Making Of the Makeshop Spaces
Makeshop is a creative placemaking project in the Elk City neighborhood of Charleston, West Virginia. We’ve collaborated with over 30 local artists and craftspeople to renovate 4,000 sq. ft. of a 1920's abandoned building — home of a former neighborhood trophy shop — into art + design studio space, artist live/work lofts, and a growing community of artists, makers, and creative entrepreneurs.
A majority of folks working on the building were trying something they had never done before. A union plumber took a stab at welding our storefront, a sculpture artist arranged the floor, a graphic designer drew her first floorplans, a landscape architect did her first cement form work. The apprentices of WomenWorkWV had many construction firsts here. This building is a work in progress for folks to try their hand skilling up. It is full of many different, beautifully imperfect first tries.
JAMES DAY
Jim was a WV legend…making neon signs for over 5 decades.
NIK BOTKIN
Mailman by day…artist, welder, visionary all the time in between.
MEGAN PAYNE
What started as plumbing job for a union welder turned into turned into a creative awakening. Megan welded our storefronts and has expanded into furniture making.
DANIELLE MAZZEO
KAYLEIGH PHILLIPS
MARAM MOUSHMOUSH
ED BAILEY
RACHEL + WV WOMEN WORK
