Vacant Verona charter school to become an arts hub

The nonprofit Art House 360 would take up the vacant 12,000-square-foot, two-story building at 401 W. Verona Ave., the former home of New Century Charter School that's now located on North Main Street.

The goal is to provide an accessible arts education for all ages, empower artists from minority communities and foster an overall arts ecosystem, organizers said.

An opening is planned for next summer, said Monica Cliff, one of four co-artistic directors and future tenants of the property along with Jessica Lanius, AJ Juarez and Karisa Johnson.

The nonprofit is seeking major donors for its $2 million capital campaign to cover building renovations, Lanius said. Any renovations would preserve the architecture of the structure, built in 1917, Lanius said.

Once major donors have covered 50% of the renovations, the group will open donations to the public, she said, adding that the nonprofit is working with Madison architect DeHaven Design Build and is working with the city on finalizing the lease. 

The center is expected to include four anchor tenants, including Cliff's Inventiva Works, which offers visual art and theatre classes in Spanish; Theatre LILA, headed by Lanius, which hosts trainings for actors; Barrio Dance, a dance school headed by Juarez; and Slate BLUE studios, headed by Johnson.

Slate BLUE Studios will offer community events, classes and coworking space for artists. Art House 360 hopes to get three more tenants, Johnson said, particularly a musician who can teach others about their craft. The nonprofit also wants to have a photography studio.

The four conceived of Art House 360 during the pandemic, Lanius said, and chose the former charter school for its walkable neighborhood and green space. The city is also building a stage and a recreational ice rink nearby, and there's a neighboring plaza where farmers markets are held.

"In Mexico, it's common to have artistic and cultural houses," said Cliff, who grew up in a small town in southern Mexico.

"One of the things we discussed when we started meeting during the pandemic was how much the arts are a great way to bring the community together. We wanted to in some way give a different meaning to the word 'artist.' Everyone is a natural creative."

Other potential tenants could be artists who are just starting out and need studio space. Leases would potentially be a two- to three-year commitment, Johnson said.

Community space

Plans call for including a community space in the building, and Johnson said Art House 360 wants to host events such as gallery nights. Under their lease agreements, each tenant will host two free community events a year, she said, focusing on their particular discipline. 

The nonprofit has not yet determined how much it would cost to rent the community space for other arts-oriented events. Revenue for the center would come from rent as well as grants, donors and sponsors, Johnson said.

The organizers are also planning outreach programs such as subsidizing summer camps and hiring artists to go into schools, she said. They also plan to hire an administrative assistant and build a core of volunteers to help maintain the building, Johnson said. 

"Literally it's perfect," Juarez said of the building. 

No national spot

The former charter school was completed in March 1917, according to the Verona Area Historical Society. The Verona Graded School served students in kindergarten through eighth grade. 

In 1995, the building became home to New Century, which was the first elementary level charter school in Wisconsin, the Verona historical society said.

The historical society sought to have the building added to the National Register of Historic Places, but the effort failed, said Jesse Charles, head of the Verona historical society.

"The land on which the school building sits was being debated and traded between the school district, the city of Verona and in the end the private companies who acquired and developed the surrounding lands but did not acquire the school," Charles said.

"We did request from the city several times over the years that the National Register be pursued — it eventually owned the building, and because we never owned it, we did not feel it was appropriate to pursue it as a historical society without the city's permission."