Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kirsten Schneider. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Kirsten, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

Art is our passion – and we want to try all! the! things! But, unfortunately, arts & crafts materials can be prohibitively expensive. Trying different disciplines would mean buying all the materials and tools that go along with each craft – and what if you end up not enjoying it?

School arts programs aren’t as well funded as they were when we were coming up. I volunteered to assist the art teacher when my son was in school and they had reduced the art department to a freaking cart! You can’t fit art on a cart – and you can’t try all the things in school, or on a budget. We are determined to change that. Everyone, especially kids, should have the opportunity to explore their creativity. I heard “Save up” a lot when I was young, but I didn’t have to worry about the affordability of art supplies. We keep 2 scholarship spots open for 10-18yr olds in our classes, because we want other kids to not have to worry about that either.

Mary and I both saw tons of items going to waste in landfills and on the side of the road – you could literally set up a house with what I saw on the side of the road on my commute to work – many of them usable! When we found out about creative reuse, our missions were galvanized. Here was the answer to leveling the creative playing field AND keeping items out of landfills!

If we were able to do that, why not make the art world more inclusive? Our art does not fit in traditional galleries – in fact, I have been turned down just asking for an application without even showing them my art (to save me the application fee, so nice) – and we wanted a place to show it, as well as show the art of other alternative or emerging artists. Our experiences with such condescension has given us the desire to give positive feedback and helpful guidance to people starting out instead of telling them their work is (literally) bad.

We also very much wanted a community space to go where you can hang out with other creatives and see what people are doing, learn, go to events, or just watch a bad movie while you paint or knit or whatever it is you do. We love Creative Mornings, I think of this as the casual after party,

Creativity, Community. Inclusivity. Sustainability. These are all things we wanted for ourselves, but also to be able to share with the community.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Art Hive is the art destination, where you can drop in, be inspired, and create alongside other artists & creators of all ages & abilities. We give drop-in crafters and members a 15% supply shop discount, as well as free use of classroom materials. Our weekly creative hangouts are free, inclusive and welcoming. Did I mention free coffee & snacks? Free coffee & snacks.

Because of the amazing artistic community, we are able to offer a wide variety of classes & workshops including culinary arts, writing, crafts, fine arts, seasonal projects, & more. We are grateful to have scholarships available for kids to take our classes this year! We also host private classes, events, and birthday parties for adults and children – where you pick the project – and are a ton of fun.

One of the things we find rewarding is being able to encourage emerging artists. Giving them an opportunity to network, create, exhibit & sell their work, as well as teach, mentor & learn, is a big part of who we are. We hear stories of people being told their work is bad, or receiving negative comments online – subjective! and unnecessarily mean! Constructive critique, in an encouraging way is what artists need. I need it,

Our creative reuse shop is basically an arts and crafts thrift shop with an ever changing array of supplies from paint and yarn to granite samples and frames. Because these items are donated, we can sell them at greatly reduced prices. Seeing people’s excitement (especially children’s) at being able to purchase so much for so little, is one our greatest joys. We have kids coming up to us and asking what things cost and squealing happily when they hear the amount. Love this so much.

We are proud to provide a unique shopping experience where guests can purchase a wide range of local & regional art and gifts from our boutique and monthly gallery exhibits,

Last, but not least, we host a women’s craft getaway weekend that is the highlight of our year. This is where we started, just the two of us, on our crafty bitches getaway. It has grown to almost a dozen women and one brick and mortar hive.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

Mary Pearce…

Mary and I met in high school, in Fairfax. We went to different schools, but loved the same music so we ended up going to many of the same shows and clubs at local small venues as well as at the 9:30 club, DC space, Poseurs, Tracks etc. She was a year ahead of me, but we both ended up in Richmond in the VCU Art School.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I thought that during the slow times I would have time to bring in money working on freelance graphic design jobs. HAHAHAHA! The customers coming in may be slow at times, but there is always, always work to do. I had to do the freelance gigs after I got home and finished computer work for the shop. I think I slept 3 hours a night and I am still making up for it.

Contact Info:

• Website: arthive.art
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/art.hive.collective/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arthivellc/

Image Credits
Art Hive