In the heart of downtown Athens, Ohio, Passion Works Studio brings together community and art. In 1998, Patty Mitchell founded it with the goal of creating a beautiful, art-driven place to support people with disabilities.
How Passion Works Bloomed
Patty’s story stems from her relationship with her older brother, who was institutionalized when she was a young child. Unfortunately, he passed away when she was 10.
This tragedy sparked Patty’s interest in more receptive care centers for people with disabilities. When she graduated from high school, she moved to Athens, Ohio, to attend Ohio University. She continued her passion by volunteering at the Ridges, formerly known as the Athens Mental Health Center. There, she realized just how important a welcoming space was needed for people with disabilities.
“We were reaching people in a deep, meaningful way, where otherwise, there is just so much neglect and abuse, and it was really hard,” Patty said.
The versatility in activities that the Ridges provided for their individuals inspired Patty to take a further step in helping these underrepresented communities. She just had to find the right moment.
Later on, Patty was introduced to a sheltered workshop.
“A sheltered workshop is a work environment for people with developmental differences… and these spaces are set up like factory-style work environments,” Patty said.
Patty was working for the Ohio Arts Council at the time and decided to combine her two joys: art and helping others. She had the idea to set up an art studio in the back of the sheltered workshop and quickly wrote up a grant to get the project started.
“I knew within moments that this could work, because people were so enthusiastic and interested, and paying attention to what the organization needed, which was engagement, employment options, and community integration,” Patty said.
Passion Works Studio empowers individuals with disabilities to be artists. It flips the switch on typical sheltered workshops by giving them freedom to explore their artistic side and create whatever they want.
Behind the Scenes
This whole process is extremely collaborative; Passion Works artists are paid to create, but volunteers or community members are more than welcome to participate and help with the process. Patty described the practice as a “call and response”.
Passio Works Studio receives no form of government funding and is instead based on community needs. They have used their approach in many different spaces, such as extended care facilities, abuse shelters, and orphanages.
“Wherever we’ve been asked, it has always worked, because it’s responding to the people who are in the room and what they like to do,” Patty said.
The Passion Works Studio website states that their practice follows the Creative Abundance Model, which has seven prongs: “inviting curiosity through the arts, building on abundance, growing creative economies, fostering inclusive communities, upcycling local resources, and cultivating collaborations.”
The Passion Flower
At the heart of Passion Works is the Passion Flower, which was the first project Patty and her team designed. These flowers are made from upcycled printing plates from the local Athens newspaper. After printing, the studio’s artists have full autonomy over what they choose to create on the metal.
“I know it sounds obvious, but it’s not typical that places would encourage people to focus on what could be perceived as an ‘obsession.’ We call it a passion. If that’s your passion, then that’s what we’re going to explore,” Patty said.
Patty achieved her main goal in this project: developing a welcoming and relaxed space for people with disabilities and inviting hope into their lives.
“This, to me, is creating the opportunity for families to have incredible hope and optimism, embracing their children and [those] that may have perceived disabilities or differences, that there’s so much possibility when anyone is in the right environment,” Patty expressed.
RMHC and Passion Works
Not only has Passion Works surrounded Athens, Ohio, with their beautiful and inspirational pieces, but they have also found charitable ways to help communities outside of their own.
In 2023, the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio underwent a massive expansion. The House nearly doubled in size and added a brand new state-of-the-art kitchen and dining area. During this time, Passion Works, sponsored by their friend Jeff Chadic, donated 22 Passion Works flowers to decorate the new dining room. The flowers add a charming touch to the space, providing families with a cheerful and beautiful backdrop.
To continue the relationship, Passion Works created the RMHC Passion Flowers. Twenty percent of its sales are donated right back to the Ronald McDonald House, helping to keep families close when children need healthcare.
“They’re to thank people, or to remind people of the good that they’re doing, or if they’re going through a crisis, it’s a flower that’s always blooming,” Patty said.
By buying an RMHC of Central Ohio Passion Flower, you can support our mission and Passion Works at the same time, helping to provide a home-away-from-home for families and to build more inclusive communities through collaborative art.
