Local art community to receive a boost through museum renovation

By Riley Funk

Local creatives will soon have a new space to pursue artistic opportunities thanks to an expansion at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art.

The carriage house, located next to the main building, is undergoing a renovation that will be complete in the coming months.

Dansare Lawrence, marketing and communications coordinator for the museum, said once the project is finished, it will be a focal point for the art scene in St. Joseph.

“I think coming into this space, it legitimizes the art-making process. Offering a wider variety of mediums is going to just expand people’s opportunities to make art,” Lawrence said. “This just allows people to have bigger vision when they’re making art.”

The house has three levels: The basement and main floor will serve as classrooms and the top floor will be a lounge for parents.

Currently, classes are held in a smaller basement of the museum. However, since 2019, the museum has doubled the number of classes and class sizes. The increase in students in a small space caused museum leaders to look for a solution.

Not only will the carriage house create more room for the existing classes, but it will also allow the museum to bring in new art opportunities.

“We’d like to have ceramics, we’d like to have printmaking, glassmaking, jewelry making,” Lawrence said. “A lot of that requires equipment.”

The equipment needed includes kilns, drying racks, computers, lounge furniture and various art supplies.

Lawrence said item donations or financial contributions will help make these ideas a reality.

“Anything that anyone is willing to offer, from very small donations or even just time would be helpful all the way up to large monetary contributions,” Lawrence said.

There’s no exact opening date, but Lawrence said the plan is for it to be ready to go in the spring.

Once opened to the public, Lawrence said this addition will fulfill a great need in the area.

“People want to come enjoy other people’s company, make art, fill their souls. We are almost one of the few art community-based centers in St. Joseph that’s offering classes anymore. I think we’re filling a role that has previously been left vacant and we’re excited to provide more for our community,” Lawrence said.

To learn more about classes being offered at the Albrecht-Kemper Museum of Art, visit the website https://albrecht-kemper.org/classes/.