Art & Soul

A colorful cluster of creativity in Columbia.

The nine-square-block area north of Broadway makes up a small portion of downtown Columbia. But inside those blocks, known as the North Village Arts District, over 150 artists are creating vibrant music, artwork, and other products inside renovated and repurposed warehouses, buildings, and shops. Cafés, restaurants, yoga studios, galleries, performance spaces, a distillery and other businesses round out the space, which spans just under three-quarters of a square mile. 

“It is an eclectic community of businesses who support each other in a vibrant and fast-growing area,” says Tootie Burns, president of the North Village Arts District board of directors. “I see a lot of younger businesses coming in and putting their mark on the area, and it keeps us fresh and vibrant.” 

Though the area has been recognized in city planning documents for over 20 years, it began to revitalize, grow, and reinvent itself in 2007. That’s when developer Mark Timberlake purchased a former laundry company on Orr Street, commissioned local artist Chris Teeter to create 16 giant studio doors, and opened Orr Street Studios. The North Village Arts District was formed in 2009, and the organization received 501(c)(3) status in 2013. 

While businesses in the area do not have to be arts-focused, the NVAD has become a tight-knit community for artists and a collaborative, supportive, welcoming melting pot of innovative business owners.  

“We promote each other and support each other down there,” Tootie says. “If you need to borrow something, like easels or supplies, people are incredibly helpful and support their fellow businesses and artists. It is a true community.” 

For the past seven years, the NVAD has welcomed the community to the area for First Fridays, held from 6 to 9 p.m. on the first Friday of each month. It’s a free, welcoming, family-friendly event that invites the public to interact with artists, hear musical performances, see the Missouri Contemporary Ballet practice for an upcoming performance, or engage in a child-friendly project. First Fridays consistently attracts a large and loyal crowd. 

“Most of the galleries have a new show every First Friday, and a lot of the venues will have a musician or a demonstration that changes from month to month,” Tootie says. “We try to tie into a holiday if something is coming up. We have a holiday market, a Valentine’s market, and we celebrated the bicentennial by passing out cookies at different venues.” 

Although the NVAD suspended First Fridays and other events from March 2020 until March 2021, Tootie says the organization worked to remain active during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The NVAD was especially creative in the ways it safely engaged children as the city was adapting to COVID’s restrictions and challenges. 

“We did a children’s scavenger hunt in October 2020 where we had artists donate small handmade items, and we scattered over 100 treasures around the NVAD for kids to discover,” Tootie says. “We also gave away sets of sketch pads and colored pencils to our business members to give away. We have tried to remain active in reaching out to children during COVID, but it has been tough, and we want to do it safely.” 

While the district is constantly evolving and growing, Tootie says the board of directors continues to dream up ways to enhance the area for Columbia’s residents and visitors. This summer, after writing and submitting a grant application, the NVAD was awarded $231,530 from the Veterans United Foundation. The funds will make the North Village Arts Walk, which will feature 10 to 12 murals and art installations around the district, a reality. 

“We’ve talked about this for years, but this funding really allows us to do this,” Tootie says. “We are starting the process of identifying sites of the artwork and coordinating with artists for the artwork to be installed. We are planning to have rotating installations, but the majority will be permanent.” 

Tootie says that the North Village Arts Walk will be the NVAD’s biggest project to date and will come together over the course of several years. She imagines a “Little Free Art Gallery” that would serve as a lending library for art supplies and a home for small treasures for kids to find. 

“We would have that constructed by a carpenter and installed, and then put art supplies or free pieces of small artwork that children can come and access,” Tootie says. “I’m excited about that, and I think it might be one of our first projects.” 

Tootie says the NVAD board and the business community is also excited about the possibilities for the “Ameren site,” two acres of land at St. James and Orr streets, in the heart of the district. Although the land has restrictions for how it can be developed, Tootie says such a large area of green space in the middle of downtown would be a welcome addition to the neighborhood. 

“You don’t just get big chunks of open space in the downtown area,” she says. “There is a possibility for it to be transformative for the arts district because it is such a big piece of land. We are pretty excited about the possibility of that becoming an area where people can gather, where kids can kick around a soccer ball or do a children’s activity.”  

Kenny Greene, owner of Monarch Jewelry, has played an active role in the transformation of the NVAD over the years. His business has been located in the area since 1979, and he is affectionately known around the neighborhood as the mayor of the NVAD. 

Over the years, Kenny says he has made almost a complete circle around the district, and he has watched the neighborhood change and grow. His first location was at 1013 E. Walnut. After a move to 101 Orr St., he now occupies space at 1019 E. Walnut. 

“As things have changed, it has become more vibrant,” Kenny says. “More buildings are being fixed up and renovated, there is a lot more activity, and the selection of businesses, galleries, and bars has grown quite a bit.” 

As more visitors flock to events like First Fridays and more people become aware of the treasures hidden within the blocks of the NVAD, Kenny says that businesses in the district are even more inspired to make the NVAD a cohesive center for arts and business. 

“Other people started to recognize how much we were doing for Columbia and how large an impact we have on the community, because we draw people from all over,” Kenny says. “We’ve started being located by the Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau and The District as a destination area. It starts feeding a sense of pride in the neighborhood. We are expecting more support to make it more vibrant, so we can spread the influence of what we’ve got throughout the city and the state.” 

With so much to look forward to in the coming months and years, Tootie recognizes that the NVAD, and its growing impact on the city of Columbia, has been a labor of love for many people over the course of many years. 

“I’m so appreciative for the people that had the vision for it, that saw the opportunity for arts studios,” she says. “A lot of people have given their time, talent, and treasure to the area, and I’m very grateful to the people who have done that.”