Introducing Aptitude: Creative Artist Studios brought to you by The Arts Partnership and West Acres
We have been keeping this new community partnership a secret for quite some time and we are thrilled to finally share the news! Meet Aptitude, a creative incubator by The Arts Partnership.
We are thrilled to announce a new collaboration with The Arts Partnership to bring APT, its current arts incubator, to a brand new home at West acres under its next iteration – Aptitude.
With 19 individual studio spaces as well as a kiln room, Aptitude will continue the work of APT by providing affordable studios, as well as a safe and collaborative environment for artists to work while providing an opportunity for the community to collide with artists.
“Art is an integral part of who West Acres is as a company. From our extensive collection of local and regional art on display for our customers to our artist in residence program and arts related events we host, we place a high level of importance on incorporating art in all that we do. The arts and artists of our area enrich our community, and we see it as our duty to support and promote them. The addition of aptitude at West Acres will create more moments of art and culture for our customers as well as provide the opportunity for the artists to engage with the public in a new capacity, creating vibrant possibilities across art, business and the entire community.”
“When we created APT with the Kilbourne Group nearly three years ago, we believed that a dedicated incubator space would bring members of the arts community together in a creative environment that would also engage the larger public in the arts. APT more than exceeded our original projections, but we also always knew that it was a temporary space, so we’ve been actively looking for the next home for about a year now. We are beyond thrilled at the prospect of reaching the immense audience of Metro residents and tourists who are already coming to the mall as well as to have access to the considerable marketing arm and collaborative opportunities from West Acres,” said Dayna Del Val, president & CEO of The Arts Partnership.
The 6,000 square foot space will be located in part of the space that was formerly Sears, between Best Buy and Essentia Health. The space will have a connection to the mall common area through a corridor near the Best Buy storefront.
Learn more about The Arts Partnership here.
Learn more about West Acres’ art programs here.
