New art studio owner to support local artists, charities with Opelika art walk

The newest business called Crysten Conner’s Fired Fox Art Studio is an event and creative space where customers can hand-paint their own pottery, take part in project-based ticketed events or private events. Conner has more plans for the community outside of he new studio at 207 South Eighth St., Suite 120. 

She will also offer a new monthly event called Alley Art Walk in the alleyway next to The Breezeway on Eighth Street to raise money for charities and serve as an opportunity for local artists to sell their work.

“If I have the ability to create a platform to make it easier for them to showcase and sell what they do well, I should do that and I want to. The fact that as a byproduct I get to also shine a light on local charities and help them out too, it’s just a bonus,” Conner said. 

Expect monthly Alley Art Walk tour  

The Alley Art Walk tours will be on the third Friday of every month in order to coincide with downtown Opelika’s Food Truck Fridays and the fee for vendors to participate is $25. Those interested in becoming a vendor can email alleyartwalk@gmail.com.

Conner got her start in the art business when she opened “Let’s Get Personal Pottery” in Auburn in 2009, where she specializes in custom created handprint and footprint keepsakes on ceramics as well as doing events related to that. In addition to that work, she also has hosted several summer art camps for kids, and that is where she saw a need for an adult creative space like the one she has built with Fired Fox.

“I knew that there was a demand for a creative outlet, an art experience for people,” she said. “This is something that they enjoy. It’s cheaper than therapy. And I think people’s expectations of a place like this is very much about the journey and the experience.”

She said she has received messages from parents and other adults asking about a camp or class for them, so she started looking for a place to start what would later become Fired Fox. 

How the new studio and art walk came about 

For three years, she looked into expansion, but none of the potential locations were what she was looking for until she found the building at 207 South Eighth St. The building is downtown, which could help the business flourish, but that was not her only criteria. Conner said she wanted a space where she could create the Alley Art Walk.

“So one of the criteria for a location for me was that there was an adjacent outdoor space that was available to us for a community type event that would enable local artists to have some exposure that they otherwise can’t get,” Conner said. “I felt like that was a crucial piece of the puzzle I wanted to put together. Now that’s not going to fund this business or put any dollars into this business, but it was just an important part of why I wanted to do this.”

She said there was a hurdle, because the alley that she had in mind was maintained by the City of Opelika. Conner credited her friend, Lisa Harrelson, for arranging a meeting with Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller and other city officials about the idea of having an art walk in that alleyway. Harrelson is the the City of Opelika’s administrator of the Community Development Block Grant. 

Conner said she knew everything was going to work out when she experienced firsthand excitement, enthusiasm, support and encouragement from the mayor and everybody sitting in that room. 

“These people were going to help me and make it possible to not only have my business, but to have a space for other people to support themselves and their families and their love of their art, and educate our community on some charities along the way.”

That meeting was in May and she said it has been a quick turnaround since to get the new studio ready.

Fired Fox Art Studio is open to walk-ins from 12 to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 12 to 8 p.m. on Friday and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday. The studio will be closed to walk-ins from Sunday to Tuesday. Ticketed and private events will be held outside of walk-in hours, including those days.

Owner supports local charities 

For the first art walk on Aug. 16, Conner will support Esperanza House with all proceeds from the vendor fees going to the organization.

In an event that will be spotlighting local artists, Conner will be spotlighting local charities as well, starting with Esperanza House on Aug. 16. Conner said all of the vendors fees she receives for artists participating in the walk will go directly to a different charity every month. 

She is also committed more than that and will give the charities on a spot on the walk to showcase their work in the community to art walk customers.

“The charity will also have a table a setup out there, so that the charity can educate our community on who they are, what they do, who they help, and how people in the community can get involved with charities that resonate with them. I’m amazed at the number of local charities that people know nothing about,” Conner said. “People that live here are incredibly supportive, and they love to help other people…they can’t help an organization if they don’t know it exists.”

As for Esperanza House, Conner said she and the president of the Esperanza House Odalys Silvera became good friends after they met at a food distribution event. Conner said that she believes in the work of Silvera and the Esperanza House team.

“It was like, I met a family member. She’s like my family now. I love her. And I just get her and she gets me,” Conner said. “I believe in what she does. And I know that it is so very important. It’s needed in our community.”

Conner said it will start with the Esperanza House and each monthly event will have a different charity as she looks to continue to use her platform to offer that support.

“I always want to know about any opportunities to help organizations, and not necessarily just because of the art walk,” Conner said. “If there’s an opportunity to help a local organization, I like to know about it. If I can, I will. It’s who we are as people, we just like that. It’s what I’m supposed to do.”