I came across Artlandish Gallery by accident. Last fall, I was wandering around Columbia, enjoying the crisp fall weather, doing some Christmas shopping. I’d managed to walk all the way to what I’d later learn was the North Village Arts District, an area north of Broadway populated by local artists and artisans.
I peered into the window. Art! Handmade things! Pretty colors! I felt compelled to go inside. As I walked in, I saw shelves of beautiful pottery and paintings for sale. Upon further inspection, I learned that these were made by local artists. I spent a good half hour perusing the entire store –– er, what I thought was the entire store.
You see, dear reader, Artlandish is more than meets the eye.
“Be sure to check out our downstairs,” said the woman at the register. A whole other floor? I thought. This place is huge.
But as I walked downstairs, I wasn’t prepared for just how huge Artlandish is. Beneath the top level lies that to which the artists refer as “the catacombs,” a series of connected hallways and rooms, each filled with more artwork.
After a return visit and a chat with the owner, Lisa Bartlett, I learned that the catacombs are a vestige of the space’s early days as part of the nearby Wabash train station. Bartlett says she’s grateful to developer John Ott, who oversaw the space’s redesign in the mid-aughts, “for preserving the area.”
By choosing to keep the basement and its series of winding rooms rather than demolishing the building completely, Ott kept more than the structure intact –– he preserved a part of Columbia history. The chambers beneath Artlandish, now piled high with houseware, clothing and music, were once used to store goods being transported by train.
“It’s been a long road,” Bartlett says. “When we first opened, there was nothing around (the space).”
But, after four and a half years, the gallery has become the heart of Columbia’s North Village Arts District. Artlandish hosts many different events in the district, including First Fridays, held the first Friday of every month. According to the [gallery’s website](http://artlandishgallery.com/Artlandish_Website/Home.html), these events include “hors d’oeuvre’s, wine, live music, fire spinning, fashion show, outdoor art and all around frivolity.”
At any given time, there are roughly 40 to 50 artists showcasing their work in the gallery. Bartlett describes the group as “very diverse,” noting that the artists range in age from 20-somethings to 60-somethings. Some are seasoned professionals, while others are just starting out.
“Art is for everyone,” she said.
The gallery provides artists with the opportunity to showcase and sell their work and be a part of Columbia’s thriving arts community.
Bartlett, a Columbia College graduate and former graphic designer for KOMU, is an artist herself. Her studio is filled with several different works in progress. An erstwhile antiques dealer, Bartlett has, against one wall, a vast collection of odds and ends she uses to create mixed-media projects.
Back in a corner, she has large canvases painted in bright hues. In another, she has remnants of the Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival decorations (the gallery was chosen to create artwork for the festival).
“I like to experiment a lot,” she said. “I like to work on multiple things at once. That way, I don’t get bored.”
I asked Bartlett what her vision was for Artlandish.
“(I want it to) become a hub for arts in the North Village Arts District (and) not to be one of the best kept secrets (in Columbia),” she said.
She added that she hopes to get more repeat customers, people who visit the store and return again and again to purchase gifts handmade by CoMo’s own.
After that first visit to the gallery last November, it’s become my go-to spot to find gifts that are uniquely CoMo (read: cooler than a Mizzou keychain) and to peruse the handiwork of some incredibly talented artists, all of whom hail from right here in Columbia.
I’ve got a feeling that the heart of the city’s –– quite literally –– underground arts scene won’t stay hidden long.
