The Workshop
The Workshop is the in-house art lab and production studio of South17.
Its task is to build and maintain an inventory of unique, one-of-a-kind creations for the home, office, and other spaces.
Our creative process involves environmental and community concerns. Almost every item The Workshop produces consists of recycled, reclaimed or restored materials. By clearing out abandoned dwellings and collecting insufficiently discarded refuse, redirecting the salvaged materials into quality artwork and valuable commodities, we hope to support community development and economic growth.
Garland Farwell
I have a background in visual theater, mural painting, and art education. My work has taken me to various cities and countries across the globe. I've lived for awhile in many of them, including Ireland, South Africa, New York, London, and Berlin. Few places have inspired me to stick around as long as Alabama. I've resided here since 2008 but it is still fresh and constantly new.
I initially came to the Black Belt to explore Folk Art, Rural Art, and Outsider Art. All of which are here in abundance. The practical, humble, simple yet sophisticated approach of these regional artists has influenced my own practice and transformed my work.
I established the South17 Workshop as a kind of Folk Art laboratory; a place to re-examine this already broad idiom and to foster innovation and invention within it.