Small-Town Artists Think Big
First, eagles and antiques lovers flocked to Clarksville, Mo. Now,
artists are joining them in this tiny town along the Mississippi River.
In addition to antiques shops, Clarksville (population 490) has galleries, potters,
woodworkers, furniture and cabinet makers, jewelry makers, a blacksmith, a boat builder,
photographers and two glass "hot shops." Most arrived within the past few years,
after Missouri and the community invited newcomers.
"Each one of us saw the potential for greatness here,"
says glass-and-wire artist Robert Rothbard. When he and his wife, Michelle, a
photographer, stopped in Clarksville for lunch last spring on their way to another town,
artists raved about affordable work and living spaces. Within two months, Rothbard Gallery
relocated there from northeast Texas.
Ken Russell moved to Clarksville from South Dakota in 2001. He set up Clarksville Pottery
beside "a really cool three-story house across the street from the river." His
wife appreciates the milder winters and living only 80 miles from metropolitan St. Louis.
Like Russell, Gary Rice is a former Californian who's now a Clarksville alderman.
"I've never been anyplace where artists supported each other so eagerly," Rice
says. He and his wife, Judy, a jewelry and glass artist, set up Clarksville Glassworks in
2002.
"We're still going," Robert Rothbard says of recruiting
artists and arts lovers to Clarksville. And space is available–at least for now.
Most studios in Clarksville welcome visitors.
Reprinted from © AmericanStyle Magazine 2005
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