COURTNEY LASHAR

Courtney Lashar is a designer from Norman, OK, based in Fayetteville, AR. She loves to push the bounds of design and operate against the grain in hopes of keeping the world playful. Her nickname, Coco, is used more often than her real name. Her favorite thing about design is the broad and ever evolving nature of this field, how it’s constantly shifting which makes it challenging and new every day.

___

“FRANKLY, YOUNG ARTISTS DESERVE MORE.”

“You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.” 

–F. Scott Fitzgerald

There are two main kinds of art in a community: funded, and non-funded. To be more specific, there are artists who have access to space, equipment, exposure, and money, and there are artists who don’t. Surprisingly, many of these artists and makers are post-grad students whose completion of school means the end of a landing space for their work. Makers and creatives shouldn’t have to put aside their work in order to survive. Young creatives deserve funding, they deserve studio space, and they deserve support. How can all of these problems live within one single solution, and what does that look like on a local level?

After in-depth literary research on art, community, and the benefits of physical space, and in-person interviews with local creatives, Sanctuary came to fruition.

Sanctuary Art House is a space and trans-media platform focused on local artists. It lives in two main spaces: 1) a physical space with private studios, communal workspace, resources and equipment, and a gallery/shop, and 2) a website for future applicants, interested donors, and an online shop highlighting artists. A physical space was the most important sector of this project, as a lack of community and resources is what stops artists from making. Sanctuary Art House champions a local art renaissance by being affordable, inclusive, and fun.