who we are

InterUrban ArtHouse is a 10,000 sq ft, artist run, non profit arts facility with 19 artist studios, a 2,500 sq ft gallery, and indoor/outdoor performance and event rental spaces. Through building ownership, we offer affordable studio and rental space, free or low cost events for the public, and artist entrepreneurial training. We also have a vast network of artist members in both Kansas and Missouri.

mission

InterUrban ArtHouse is a designated 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

Our mission is to enrich the cultural and economic vibrancy of the community by creating a place where artists and creative industries can work and prosper in an affordable, sustainable and inclusive environment.

Core Objectives:

To offer a place where artists and creative industries can make and support art in a stable and affordable environment.
To fully integrate arts activities within the community by creating an open atmosphere through engagement, inclusivity and diversity.
To promote and facilitate the successful entrepreneurism of the creative industries by sharing resources, building connections and supporting collaborations.
To support growth and sustainability of the arts through education and professional and artistic development.

who we serve

InterUrban ArtHouse celebrates the spread of the arts across Kansas City and into all communities, but particularly to those who are under-resourced, under-represented, or who lack access. The arts are for all, and should be available to all, whether to those who are pursuing their own craft or to enthusiasts, appreciating from the outside. IUAH serves those who identify as artists (66.5%), as well as non-artist enthusiasts (34.7%).

The ArtHouse primarily serves the Greater Kansas City metropolitan, both on the Missouri side in Jackson, Clay and Platte counties and on the Kansas side in Johnson and Wyandotte counties.

programs

Artists face limited access to affordable workspace, business training, and paid opportunities, while many residents encounter cost and access barriers to creative experiences. InterUrban ArtHouse bridges these gaps by integrating space, services, and stage under one roof. Our programs equip artists, especially those from under-resourced communities, with entrepreneurial skills, mentorship, and income-earning opportunities, while ensuring that the arts remain accessible to all.

ArtSpace is InterUrban ArtHouse’s physical location, a non-profit-owned arts and cultural hub providing affordable space for artists and community in a 10,000 sq. Ft. former USPS sorting facility.

ArtWorks affords opportunities for entrepreneurial development training to creatives to become professional, self-sufficient small businesses.

ArtMatters provides opportunities for artists of all levels wishing to advance their artistic skills, learn new studio methods, participate in discussions and critiques, connect with other creatives, and exhibit their works through the ArtHouse’s six annual open exhibitions.

ArtSmart provides pre-K through 12th grade students in Title I schools with arts enrichment and curriculum integration for enhanced learning.

ArtsConnect represents the community Creative Placemaking and arts advocacy work done by IUAH.

ArtHeals provides arts-based mental, emotional, physical, and community health programming and events to the public including a 6-week annual exhibition dedicated to issues of community and individual health and wellness.

finances

equity + accessibility

Diversity, equity and inclusion are not initiatives at InterUrban ArtHouse; they are the foundation upon which the organization was built and the principles that continue to guide its work 13 years later. Founded by artist and community advocate Nicole Emanuel, IUAH was created in direct response to regional research documenting disparities in access to space, opportunity, and representation for artists in the Kansas City metro. Every program developed since – from affordable studios to professional development, exhibitions, and creative-wellness partnerships – exists to close those gaps.

IUAH’s commitment to equity is reflected in its structure and its people. Leadership is shared through a co-directorship model led by practicing artists Wolfe Brack and Brittany Noriega. The Board of Directors includes women and men of color, LGBTQ+ professionals, and community leaders representing diverse sectors and backgrounds.

The InterUrban ArtHouse facility is fully ADA compliant, bilingual and sign-language interpretation is available by request, online and hybrid classes extend reach beyond physical barriers, and assistive technologies are integrated across platforms.

our people

board of directors

Bill Kort

We honor the memory of Bill Kort, a valued member of our board whose vision and commitment helped shape our organization. His legacy continues to inspire us.

history

The InterUrban ArtHouse was founded by local community artist Nicole Emanuel. She studied Philosophy and Psychology at Hampshire College in Massachusetts and got her BA in “Design & Industry” with a minor in “Community Arts” from San Francisco State University, which began her career in public art and Creative Placemaking construction, She then received her BFA in Painting as KCAI’s 1996 Valedictorian. At 40, she moved to Overland Park with her family to raise their two young children. She noticed there were no spaces for artists in the area and decided to take action. You can read her entire story HERE

The release of several reports - including The “Status of Artists in Kansas City,” “The Suburban Arts Business Plan,” “Arts & Economic Prosperity Study IV,” and “Local Arts Index” - provided hard evidence that pointed to a need for a cultural and creative hub at the Southwestern end of the Metro Arts Corridor, a region spanning the state line from downtown KCMO. Research also identified the programs needed in such a facility.

In late 2011, InterUrban ArtHouse became a 501(c)3 organization, so named due to its location along the historic Missouri/Kansas InterUrban Railway, a trolley line running from 1906 through 1940 and connecting downtown Kansas City, Missouri to Overland Park and Olathe in northeast Kansas. Similarly, the ArtHouse serves as a bridge to connect the arts and cultural hubs of downtown and midtown Kansas City, Missouri with the metro’s Southwest Corridor, making for a more deeply interconnected arts and cultural ecosystem in the region.

IUAH’s community-wide survey – conducted in partnership with UMKC – identified six primary needs among regional creatives. The first was for permanent, affordable, accessible space for artistic, cultural, and creative businesses. This became InterUrban ArtHouse’s ArtSpace program. Our other programs (described below) include ArtsConnect, ArtWorks, ArtSmart, ArtMatters and ArtHeals.

By 2017, InterUrban ArtHouse purchased and renovated the old post office sorting facility in downtown Overland Park, which now provides nonprofit-owned space for creative businesses while providing authentically accessible programming for approximately 10,000 across artists and audiences annually.

In 2025 the ArtHouse transitioned its leadership model from a CEO to a dual Co-Directorship, and is in the process of cultivating a more active governing Board of Directors to maintain leadership oversight while simultaneously designing and implementing an Work-Trade Pathway for Studio Artists to gain arts administration experience in exchange for full or partial reduction of studio rent costs. This model puts development and sustainability of the nonprofit squarely in the hands of practicing artists while filling gaps in program facilitation, marketing, and curatorial assistance, among other areas of organizational need.