Cheryl Douty is the Art Store manager and has worked at Andover for the past 17 years. She manages the darkrooms, exhibits, and the art store on campus. As an Andover native, she enjoys the campus atmosphere and nature in the spring term.
Sewing started for me back when I was in junior high school. My mom taught me to sew when I was very young, so I’ve always taken those skills and kind of stuck with it. And over the years, I realized that once you know how to do a seam, you can pretty much create anything or fix anything. So I currently have about 170 dresses under my belt. I’ve been doing prom dresses for probably seven, or eight years now. So my skills here, go way beyond what you see in here. I’m not really an artist when it comes to painting and drawing. But I’m very creative when it comes to pulling mixed media together and the sewing side of things.
I’ve been with [Andover] 17 years today. I started part-time and over the years my responsibilities increased as did my required hours. The Art department comes to me for everything and anything necessary to do teach and support the art classes.
I started out as art store manager and have managed to turn what was a stockroom into a full-fledged store. It’s inviting, [and] a great place to visit and hang out while perusing the counters and shelves. As Albert Einstein quoted “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” The art store is a great place to make that happen.
A day at the Art Store relies on foot traffic and the needs of the [Andover] community. I maintain a wide variety of inventory from school supplies to fine art and crafty materials. Students and adults are welcome to request all sorts of things [that] I usually have available. If I don’t have it, I’m happy to bring it in. Behind the scenes are spent administrating the art department and overseeing exhibitions and studio maintenance.
My favorite thing to do on campus would be perusing the galleries and admiring the recent artwork. I find the campus very beautiful and look forward to the blooming trees.
The store is a wonderful resource for this community. It’s conveniently located between Chapel Avenue and the Elson Courtyard. Materials are purchased wholesale, which is passed through to the community. It’s open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.. Wednesday, it’s open 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.. This is a great place to purchase or create gifts. Students have been known to make Prom-Posals. A popular item this winter has been yarn crafts, crocheting, and knitting. The art store now carries yarn and needles.
My grandmother was always my greatest inspiration. She was born in 1894 and lived to 102 [years old]. She was a classy lady, was compassionate, and lived through so many changes in our world.
If I were to have a “spirit animal” I would have to say [a] cat. They seem to have the best life.
I really like the salad bar and sandwich bar. I grab and go so am quite satisfied with the offerings there.
You don’t need to leave campus to get materials for your class projects, class supplies, gifts or downtime crafts. Everything you could possibly need can be found right here on campus. My overall best piece of advice to students is, “Stay true to yourself. Feel free to take advice from others, but your decisions should be made in your own best interests.” I wish someone had said those words to me when I was younger.
