New art studio, The Collective, looks to enhance Elkader community

By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register

As one Elkader business ends, another begins. G’s Closet and Gallery has been rebranded The Collective, founded by a group of professional artists and small business owners who value the arts. 

The idea was born in the wake of G’s decision to stop selling clothing and become a gallery and yoga studio. Several of the artists knew the owner, Sally Stendel, and had displayed their own artwork in the building. They understood the long-standing relationship northeast Iowa has with advancing the arts and saw an opportunity—an opportunity to “work together to positively impact each other and enhance the well-being of the community.” 

The group of professionals and small businesses includes Jillian Webb Herrmann, Rabecca Jayne Hennessey, Ara Kuennen, Kate Chandler, Pamela Hiatt, Helen Rowell, Susan Guyer, Andrea Adams,  Jessica Quinn, Bonnie Bishop, Marcia Kruse, Bob Griffith, Brian Gibbs, Bridget McGreal,  Inhale Exhale Pilates and Yoga Studio, Teri Ann Marting, Steven Warren, Sally and Steve Stendel, Ryan Burke (Think Custom Ink) and Brian Bruening (Schera’s Restaurant. They’ve formed a partnership devoted to providing a space for artists to work, display and sell their work and “share their expression with the community.”

But it won’t be just another art studio, as the ownership group hopes to bring in art classes of  all forms and continue Pilates and yoga instruction. They also want to add artist receptions, live music and poetry readings and make efforts to cross-promote other businesses in towns, either via events or shared business motivations. 

An example is Sharp Art Iowa, which sells art supplies that could then be used in classes taught at The Collective. 

They gallery also believes it’s different than other studios because The Collective will have a working artist in the display window, a space for classes and a variety of artists who cover a scope of talent. 

Some of that talent includes Hennessey, partner and board member, who specializes in oil paints, incorporating the landscape around her. 

Then there is Elkader native Kate Chandler, partner and board member, who is a ceramic artist who wants to continue the community’s rich history of promoting the arts. 

Ara Kuennen, partner, board member and recent arrival to Elkader, is a jewelry maker and designer who works with silver and gemstones. 

There’s also Helen Rowell, whose main interests are watercolor and basket weaving. And don’t forget the yoga run by Bridget McGreal, who will focus more on the therapeutic nature of the practice rather than the athletic. 

These artists, along with many others, bring a vast array of experience, artistic expression and knowledge in a variety of art forms. Basically, if you want to learn about it, there is someone at The Collective who can help. 

“We hope to expand horizons and inspire people to stretch their boundaries and try something new…we feel art is a way of expression and a way of connecting. We can’t wait to connect with our community,” members of The Collective stated. 

The reason this expansion is taking place in Elkader and not a surrounding town, even though some of the members involved don’t reside in the community, is because of how well and how often the town embraces the arts. That’s exemplified by the active theater program at the Elkader Opera House, alleyway murals and the annual Art in the Park event. 

The Collective, for its part, will provide Elkader and its visitors with an opportunity to see what inspires local artists year round. 

“We are all drawn to the town in some fashion, so it just made sense to open the space to an artists’ co-op studio in Elkader,” said members of The Collective. 

What is it that makes art so necessary? According to Chandler, the arts act as a mechanism for bringing people together. In her case, that’s artists specifically. It has brought together a group of individuals who otherwise might not have benefited from interacting. It opens new relationships, expands ideas and promotes creativity. Being around other artists has the potential to produce better art and better artists. 

But it’s not just the artists themselves who benefit, it’s also the community. 

“Art is an outlet for expression and interpretation of the world around us, whether it’s through the movement of the body, the movement of words on paper or the movement of a pen or brush or a piece of clay or silver or the lens of a camera.  Art is a true extension of what is inside each of us,” members of The Collective said. 

Its importance to Elkader can also be judged by the community response, which has been overwhelmingly positive. There was an enthusiasm that “poured through the open doors on Ladies Day Out,” members of The Collective stated. The support and excitement has left them feeling “optimistic” about the future, as they look forward to holding fundraisers and hosting events that not only benefit and support the business, but also the community at-large. 

When asked what was so exciting about this opportunity, oil painter and board member Pamela Hiatt said, “The camaraderie, our vision for the future, the enthusiasm of everyone involved, the atmosphere of Elkader and the diversity of the artists.”

But it was perhaps abstract painter, partner and board member Jillian Webb Herrmann who provided the lasting impression of The Collective and what it means to the people involved and what it will mean for the future of Elkader. 

“It’s incredibly uplifting to surround yourself with passionate people. Everyone involved is excited about the opportunity, about working together, learning from each other, supporting each other and about being part of this community,” she said.