Studio 56560 co-founder Heather Nesemeier shows off resident artists’ ceramics. (Photos/Nancy Hanson.)

Nancy Edmonds Hanson

Once trains unloaded just-harvested spuds into the building at 303 21st St. N. from the railroad track just a few feet from its back door. Now, though, the mural-sided structure houses a harvest of creative ceramic pottery, fiber art and curiously carved wooden creations – all produced by the artists who share co-working space in Studio 56560.

“This place has housed a lot of things,” co-founder Heather Nesemeier reports. “It started out as a potato washing and packaging facility. Over the years, classic cars have been stored here. Nelson Windows once owned it. Most recently, it was something similar – In the Chips, Larry Longtine and Ruth Severson’s working space for wood carvers and wood turners.”

It’s something similar now, but with a much broader range of artists among its tenants. When Longtine and Severson downsized after 12 years of supporting wood artistry, another Moorhead couple – Heather and her husband Jeffrey Bodwin – bought the building. Reimagined as Studio 56560, art lovers got their first glimpse last weekend during the Studio Crawl.

What they discovered was a complex of two connected structures that house spacious areas where artists can store their raw materials, equipment and finished pieces in open booths, then display their handiwork in a pleasant commercial space. Seven individuals and small groups currently rent booths or store their wares in the studio’s large open spaces, with more room available for another four to six booths plus storage for another four or so who work elsewhere but need a convenient space to store their materials and finished pieces. Plenty of open space is also available for tenants who plan to offer classes or host their own art-centric events.

“This is a labor of love, not a money-making scheme,” explains Jeff, a full-time professor of chemistry at MSUM who’s been making functional pottery under the brand of Copper Sun Creations for the past six years. “Heather and I were looking for somewhere to get my ceramics out of our very small garage.”

Other available spots had lacked the flexibility they needed to accommodate their busy and somewhat erratic hours. “And we’re all about Moorhead through and through,” Heather interjects. “This place was perfect.”

Outside, muralist Lesleyanne Buegel and her assistants are embellishing the steel-sided building with an original mural reflecting the community’s roots, including depictions of – yes – potatoes and a copper-colored sun. Inside, Jeff brought his Copper Sun pottery wheel and tools to the first booth. Heather’s mother Joy Nesemeier pursues her oversized quilt projects and knitting here, along with other fabric inspirations; her catnip-filled toys were a hit last weekend.

A trio of ceramicists who call themselves Ginger Made Things produce their own ceramics, including witty creations like Halloween-themed orbs and mugs embellished with granny squares – not crocheted, but fashioned in clay. Kelsy Jenkins felts fiber into gnomes, snowmen, woolen landscapes and sundry objects under the brand name Das Woolhaus. Two veterans of the former In the Chips remain at Studio 56560 – wood turner and carver Barry Kutzer, who sculpts faces and other subjects from wood, and the Minn-Dak Wood Turners, the contingent of wood shapers who also met at the former business.

The studio’s approach to sharing space by artists reflects the current fascination with co-working. Explains Heather (who’s also the administrative assistant to MSUM’s dean of arts and humanities), the concept creates a working environment shared by self-employed people, sharing equipment, ideas and knowledge. “Creating art can be a lonely business, and many homes don’t have enough space to really accommodate artists’ work,” she points out. At Studio 56560, they can not only use the couple’s two kilns and sales area, but take advantage of ample open space to host events, from teaching classes to observing special occasions. Too, they’re part of an environment that encourages original thinking and collaboration.

Jeff and Heather are still working out plans for opening the studio’s sales area. In the short run, Studio 56560 will be open from 4 to 9 pm. Thursday, Oct. 9, and from noon to 5 pm. on the first and third Saturdays of the month, as well as by appointment. For more information, check out Studio56560llc on Facebook and Instagram or their fledgling website at studio56560.com.