At the heart of all creative activities is an idea.
As Elizabeth Gilbert wrote in Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, “Ideas are a disembodied, energetic life-form . . . Ideas are driven by a single impulse: to be made manifest. And the only way an idea can be made manifest in our world is through collaboration with a human partner.”
That’s a long and breathy way to introduce InterUrban ArtHouse in downtown Overland Park, a place where artful ideas connect with human partners to flourish—and thrive.
InterUrban ArtHouse (IUAH) was itself an idea that dawned on artist and community arts activist Nicole Emanuel in 2011. When she lived in San Francisco, recalls Emanuel, “I was working in the streets, painting murals in neighborhoods. We were a motley crew of students, artists, neighbors, men, women, seniors, children, black, white, Latino, gay, straight, left, right,” she says. “That inclusion deeply changed me. Doing narrative art in neighborhood streets taught me that the story is not in me. The story—the narrative—only comes to life between us, only matters among us, not for the maker alone.”
Having also studied design and industry at San Francisco State University, the Kansas City Art Institute graduate leaned into what she calls “creative placemaking” or establishing live/work spaces for artists of all kinds.
After several years of grant-writing, fundraising, and temporary housing, IUAH set up shop in the vacant mail-sorting space adjacent to the downtown Overland Park post office. The wide-open interior features 19 art studios with 24 working artists, with studios and staff offices around the perimeter of a large gathering area. Emanuel has her own studio at IUAH and remains on its board of directors.
To make sure that this project continued to be dynamic, inclusive, and self-sustaining, Emanuel and the other board members established six guiding principles or “pillars” for InterUrban ArtHouse.
ArtSpace
“We offer affordable, inclusive, accessible space for artists to work,” says CEO Angi Hedjuk. And that’s crucial for artists. Having a dedicated studio has certainly helped resident artist Chico Sierra, who formerly worked in his garage, which was cold in winter, hot in summer—neither ideal for painting or showcasing his work. The El Paso native turned to art after learning disabilities caused him to drop out of school. He learned to express himself through acrylic paint on canvas, working to “reclaim the spiritual iconography of Indigenous people around the world, reclaim it as a language,” he says. The studio space at ArtHouse has given him “the space to express myself,” he says, “and the confidence that comes with it.”
Today, resident artists include jewelry-makers, printmakers, mixed media/fabric artists, portraitists, muralists, palette-knife painters, sculptors, leatherworkers, and plein air painters. Artists must apply for a one-year residency.
IUAH artists also have a profile with contact information on the organization’s website, so interested parties can contact them for future work.
ArtWorks
And speaking of work, artists also need business training, and this is where ArtWorks comes in. IUAH works with the Kauffman Foundation to offer peer-led business, professional development, and entrepreneurship classes via Zoom for attendees all over the metro area. These classes address the specific needs of artists, from how to write an artist statement to how to handle commissions, taxes, and bookkeeping.
ArtMatters
“Each of our centerpiece exhibitions focuses on important social topics,” says Hedjuk. Resident artists like Sierra might exhibit works that pertain to the theme or talk with community members and school kids about it. Recent exhibitions include the yearly Queer Experience, Tangled Roots—an exploration of diversity and connection, Her Art/Their Art—in partnership with the UMKC Women’s Center featuring works by those who identify as female or non-binary, and ArtHeals—the important role that art plays in healing.
ArtHeals
Another imperative is to explore how art can heal. Arts-based mental, emotional, physical, and community health programming and events are open to the public at IUAH. Family and art therapist Sherri Jacobs works with clients at her ArtHouse studio. “I met Nicole Emanuel through an arts event, and she was eager to get an art therapist in the mix,” says Jacobs of how this came about. “I bring art-making into the process of helping people overcome obstacles in their lives. It’s a key component to go beyond traditional talk therapy,” she says. “Usually when a therapist asks clients about something that happened that’s difficult to talk about, sketching or painting or drawing softens the trauma a bit. It helps access things faster. Making art also helps conceptualize the future so people can envision a way out.”
ArtSmart
As Chico Sierra makes evident, art can be a way to give kids who might have “fallen through the cracks” a voice. IUAH partners with the Shawnee Mission School District to offer cross-cultural arts enrichment in economically disadvantaged schools. Kids engage with local artists through dance, storytelling, music, poetry, painting, sculpture, and field trips. For artist instructors, ArtSmart provides professional development opportunities. In 2021 alone, ArtSmart instructors led 18 classes in four participating Title-1 schools, serving 336 students.
ArtsConnect
The InterUrban ArtHouse aims to connect with adults and kids in the metro area. Reaching out to the community and involving disparate voices is central to the InterUrban ArtHouse’s mission. Wolfe Brack, the art director at IUAH, makes sure of that. A trained chef from an artistic family, Brack met founder Emanuel when he was freelancing as a performing fire-breather. (“My best advice: Don’t inhale,” he quips.) “She was looking for someone who was open to all kinds of creativity, who could do lots of strange things,” he says with a laugh.
“I enjoy creating experiences,” he explains, whether it be spoken-word storytelling nights, socially conscious exhibits, or art crawls. Every third Friday, he helps host a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. so community members on both sides of the state line can see what’s happening. “We’re all about breaking down barriers.”
Right now, he is gearing up for the Arts on Fire! fundraiser scheduled for Friday, October 20. Local and resident artists are asked to create and contribute a six-by-six-inch work of art on any medium, signed on the back, which will be for sale at the event. Brack expects hundreds of small works of art. And hundreds of attendees.
“It will be a blast,” says Brack. “It’s a night of fundraising, sideshows, performances, treats, and libations.”
Until then, what would InterUrban ArtHouse most like IN Kansas City readers to know?
“We’re here,” says Brack. “We provide a place where art is part of our lives, every day.”
Adds Hedjuk, “I am proud of the authenticity in everything we do and our commitment to continually learn, adapt, and pivot to meet the needs of the community. “
“It’s amazing how unifying art can be,” says Brack.