The Lark's Nest
Our Mission:
The Lark's Nest is committed to the advancement and preservation of the arts, crafts, and trades through the provision of equipment and materials housed in a dedicated space where community members can connect with skilled artists and tradespeople to acquire new skills and explore artistic practices.
Meet Our Founder
Ava Larkin
In 2007, Ava made up her mind that she would one day establish a center for creativity in her hometown, Dade City. At the time she was mid-way through her Senior year in the University of Delaware’s Fine Art program and was applying to graduate schools around the U.S.
Come Spring Ava would accept an offer from Herron School of Art and Design at IUPUI, where she would focus on Art in Public Spaces as part of their MFA program.
In the preceding years, Ava’s academic and work history ran the gamut. She attended colleges in Florida, Alabama, Boston and New York City. She studied music, foreign languages and singing. She was a licensed realtor in Florida and Tennessee, worked for Billboard in Nashville, was a flight attendant and model for Independence Air, freelanced for the Window Department and Interiors at Bergdorf Goodman, and was a backup singer for a handful of musicians.
By the time she enrolled at the University of Delaware Ava felt confident she was finally heading in the right direction. Little did she know that she would be trying on a few more hats before too long.
After grad school, Ava decided it wasn’t quite time to head back to Dade City. So, she packed her bags and moved to South Korea, where she spent the next 4 years teaching, learning Korean, meeting amazing people, traveling, and experiencing as much as possible before returning home, at her parents’ request.
It would take 7 more years before the opportunity to open The Lark’s Nest would present itself. In the time leading up to it, Ava and her mom set out on a new adventure and opened their own title company, Larkin & Larkin Title Services, LLC, which continues to provide endless challenges and opportunities for Ava to learn (therefore, her attention hardly ever wavers). AND, it has allowed Ava to finance her dream!
With the help of artist, jewelry instructor, and friend Shari Deoki, and support of her family and community, Ava Larkin and The Lark’s Nest would like to officially welcome all to come in, explore, learn, share, contribute, and connect!
Ava will be offering workshops in welding, fabrication, upcycling, and printmaking throughout 2024. Additionally, Ava, Shari and guest instructors will be hosting monthly community arts and crafts events, where participation is FREE!