PROVO, Utah — There's no right or wrong way to create at the Neighborhood Art Center in Provo. Instead, there's paint on the walls, clothes on mannequins, and a whole lot of imagination.
"We wanted to have a place where you just got to try it out and see what works for you," said studio manager Abby Feltis.
Abby's sister started the non-profit creative space nearly a decade ago. It's grown to be a place where kids and families can participate in open studio time, classes, camps, and more.
"We always said, 'Too Big to Fail,' so anything that we did, we said we just have to do it," Abby recalled.
The mission of the NAC is to make art accessible for everyone, which they do by having low cost for entry, but Executive Director Elle Francis says accessibility isn't just about the price.
"If you're doing things at home, you have to worry about having supplies, keeping things contained, picking up at the end," Francis said. "This is a great place for kids to be able to just be kids and create without limitations."
Sometimes, that creativity takes on a life of its own.
"They have this whole world they made up called Doodleville," Abby said. "Everything you've ever drawn goes to live there, and so they'll do elections of like who the mayor is of Doodleville, and stuff, and make posters and give speeches."
Right now, Neighborhood Art Center offers scholarships where they can, and they do it with the help of community support.
"The dream is to someday make something like this free so anybody can just come in from anywhere and not have to think about it at all," Abby said.
The Neighborhood Art Center accepts monetary donations as well as craft supplies.
