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.
programs
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.
people
Wolfe Brack
Co-Director
Wolfe@interurbanarthouse.org
Brittany Noriega
Co-Director
Brittany@interurbanarthouse.org
James Faren
Grants Manager
James@interurbanarthouse.org
Ellen Creed
Financial Manager
Ellen@interurbanarthouse.org
board of directors
Kwanza Humphrey
Regina Kort
Glenn Lavezzi
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
Nicole Emanuel, Founder
InterUrban ArtHouse was founded and developed by local community artist, Nicole Emanuel. We began in 2011 as a series of conversations with artists, arts organizations and civic and business leaders. It was clear there was a void in arts resources and studio facilities for Northeast Kansas.
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 reports provided the hard evidence that points to a need for a cultural and creative hub at the Southwestern end of the Metro Arts Corridor, a region that stretches across the state line from Downtown KC.
Kansas City Metro’s creative renaissance is a unique arts ecology that is anchored in a diaspora of locations across a span across the state-line between Kansas and Missouri. InterUrban ArtHouse is just one of the hubs that act as an anchor along this metro-wide cultural corridor.