Art profile
Making a home for art and community B Y S A R A H T I E TJ E- M I E T Z
The mission of ArtHouse Alliance, a new nonprofit in Syracuse, is to create open access and advocate an ongoing dialogue of contemporary issues through art, music and creative response — identifying the vital role of arts in the community. Located in the Hawley-Green Street Historic District, ArtHouse occupies the former home of local music shop owner and “Music Man of Syracuse,” Henry Phelps. Built in the 1870s, the elegant Italianate Villa-style building with an impressive front porch had long captured the fancy of Joan Farrenkopf, artist and founder of ArtHouse. Farrenkopf lives across the street from the home and for decades felt its pull, despite its rough edges from years of neglect. She had been inspired by her own artist residency experience in Berlin, where she saw how naturally intertwined the arts and community were. Despite just finishing up a master’s in fine arts from Syracuse University and her husband recovering from cancer, she decided to put her ideas into motion. “It was one of those things where it’s like your intuition taps on your shoulder. It was like this house was talking, but I put it out of my mind,” says Farrenkopf. “I’m looking at this house every day of my life, and now it’s starting to look back at me and go, ‘Okay, here’s your opportunity. You’ve been here since the ‘70s looking at me and now I’m saying, hey, here I am!’” The building was purchased in 2017, and Farrenkopf, with the help of musician Laura Bossert and sic, rescued the home from its decrepitude. Farrenkopf had such an intense belief in her vision that she refinanced her own home in order to help make ArtHouse happen. It became a true community effort; furniture, books and dishware were donated, gardens were revitalized and a 1912 Lester grand piano was gifted to the organization. A CNY Arts Council Community Arts Grant in 2019 supported program development, and last fall ArtHouse received nonprofit status. The restored townhouse portion is used for an artist-in-residence program, and contains two bedrooms, a large kitchen, study 84
CENTRAL NEW YORK MAGAZINE
M A R C H /A P R I L
Above: Participants at “Eat, Love, Play” engaged in a quiet meditation to imagine color shapes and sounds. Left: The ArtHouse Alliance on Green Street.
PHOTOS COURTESY IARA RAQUEL, JOAN FARRENKOPF
a cohort of students from the Setnor School of Mu-
