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Ashley Hawkins of Studio Two Three in her Byrd Park home. The painting is by one of Studio Two Three’s former interns, artist Sophie Treppendahl, who now works out of one of the nonprofit’s studios. Although Hawkins is terrified of motorcycles, come fall and winter she sports a leather jacket that her motorcycle-riding parents purchased for her in Ohio.
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For Valentine’s Day, Hawkins gave son Max papier-mâché bird sculptures created by Richmond artist Sarah Hand, who teaches and keeps a studio at Studio Two Three.
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For Christmas 2016, Jay surprised Hawkins with a custom live-edge oak bed frame made by local woodworker “Wolfman Dan” of Wolfman Industries.
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In daughter Zoey’s closet-sized nursery hangs a glitzy mobile crafted from a branch Jay found and metallic peacock feathers that Hawkins repurposed from an old metal Christmas tree.
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While volunteering for the 2013 Street Art Festival at the GRTC depot, Hawkins and husband Jay found an old bus sign that Jay returned to working order.
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The Valentine recently donated archived letter-press equipment to Studio Two Three. One of those items was a New York Times printer’s apron covered in ink.
Ashley Hawkins’ Byrd Park home is filled with the joy and energy of a young family. Paper chains, mobiles, and happy prints made by Hawkins and family members adorn the home, along with artwork and furniture crafted by local makers.
Hawkins, executive director of the nonprofit community art center Studio Two Three, shares her 900-square-foot home with her husband, Jay McGee, a home builder and owner of JLM Custom Homes, and their children, 3-year-old Max and 1-year-old Zoey, along with the friendly tabby Olive, named for the Olive Garden where she was found.
While most of Hawkins’ energy goes toward running Studio Two Three, she also fills her time with volunteering for the Democratic party, “momming,” and making art with her husband and kids. In winter 2015, Hawkins and husband Jay launched Hers (& His) Press, where they screen-print housewares such as tea towels. Their wares, which range from GRTC bus-route prints to Richmond pennant flags, can be purchased through Studio Two Three or at hersandhispress.com.
Originally from the Cleveland, Ohio, area, Hawkins has lived in Richmond since high school, attending Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School and then studying painting and printmaking at Virginia Commonwealth University. In 2008, she founded the print shop Studio Two Three in Manchester’s Plant Zero with friends Sarah Moore, Tyler Dawkins and Emily Gannon.
Since 2008, Hawkins’ role at Studio Two Three has evolved, as has the organization itself. In 2009, it became an incorporated business, in 2010 the print studio moved to The Fan to accommodate its rapid growth, and in 2011 it became a nonprofit, obtaining its 501(c)(3) status.
As co-founders pursued other endeavors, Hawkins returned to VCU to get her master’s degree in public administration and nonprofit management, graduating in 2013. “The administrative side is huge, and it’s been really rewarding for me,” she says. “That’s my art project — this big system of an organization and how it fits into the city.”
In spring 2015, Hawkins led Studio Two Three through another move, from West Main Street to a sprawling new space in Scott’s Addition. And, in late September, the nonprofit expanded, adding 10 studios, an expanded darkroom, a conference room, and a large flex space for classes and events.
