Oskaloosa Art Crawl To Become A Monthly Event

Lauren Terrell in the gallery at Studio Osky.

May 1st, 2023

Oskaloosa, Iowa – How do you create something fun and interesting? It’s often done by accident, and the monthly art crawl in Oskaloosa looks to be one of those happy accidents, as one famous TV painter personality used to say.

When the new Italian store Rosso & Wine and Studio Osky both had their grand openings on the same evening. People flowed back and forth between both places and enjoyed the evening.

That happy little accident was the spark for 4th Friday with the Arts.

The concept has grown, and now eight area businesses have joined in, and on the 4th Friday of each month, Brushed by Jude, Muse Music Store, Oskaloosa Art Center, The Book Vault, Envision Art Gallery, Rosso and Wine, George Daily Auditorium, and Studio Osky will be open from 5 pm to 7 pm, showcasing what they do best.

We caught up with artist Brant Bollman, who has a studio at Studio Osky, and asked him why he chose to locate there.

“It’s really nice to have a quiet space where I can get to, but then also, there are some good conversations, says Bollman. “The nicest thing is I had a studio in my house, and it was piled with stuff. And believe it or not, an examining room is a perfect space. It’s got tons of storage where you’d put bandages and stuff like that. And I’ve got those filled with all of my supplies.”

Bollman reminds people that “every artist that rents a space and works in town is a small business.”

Lauren Terrell owns and operates Studio Osky in the old Mercy Clinic building.

Terrell made her way to Oskaloosa several years ago when she joined the William Penn Women’s Soccer Team.

She chose Penn because she wanted to go someplace to be her own person, and she’d been recommended to come to Penn by one of her friends.

“Then, I kind of fell in love with the place,” says Terrell. She then partnered with her dad, and when the old hospital and Mercy Clinic became available, they jumped at the chance to make their mark in Oskaloosa.

Lauren says she’s been an artist since she could walk, “That’s what my mom said. I started off drawing princesses with my grandmother. She passed away a long time ago, but she showed me how to draw princesses and then it just kind of spiraled from there.”

Lauren creates stuff now that’s part of a series called Princess, “and those have done really well.”

“I’ve always wanted to be an artist. I just had to think realistically, and I just love that Oskaloosa provided me that opportunity to do it,” says Lauren.

The opportunity to own and run a place like Studio Osky has been challenging, and ‘Ol Man Winter’ through a curveball at her.

Shortly after their opening day, a large water line burst and flooded the building. So just about as soon as the dream became a reality, it all came crashing down.

She’s recently reopened the facility, and the reality that not everything has gotten back to pre-flood yet hasn’t deterred Lauren.

Seeing the possibilities, and the growth, Lauren is leaving her full-time job to operate Studio Osky full-time.

She envisions a small cafe and other creative ventures utilizing the space as “a little melting pot” to help others break away from their home office.

She charges just $1 a square foot for a space.

There have been musical performances by local musicians, and there will be a comedian on May 20th, and Lauren looks forward to hosting many more events in the future.

You can learn more about Studio Osky by visiting their Facebook page HERE or calling 641.672.4444.