OHIO CULTURE A Hidden Gem in Small-Town Ohio Passersby who happen upon Source Gallery are often surprised by what they find, Hamilton added. The gallery has offered local artists an outlet to share their work close to home. “It’s brought a surprising destination where people can see and experience local artists that they never knew were here. It’s always fun because people just stumble in,” he said. Hamilton often gets asked why he set up shop in a small village like Lisbon. “I want a place like this to be in Lisbon and I am fortunate enough that I could make it happen,” he said. “It’s kind of been a dream come true for me.” Reaching the Next Generation Even as he works to maintain his own dream gallery, Hamilton has joined forces with other key artists and business owners in the area to reach the youth through art. He began the Lisbon Arts Initiative nonprofit in an effort to expand artistic outreach and creative engagement in his community as well as others nearby. In connection with the Ohio Arts Council, the arts initiative received a grant to put on their first children’ s workshop back in June. The council was “really eager to bring funding into an Appalachian community and help support the arts,” Hamilton said. The workshop, run out of a local church, offered kids a day-long immersive arts experience that included dance, improv, music and visual arts. Four local artists contributed their time and 20 kids participated in the event.
Original images can be viewed in the PDF version