By Nicole Gruter | Photo by Hillary Schave
ART House 360’s innovative leadership team, consisting of four distinct artistic directors, is nearing the home stretch of renovations inside a 1917 Verona schoolhouse. Dusty plaster walls and peeling linoleum are giving way to original brickwork, wood flooring and a new purpose: creative collaboration.
The new facility will have affordable studios for working artists, plus performance and exhibition space. Situated serendipitously adjacent to the city’s new outdoor amphitheater plaza, the venture brings an artistic ecosystem and destination art space to Verona and western Dane County. The nonprofit’s mission is to create access and inclusion to arts education and programs for diverse, multigenerational communities so that more people may experience greater wellbeing through the arts.
Co-founder Karisa Johnson, artistic director of Slate BLUE Studios, confirms, “360 means multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural, multi-generational.”
Monica Cliff, co-founder and creative director of Inventiva Works, which provides art and theater classes in Spanish, explains, “A big need is sustainability for artistic practices. It’s complicated to be proficient when you don’t have a space where you can master your craft or create new works.”
Jessica Lanius, co-founder and artistic director of Theatre LILA, agrees.
“A lot of spaces are for presenting, but where can you dig into the work? Creating an artistic place where you have a consistent home, that’s where you build trust and get good at your work,” she says.
Dance, visual art, theater and music will all have a home at ART House 360. The fourth co-founder, AJ Juarez, is director of Barrio Dance.
“We’re so excited to reach people of all ages and bring art into people’s lives in new ways,” says Juarez.
The project has raised $1.6 million of its $3 million goal with help from generous donations from The Evjue Foundation, the City of Verona, Dane County, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and many individuals and businesses.
ART House 360’s grand opening is slated for spring 2025. The public can tour the facility, try different art forms, meet the building’s mural artists and enjoy food and beverages in the community room.
“We believe the arts have the power to grow our sense of community and create transformative, inclusive experiences for people of all ages,” says Lanius.
