Creative Jam Art Co. provides Inclusive Space for Expression

By Laura Bailey

On the banks of the Pequabuck River sits Creative Jam Art Co., an inclusive space for artists to create and be inspired.

The Latina-owned business located on Riverside Avenue was started by artists Marlo Marrero Fernandez, Irmie Sauntinez and Brenda Ayende.

“I remember when Marlo came over and said, ‘Why can’t three Latina women open a business here?’” Ayende said, “and I thought, ‘Yeah, why not?’ Then we hit the ground running.”

“It was Kismet;” Sauntinez added, “it all fell into place at the right time. When the three of us started talking, I thought, ‘How could I not do this?’ This is what I always wanted to do.”

Determined to make their dream a reality, the three friends worked tirelessly to find a space and create bodies of work.

“It was under six months from start to finish,” Fernandez said. “We were serious about this and worked hard to create a welcoming space.”

The studio features tables for artists to bring their creations to life, comfortable chairs and couches to lounge and a large room for birthday parties and events. Since opening on Oct. 13, Fernandez said that she has received positive feedback from patrons.

“We had a woman, Grandma Noreen, in here on Saturday,” said. “She came with her family, her son, his wife and her grandkids. She wanted to do an alternative thing for her grandkids for Halloween. She said, ‘I’m going to pay for them to come and have an experience here instead of giving them candy. She said they all had a lot of fun.”

Across from the seating is a large room adorned in rainbow colors strewn along the walls and floor. This unique space is a favorite among visitors to the studio who engage in the splatter room experience as well as glow-in-the dark splatter.

Participants are given a canvas and offered their choice of brushes in all shapes and sizes, combs, squishy balls and other creative methods to splatter paint. Guests undergo a multisensory experience that many have called therapeutic while creating their brightly colored masterpiece.

“I came here before and brought three 13-year-olds, one family member and two of her friends, to try the splatter experience,” said Kathy Rowe. “I wanted them to try it because my niece is interested in art, and she’s never done something like this. They were entertained and they want to come back.”

_{^{The walls and carousel horse of the splatter room glow in the dark. Comfy seating surrounded by beautiful art inside Creative Jam Art co. | Laura Bailey}}

^{_{Marlo Marrero Fernandez (left) and Kathy Rowe (right) mixing acrylic paint. | Laura Bailey}}

_{^{Left: Art created using the “kiss” method. Right: The room available for rent for parties and events. | Laura Bailey}}

A horse from the Carousel Museum resides in the middle of the splatter room covered in flecks of neon paint from past participants. The horse, whom Ayende has affectionally named “Charlie” will be switched out for the holiday season for a 6-foot-tall nutcracker. In addition to the splatter room, Creative Jam Art Co. is currently offering several workshops.

“We have some really fun holiday workshops coming up,” Ayende said. “We have nutcrackers, snowman and ornaments for people to paint that they can use as a centerpiece or as decorations.”

Fernandez, Ayende and Sauntinez felt that it was important to create an inclusive space for artists in Bristol and would like to see community members using the space to engage in a positive way.

“Ultimately we would like this to be a space where people can come in, have some coffee, we have a Keurig machine in the back, and be inspired,” Sauntinez said. “We really want this to be an inclusive space for the community.”

Laura Bailey can be reached at lbailey@bristoledition.org