What an experience! It has been truly humbling. Thank you all so much for your support. I have been in complete awe over the amount of support and appreciation Clientele has seen. Juggling the studio with my day job and all other facets of life has been difficult, but seeing this support shows me the investment has been worth it. With the money won from Show of Hands, we will be able to build an ADA ramp into the building!

I have been asked a few times about the donation to R&R Discovery and Learning Center, so I wanted to also shed some light on this. If you are not aware, I am an engineer. I graduated from WVU and have been working in the field for the past seven years. I believe there are several parallels between pursuing a career in art or in a STEM field. It’s hard to become a full time artist. Incredibly hard. It takes a lot of talent, a lot of practice and training, a smart sense of your worth, the value of your creations and some luck. While, it is nowhere near as romantic, I feel the path toward becoming an engineer, scientist, architect, mathematician, etc. involves some of the same attributes. When you are in your first year in college, getting blindsided by several calculus, physics, and chemistry classes, you need to have a passion for the field in order to make it to the end of the road. In my opinion, in both these STEM fields and in art, it has become very easy to jump ship and pick an “easier” degree or career path. So, between the passion I have for engineering and this whole Clientele thing, it was a no-brainer to share some of the grant money.

So again, I want to say thank you all so much for your help and support. Clientele’s only plans for 2019 are to continue to grow, establish ourselves and show off the crazy good artwork we can make in this valley.