tuesday—Saturday 11 a.m.—4 p.m.
We are also open
If the Free Parking Available in two lots, which are on opposite corners of the intersection of E. Kerr and N. Lee streets. Parking is also available behind the building. |