Nazanin Ahmady and Zahra Jahanyfard, who teach at the Junction Arts studio, said they have continued to safely offer art therapy and instruction through the pandemic. One step inside their whimsically designed domain reveals a vast array of art tools and supplies and the fruits of creative labor.
Junction Arts is located in an orange house with blue shutters on the south side of the Depot Cafe on Half Main Street. The art school has had to reduce capacity to accommodate a maximum of five guests in any given class, but Ahmady said the studio will soon be expanded to add another room and more patio space for outdoor sessions. This will help spread students out with social distancing.
“We’ve gotten creative in different ways to not let go of the dream,” she said.
Ahmady added that she sometimes reserves the studio for only herself and art therapy clients. Moreover, Junction Arts recently began hosting a book club that gathers virtually over Zoom video calls.
Services at the studio include pottery, painting, illustration, fabric work and many others. Ahmady said she and Jahanyfard both like to tailor classes to individual desires.
Ahmady, who owns Junction Arts, bought the house from Armondo Balderramos in 2018. Balderramos, who lived in the house as a child, can still be seen helping around the property and creating artwork, Ahmady said. Balderramos and Frisco resident Brad Sharp, who came up with the Junction Arts name, helped the artist duo manifest the space into a downtown community fixture, she said.
The idea to create an urban art hub came when Ahmady saw day laborers congregating at the adjacent Quick Check Convenience Store and Depot Cafe. She felt compelled, she said, to create a place where they could potentially practice a new medium.
Since the studio opened in 2018, Ahmady said, she has sought ways to bring the community together through art. Before the pandemic, she held workshops for children with special needs and seniors.
Ahmady, who serves on the Frisco Public Art Board, advocates for art as a form of introspection. She said she believes anyone can enrich themselves through creation.
“This is a safe space where you can listen to yourself,” Ahmady said.
Junction Arts
6765 Half Main St., Frisco
469-770-0980
www.artinfrisco.com
Hours vary
