HOT SPRINGS: ‘Meant to happen’

Church’s conversion to art gallery almost complete

By Tiffany Stephenson

Restoring an old church to use as living quarters and an art studio is no easy task, but it is exactly one that Marc and Terri Menifee of Hot Springs have undertaken.

The Menifees bought the old Haven Methodist Church last July after making the decision to move into Hot Springs from their 10-acre farm in Mountain Pine. Terri Menifee said that because their sons, ages 11 and 13, were so involved in activities in Hot Springs, they were spending more time “in town” and were looking for new housing when she and Marc saw the church for sale.

“Both of us were conspiring separately to convince the other one,” Terri said. “It was an answer to our prayers.”

A fter buy ing the 8,000 square-foot church, the Menifees set to work restoring the structure, which was slated to be condemned. Everything from the pews to the 600 square feet of stained-glass windows and the 1910 Molar pipe organ was kept in its original condition.

“We stopped the deterioration process and kept everything in a ‘time capsule,’sealed,” Terri said.

Marc and Terri converted the back half of the second floor into an apartment, then began making preparations to turn other parts of the church into an art studio, which they have named ArtChurch.

The process was not easy. Terri saidthat financially, buying and restoring the church has been a huge stretch and there have been times when it seemed like ends would not meet. But each time, their needs were provided. Terri began recording a video diary for YouTube, and when people from a Virginia branch of Bank of America saw it, they offered to help the Menifees with a business loan.

“It was meant to happen,” Terri said. “This is the right thing to do all the way around.”

Both Menifees are artists. Terri holds a master’s in art history and has taught from kindergarten to college in both public and private schools. Marc is a sculptor. Terri said that she had reached a point in her career where she was simply burned out at the end of the day and was looking for a change of venue.

“I reached a point where I was in the have-to mode,” she said. “Art is a euphoric experience based on passion that should be driven by want.”

Beginning in June, ArtChurch will offer workshops, classes and summer camps.Ter r i sa id A r tChu rch ha s something for everyone. June is “teacher feature” month, and classes will be offered in subjects ranging from art history to architecture. Then in July, children’s art camps will be available. In the fall, a homeschool program and a Mommy-and-Art program for preschoolers will begin. Classes will be taught in the “cathedral room,” or sanctuary.

“You want to make art in that space,” Menifee said.

Cost for the camps is $125 per child, which includes the snacks and all supplies. Art Adventures, which w ill be held on Saturdays throughout the month of July, will cost $60 for members and $80 for nonmembers. No more than 12 children will be accepted per class, and each is on a firstcome, first-served basis.

“All the teachers conducting classes will be certified,”Menifee said. “I want them to be as good as I would be.”

The Menifees are grateful for the chance they have been given to not only make a change in their own lives, but also to help make a difference in the lives of others.

“My mantra is to perpetuate the creative spirit,” Menifee said. “We are just two artists plugging along from one day to the next.”

This applies to their children as well. Menifee said thatone of the reasons she wanted to take on this mission is to help instill a sense of adventure in her boys. Her 11-yearold has been playing the piano for six years, she said, and the pipe organ has just “blown him away.”

“I want to teach my children to go for their dreams,” she said. “It’s not about what you could lose. It’s about what you can’t gain.”

She said that all in all, her children have had a good attitude when it came to the adjustments everyone had to make, although they occasionally dislike having to share a room.

“It’s about the experience,” she said. “My children will never forget this experience.”

To sign up for camps or workshops, contact Terri Menifee at (501)282-8343 or visit www.artchurch.org.

Tri-Lakes, Pages 65, 67 on 05/22/2008