Told by Amber Sallee

I can’t exactly recall the last time I stepped foot in the Startup Gym but let’s just say, it’s been a few years. Truthfully, the gym was in better condition than I expected it to be.  Built post war, during Teddy Roosevelt’s ‘New Deal’, the gym was built to be a functional and practical place for sport.  It still holds the beauty and functionality it did so many years ago with it’s deep, dark, aged wooden stairs and a gym floor that is scuffed, but still useful. Old wooden backboards, creaky balcony seating and a stage that has presented many an awards ceremony. The gym has had numerous uses over the past 50 years and most of them are reflected there still in one form or another.. a voting sign from when it was still used as a polling place, pre-school cubbies, even a tattered Bible, that has been visited by the local hungry mouse. Around every corner we discovered a new layer. It is beautiful. With each click of the camera our excitement grows.  The potential and history this building holds is something of a marvel.. maybe, even, dare I say, magic? Andrea and I  are eager to show you the beginnings of our “coming home” body of work.  Below are a few images that we caught that day.  We are hoping to have 3 finished pieces (which will look different than these posted below) available for viewing on June 16th during the Sky Valley Arts Council social.  Mark your calendars! Come out and see what potential this wonderful historic building holds!

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