East Peoria seeking an arts presence
- Details
- Published on Monday, 19 August 2013 11:30
- Written by Paul Gordon
The owner of the building on Globe Street in East Peoria that once housed the UAW Local 974 union hall could pretty much put anything he wants there. The building, a 10,000 square-foot, one-story structure, enjoys what he calls "the most liberal zoning the city has."
So what is the building owner, former East Peoria mayor Jeff Giebelhausen, going to put there? Why, art studios, of course. In fact, he envisions that building and the small residential neighborhood surrounding it becoming its own artists' colony, sort of a Greenwich Village.
"Hey, why not? I like to think outside the box and when it was suggested this might be a good place for an artists' colony, I figured we could try it and see what happens," Giebelhausen said on Thursday night, when he hosted an open house that he hoped would draw a lot of local artists.
It didn't, but it didn't have a whole lot of advance publicity, either. A few artists came and looked, all talked with Giebelhausen and left with schematic drawings of the space. A couple local community theatre leaders showed, as well, to look at the 6,000 square-foot space that was the auditorium for Local 974, including a small stage.
A couple reporters showed up to check out the space and to meet the first artist who has committed to leasing studio space, Steve Boyd, who lives nearby in East Peoria. "I'm ready to step in deep. I think this is something we need here. In fact, because of the way the city embraces new business and entrepreneurs here, I think East Peoria could eventually become the cultural center of central Illinois," Boyd said.
Boyd, who calls his art business LivBig Studios, also will become the managing artist for the building that is tentatively being called Levee Arts District. That's because it is only about a block from the city's new downtown area called the Levee District, the proximity being one of the reasons Giebelhausen bought the building a year and a half ago.
"When I bought it my plan was to convert it to residential apartments. But the neighbors were misinformed about what I intended and opposed it. I could have moved ahead anyway, but why start out on the wrong foot? So I stepped back and was trying to decide whether to sell it or lease as warehouse space," he said.
That's when he met Boyd, who learned of the building from East Peoria officials when he was inquiring about the possibility of space for artists within or near the Levee District. "Steve liked the space, I liked the idea, and here we are," Giebelhausen said.
The building, which is next door to the Altorfer Caterpillar dealership and near Caterpillar factories, has been repainted and landscaped. Artists who lease space will decide what to do with their studios, of which there are 14 ranging in size from 66 square feet to 420 square feet. Many of the spaces have individual garage doors to the outside.
Rents range from $150 a month for a small windowless unit to $260. Additional costs are added for window air conditioning units or other amenities.
Giebelhausen plans to do some work in the auditorium space so it can be rented for events, such as performances or wedding receptions.
He also hopes to some day be able to acquire surrounding houses, some of which are rental properties, and rent them to artists, either as living space or additional studio space.
Boyd said he envisions a setting similar to Nashville, Ind., the Brown County village where many artists live and work. "It's a community of artists and it's a whole different atmosphere. That's what I think we can do here," he said.
He wants to eventually have arts classes and showings, involving the tenants of the building. He said he envisions the artists opening their studios on nights where there is an event going on in the auditorium.
Boyd, who has had studio space in Peoria, is a painter, using acrylics and colored pencils, who has mostly had to do art as a hobby because of other responsibilities. A massage therapist by trade, he looks forward to the day he can be a full-time professional artist, something he said his wife is pushing him to do. "She told me a few years ago that 'it's now or never.' She is a huge supporter. So I started reinventing myself and here I stand," he said.
"Being a professional artist has been a lifelong endeavor and something like this is a dream for me. 'Live Big' has always been a personal motto and I know this is something I can do," Boyd said. "I might take some lumps along the way, but most artists do. Why not here?"
Artists who are interested in seeing the space can call or text Giebelhausen at (309) 657-9371.
