How It Works

How OpenStudios Works

OpenStudios Lawrence connects landlords in Lawrence, Kansas with vacant storefronts with practicing local artists who need studio space. The program is built on mutual benefit and shared community goals.

A Collaboration Between Landlords and Artists

Landlords Give Space

Landlords offer rent-free use of their vacant storefront for a set period (typically 3-4 months). OpenStudios Lawrence and the artist take care of the rest.

Benefits to Landlords:

  • Liability insurance provided by OpenStudios Lawrence
  • Utility expenses, if required, covered by OpenStudios Lawrence
  • An animated, attractive storefront that draws foot traffic
  • Social media promotion and community visibility
  • Demonstration of your space’s potential to future tenants
  • Community goodwill and civic recognition
  • No financial obligation

Expectations from Landlords:

  • The space remains available for the artist’s active studio practice
  • Landlord may terminate the arrangement if the space is rented given agreed-upon notice (negotiable, typically 30-days)
  • Standard landlord-tenant maintenance expectations

Artists Get Studios

Selected artists or artist organizations receive free studio space for a residency period (typically 3-4 months). This is real studio space for active artistic practice.

Benefits to Artists:

  • Free rent
  • Community visibility and foot traffic
  • Networking with fellow artists and the Lawrence arts community
  • Support from OpenStudios Lawrence and the community
  • Opportunity to engage with the public and build an audience
  • Opportunity to build relationships with landlords and transition into paid rental space

Expectations from Artists:

  • Maintain active artistic practice in the space (at least 10 hours/week onsite)
  • Keep the space clean and professional
  • Welcome public visitors during designated open hours (typically Final Fridays, 6-9 PM)
  • Participate in community engagement (support local businesses, attend community events)
  • Promote OpenStudios Lawrence and the space via social media (with credit)
  • Understand the arrangement is temporary: if the space is rented, you will have typically 30 days to vacate.

OpenStudios Lawrence Provides Infrastructure

Description

OpenStudios Lawrence functions as matchmaker, administrator, and community connector.

OpenStudios Lawrence Responsibilities:

  • Artist selection and vetting through local selection committee
  • Liability insurance for all spaces
  • Utilities (if required by the landlord)
  • Contracts and legal agreements
  • Community promotion and outreach
  • Social media management
  • Event coordination for OpenStudio Lawrence events

Timeline

Artist Residency Cycle

  1. Application Period (ongoing)
    • Artists apply on this website
    • Landlords with available spaces contact OpenStudios Lawrence through this website
  2. Selection (ongoing)
    • Local selection committee of practicing artists, Lawrence Arts Center staff, and KU Art Department faculty review artist applications periodically
    • Landlord optionally interviews finalists
    • OpenStudios Lawrence confirms artist-landlord match
  3. Setup (typically 2 weeks)
    • Artist moves into space
    • OpenStudios Lawrence organizes the studio and promotes launch
    • Lawrence community invited to opening event
  4. Active Residency (typically 3-4 months)
    • Artist maintains studio practice
    • Monthly open hours (Final Fridays)
    • Community engagement and foot traffic
    • OpenStudios provides support and promotion
  5. Transition
    • If space is rented: Artist will vacate within agreed-upon time (typically 30 days)
    • If space remains vacant: Residency may be extended as agreed upon by landlord, artist, and OpenStudios Lawrence

Why This Works

We are not a charity. This is a structured program with benefits for everyone. Landlords get animated spaces. Artists get studio access. Lawrence gets activated areas.

We offer temporary space by design. When a space gets rented, we’ve succeeded. The artist moves on, the landlord wins, and the community is better for it.

Everything is curated. OpenStudios Lawrence’s selection committee of artists and faculty ensures quality artistic practice and community fit.

Our model has already succeeded. Wichita’s OpenStudios has served more than 175 artists across 20 locations since 2018..

The Agreement

Both landlords and artists sign straightforward agreements that outline:

  • Duration and terms of the residency
  • Responsibilities for space maintenance
  • Insurance and utility coverage
  • Public access hours
  • Community engagement expectations
  • Termination conditions and notice periods
  • Use of photography and promotional materials

All agreements are designed to protect both parties while keeping the process as frictionless as possible.

Leadership

John Harrison - Founder and Director, OpenStudios Lawrence

John is a musician, electrical/computer engineer, educator and new media artist. He is best known as the inventor of Friendship Lamps, interactive lights that connect you with those you love. To manufacture the lamps and to further explore related technologies, John founded Filimin in 2015. An active musician, John was Concertmaster of the Wichita Symphony Orchestra from 1998 through 2019. He is currently Concertmaster of Wichita Grand Opera. John also creates and installs interactive and immersive artwork as a solo artist and collaboratively throughout the region.

Tyler Lindquist — Collaborator, OpenStudios Lawrence

Tyler serves as a Vice President of Multistudio in Lawrence. His focus is on how architecture can energize a community. Tyler is an active part of the Lawrence scene, especially when it involves using local art to breathe new life into urban areas.

Fisch Bowl - The not-for-profit arm of Fisch Haus in Wichita, KS

Fisch Bowl Inc is a 501(c)(3) organization that endeavors to promote the arts and offer a wide variety of cultural experiences and resources to the public. The group created OpenStudios to address a fundamental problem: vacant storefronts drain neighborhood vitality, and rent is the biggest barrier to artistic practice. Fisch Bowl has continued to develop and refine the model, resulting in a professional program that works for landlords, artists, and communities.

Selection Committee

OpenStudios Lawrence uses a local selection committee to ensure quality, community fit, and artistic integrity. Committee members include a rotation of local practicing artists as well as faculty and staff from Lawrence Arts Center and University of Kansas Art Department.

Questions?

Check out our Landlord or Artist pages, or contact us.