Art has the power to move people and conjure deep emotions. Art can transform something fully, and Art For Art’s Sake has done just that for the people and the city of Winston-Salem. Art For Art’s Sake, known as the AFAS group, is a local Winston-Salem art center, located in the Red Dog Gallery downtown. It offers galleries, studios, and workshops. The goal of AFAS is to expand and build art throughout North Carolina. AFAS has become a focal point for the art community. 

“We saw the need to help local artists with their sales and marketing,” Gwen Scott, treasurer and co-founder of AFAS, said. “We send out letters to the artists, we tell them what we’re looking for, and they pick us.” 

The founding of AFAS came at the perfect time. In 2007, during an urban struggle in Winston-Salem, many people wanted concrete ways to re-energize the downtown area and revamp the city.

 “When we first started thinking about starting Art For Art’s Sake, it was a time when downtown needed to be rebuilt,” Vice Chairman Julie Knabb said. “It had really sunk to some of the lowest lows. It was a time to revitalize the area. We first started with an event called Arts on Sundays, which allowed artists to set up and offer entertainment to the public.” 

Arts on Sundays not only helped expand the platform for local artists, but it expanded the platform of AFAS. The event helped gain traction for AFAS and their popularity grew over time. Eventually, the founders gained enough money, and funding for a new building began. Starting in December of 2014, with the help of local design company STITCH, construction for the new gallery and art park began. 

By May of 2015, the building was complete and AFAS was officially open to the public. Over time, AFAS continued to grow its following, offering free art exhibition space for artists and expanding to dance and music classes. However, right when AFAS hit its stride, peaking in popularity, COVID-19 hit and the downtown area was heavily impacted. The gallery began to struggle.

“COVID really changed some things,” Scott said. “It forced us to change up some things, and it also made some other things difficult to get back into play and working again.” This made some of their more engaging workshops, such as dance and music, difficult to continue.

Despite these challenges, AFAS adapted and continued expanding its numerous programs, emphasizing local talent in the process, with some current artists including: Maymuna Abdulhalim, Tim Adams, and Aaron Adkins. Today, AFAS and the Red Dog Gallery showcase several exhibitions annually. They offer it all, whether it’s art like raku pottery, handmade jewelry, sculptures, paintings, or their performance art classes. 

“That’s what we do,” said Scott. “We build, educate, and celebrate the art community.”