Artisans at the Dahmen Barn has featured 125 local artists on the Palouse, and will continue to highlight the crafts and talents the community has to offer.
Located in the small city of Uniontown nestled between the wheat fields of the Palouse, the Barn opened in 2006 to accommodate art exhibitions, feature local artists and have a retail shop with the artists’ work up for sale.
Julie Hartwig, Barn manager and curator, said the Barn is a big economic factor for local artists and accommodating to almost anyone trying to start a business or feature their skills.
“I like to give everybody a chance,” Hartwig said.
The Barn features art ranging from ceramics, watercolor, culinary products, music, weaving and more, and is open Monday–Wednesday for visitors who want to browse the retail or look at the exhibits. The Barn also has art studios where artists can work on their craft.
On monthly art openings, 20–100 people will attend at a time, Hartwig said. Most of the attendees come from surrounding cities in the Palouse and stretch as far as Spokane, Tri-Cities, Walla Walla and Lewiston, Idaho.
On the days that the Barn is not open, it is available for events or to be rented out. The Barn has caught the eye of many people from around the U.S. and other countries, Hartwig said. SportsCar magazine stopped by the Barn during a tour of the Palouse on June 15 and featured many cars from the U.S., Canada and even some from Europe.
The Barn can also be used as a stepping-stone for success, as seen by artist Grace Zimmerman, who took ceramics classes at the Barn to hone her skills. After being crowned Miss Idaho in 2019, Zimmerman decided to compete for Miss America and perform on-stage wheel throwing with the pottery skills she learned from the Barn ceramics instructor Kassie Smith.
Zimmerman has worked at the Barn for a year teaching ceramics classes on Wednesday evenings. Any skill level and experience are welcome, and she has taught individuals ranging from kindergarten to senior citizens.
“I get to fuel my passion,” Zimmerman said.
Teaching ceramics is a hobby for Zimmerman, but she said it gives her a foot-in-the-door opportunity if she ever decides to expand into more of a business.
Although Zimmerman has only taken and taught pottery classes, she has attended many of the events the Barn has hosted featuring other art. The Barn is significant to the culture of the Palouse, and Zimmerman said the Barn’s existence there was a nod to the fact that artists can be anywhere — even in a small agricultural community.
“It’s just really neat to see such a rural space really enriched with art … it is really special,” Zimmerman said.
