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- An art gallery and shop called Little Known Art House opened in downtown Appleton.
- The gallery features a new artist every 6 weeks and carries art goods from various artists across the Midwest.
APPLETON — A new art studio focused on celebrating art, community and sustainability has opened in downtown Appleton.
Little Known Art House, 115 E. Washington St., opened its doors on Sunday with a grand opening event to invite the community to see the space.
Owner Jackie Sanders told The Post-Crescent in an interview that she hopes her shop will represent artists locally and beyond, while serving as a place for her to work on her own artistic endeavors.
Half of the studio space is dedicated to a gallery, which will feature a new artist every six weeks. The first artist to kick off the new business is Jackie’s sister, Allison Sanders, a Chicago-based interior designer who creates paintings incorporating ripped canvas to create 3D effects and textures.
Allison also helped with other elements for the shop, combining her designs with Jackie’s printmaking skills to create Little Known Art House’s logo.
The remainder of the studio is a shop that features items including pottery, jewelry, paintings and more from artists all over the Midwest.
Jackie said the idea for the business stemmed from her desire to open her own shop that can function as a community space for artists. Prior to opening the business, she worked as a professional photographer for 20 years and in recent years started printmaking.
“After I had my daughter, I was kind of burnt out being a commercial photographer and working for corporations, and I didn’t know where to go from there,” Jackie said. “All through my adult life, I’ve always had this idea in the back of my mind to open a little shop or some sort of artist community space.”
Jackie said she landed on the name Little Known Art House because all artists, and many women artists throughout history, start out little known. She said this related to her own experience as well, being able to grow her own artistry and bring her dream to life with the support of her family, local businesses and artists.
“I think some of the most fun things have been people being so excited about this,” Jackie said. “I love how other small businesses in the community are so supportive of each other, and I’m looking forward to working with them more in the future.”
For more information and updates, visit Little Known Art House’s website or its Instagram.
(This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.)
Faith Huey is a business reporter for The Appleton Post-Crescent. You can reach her at fhuey@gannett.com or view her Instagram profile at @Faith.Huey.
