Chic Spotlight: Uptown Art
A new social art experience is ready to make its mark on the Queen City. Learn more about the space and how it highlights local artists.
Cincy Chic: What is Uptown Art?
Barbara Turcotte, Co-Owner of Uptown Art: Uptown Art is a social art experience! Our artists will guide you step by step through creating your own masterpiece. It is very simple. Visit our calendar online, select a night that has a painting that appeals to you and register. We provide the paint, the apron, the canvas and brushes. You only need to be willing to have fun! For those who would like to share a glass or two of wine with friends, we also have a bar with a variety of wine and beer, as well as soda, water and snacks.
Cincy Chic: What inspired you to open Uptown Art?
Turcotte: The founders were looking for a way to design a creative business that also provided a social experience. It is designed to allow anyone, no matter their skill level, an opportunity to create their own masterpiece with the assistance of a trained, professional artist. At the same time, they wanted it to be a fun, relaxed, casual environment. A place to socialize, meet with friends, meet new friends, and maybe pick up a skill or two along the way.
Cincy Chic: Who’s behind this social art experience?
Turcotte: Uptown Art Cincinnati is owned by Suzanne Hall and Barbara Turcotte. We were looking for a business we could believe in, something that not only provides a benefit to the community, but also something people can really enjoy! We both live in the Cincinnati area and knew it would be a great addition to Anderson Township. There are 22 Uptown Art locations throughout the country, and we are fortunate enough to own Cincinnati, Louisville, and New Albany, Indiana.
Cincy Chic: When did Uptown Art open?
Turcotte: Uptown Art Cincinnati opened in February 2017. We began planning the opening of this location in Fall 2016. Anderson Township remained at the top on our list because of the great sense of community and the amazing people we met along the path of designing and building our current location.
Cincy Chic: What makes Uptown Art a unique place to visit in Cincinnati?
Turcotte: Uptown Art is a fabulous collection of incredible talent! Each studio is locally owned and operated, so we get to personalize our studios and art to our customers’ taste. We have two private party rooms that are available to our customers to host special events with their friends and family. The great part about the party rooms is you get to choose your own painting! We have thousands of paintings in our database from which to choose. Uptown Art corporate supports us with training, marketing and most importantly, beautiful ART! We have licensed professional artists who provide us with some of their specialized art and we get to share that with our customers! Our artists are in the studio to not only instruct our guests through their painting, but to ensure they have a wonderful experience! We listen to our guests and welcome their feedback!
Cincy Chic: What do you enjoy the most about running the Cincinnati location of Uptown Art?
Turcotte: We have been open just shy of two months but we are incredibly grateful to the community for their warm welcome! We love the opportunity to provide a fun place for adults and children to experience art in a comfortable, relaxed environment. We are excited to be a part of the growing Anderson area and to meet all the wonderful people that make it so special!
Cincy Chic: Is there anything new on the horizon for Uptown Art in 2017?
Turcotte: Everything is new for Uptown Art! Each month we offer a new selection of paintings available to the public through our website. As customers get acquainted with us, we will begin to add in more of our specialty art! We have had some designed especially for Cincinnati! We can’t wait to show those to you! Starry night over Cincinnati has already been featured, and we know it will be a customer favorite!
Cincy Chic: Where can readers go to learn more and follow along with Uptown Art?
Turcotte: You can peruse our website at uptownart.com/Cincinnati. Our website has our calendar where you can register for classes, private party information and a link to purchase gift certificates. You can like us on Facebook and on Instagram.
