Magpie Art Center Needs Your Help!

I’ve been asked why I want to start an art center. After reflection, I guess I’ve been thinking about this for quite some time, and I didn’t realize how long until I found a note on my computer that said Sedalia Properties for Art School with links to properties that had come up for sale over time. The note was started in 2017. I guess it’s been percolating for a while.

When driving through Sedalia, I always wondered what the house at 4138 Rio Grande Ave. was like inside. It looked abandoned, with no activity whatsoever. So, when my mother passed away, I sold her house a year or so later. Before I signed the sales contract for my mother’s house, 4138 Rio Grande Ave, came up for sale. It seemed perfect timing, and the house had the perfect layout and location.

So, I found the place, but I didn’t answer the why of the desire for an art center. I’ve taught college classes for over fifteen years. Primarily graphic design and design thinking, and I also taught drawing. My greatest joy was seeing students bewildered by a problem and arrive at a solution. You could almost see the light bulb blinking above their head. Learning is a hard road but a joyful one. I love creating, painting, drawing, ceramics, or playing with fabrics and new mediums. The process is perplexing yet peaceful at the same time. It gives your brain a workout, and you’re mentally taken to another place. The study of neuroscience and art has revealed how healthy being in a creative environment and interacting with other creatives brings us joy and serenity. Explore the book Your Brain on Art to learn more about this subject.

The second question I get asked often is, “Why Magpie?” These beautiful corvids hang out at our place, and they’ve nested a couple of years on our property. The magpie builds an architectural wonder for their nest. I love watching the fledglings explore their world with curiosity and wonder. They play when learning, and I find them to be highly creative. They have all the qualities of an artist.

Pursuing this dream, everything was falling into place except my naivete and my optimism. I thought that Magpie Art Center would be open by now, but other plans were in the works. I found the right house at the right time and location. I was told there was an astounding amount of work to get the place opened for business. I thought, “They exaggerate. This is just a bump in the road!” Well, the bump has become a mountain. I have almost reached the summit, but need some help getting over the top. So far, the roof and windows have been replaced. There is a new furnace and water heater ready to roar. Electrical and plumbing are brand spanking new, with just the finishing touches to be done. The septic, well, here’s where I started running out of funds…I need a new septic system so the shiny new plumbing can be put to use. Then there is the bathroom and kitchen to finish up, and did I mention there is painting and the flooring needs to be installed. So, you can see just how optimistic I am, and I AM looking into getting help with this, but then I would need money to make this happen too. I will put this on the To Do list for next year.

If you share my vision for an art center in Sedalia, I graciously ask for your support in helping me reach my goal of building a community gathering place where we can explore our creative possibilities. Magpie Art Center is more than a place just for artists. It’s for those who want to play in a creative environment and learn new things, like a magpie!