Roxboro Community School (RCS) alumna Bailey Jacobs recently opened The Commonplace Studio & Collective on Main Street in Roxboro.
Jacobs graduated from RCS in 2014 where she took art throughout high school, having both Beth Barlow and Anne Bettendorf as art teachers. Jacobs also had her first exposure to ceramics in Bettendorf’s class. When asked how RCS helped get Jacobs where she is, she responded with, “Being able to have the influence of some really exceptional female teachers, like Beth Barlow and Anne Bettendorf, allowed me to recognize that creative passion could be a long term endeavor rather than just a pastime or a hobby. Seeing two women that possessed artistic talent really harness it as adults and [make it a career] I think impacted me in a greater way than I ever realized.”
Jacobs graduated from Liberty University in 2019 where she took more art classes and delved deeper into pottery. During the summer of 2018, she interned with Karen Godwin, a local potter, at her home studio in Roxboro. Jacobs realized that pottery was her niche and what she wanted to commit her life to. So, when she went back to school in the fall for her senior year, she took as many pottery classes as possible. Then, for her senior show, she did an exhibition of pottery, showcasing pieces of functional pottery she had created. She has dreamed of creating a collaborative creative space since graduating from college and said, “I have started it in small ways over those years but have never given myself to it fully until now.”
Jacobs returned to her hometown of Roxboro to realize her dream, saying, “I have spent enough time away from my hometown to realize that the roots I have here are extremely special to me and ones that I want to continue cultivating.” Jacobs’ studio offers collaborative classes by partnering with local artists to teach classes about their craft. She plans to open the pottery side of things in October. In regards to what she wants this space to be for the Roxboro community, Jacobs said, “I feel like Roxboro has all these wonderful pockets of communities but they all exist so separately. I would love to offer a space where that divisional gap can be bridged in a sense and people can all have a sense of home at The Commonplace all while still bringing their uniqueness to the table."