Art Awakened by Suzi Q

Art Awakened by Suzi Q is a One-of-a-Kind Boutique & Ceramic Painting Studio

Photographer / Tony Straw

One-of-a-kind gifts boutique, check. Artist collaborative, check. Event space for group activities and celebrations, check. Creative workshop classes, check.

Art Awakened by Suzi Q on Main Street in Culver fits all of these descriptions. Opened less than six months ago as a reimagined space to offer local artists a platform to sell their artwork and introduce new instructional classes that draw in crowds of coworkers, students and even men who enjoy exercising their artistic muscles, owner Suzanne Wakefield honors the business she took over and is eager to introduce plans to partner with more kids’ groups, churches, the library and retirement centers to help provide crafts and art projects in formats that are flexible with timing and other constraints.

Nestled among quaint restaurants and a variety of retail stores on Main Street, Art Awakened by Suzi Q is home to 21 vendors showcasing a wide variety of techniques, as well as a walk-in-style paint-your-own-ceramics section. Wakefield is an artist herself, and she celebrates the talented artist vendors who create a diverse inventory of items. She creates mixed-media, one-of-a-kind jewelry, paintings and craft items such as an adorable sock snowman, which is the focus of an upcoming holiday-themed instructional class.

Whether it’s a group of coworkers gathering to paint a piece of ceramics or a local shopper searching for the perfect gift, Art Awakened is a welcoming space to find beautiful craftsmanship and make memories. Displays and tables provide the stage for unique artistic pieces, from handstitched leather goods and handmade silver jewelry to resin glass and stained glass showpieces.

The paint-your-own-ceramics process allows for walk-ins and planned groups to come in, choose a piece of ceramics and let their creativity flow. Once the painting is done, Art Awakened glazes the piece to make it glossy, food-safe and waterproof, and then fires the ceramics in the in-store kiln for “guest artists” to take home and enjoy—or wrap up as a gift made with love.

Wakefield welcomes all ages in the classes held at the shop and notes that “it’s not just women who come in to take classes. In fact, one of our local police officers joined a recent class and surprised himself at how much he enjoyed—and succeeded at—learning the artistic technique of resin glass design.”

The early autumn resin pumpkin class was extremely popular, so more resin glass classes will take place throughout the year with themes such as winter holiday and butterflies. Other ongoing classes include stained glass and hand clay.

During Culver’s annual Winter Fest and Holiday Hop, a Stained Glass Snowman Class will be held on Saturday, Dec. 6. A Stained Glass Ornament Class will be held on Dec. 7, while a second Stained Glass Snowman Class will occur the following weekend on Dec. 14.

Ongoing classes are listed on the website artawakened.com and on the Visit Culver website and Facebook page. Children can attend classes that are tailored to be age-appropriate for honing skills and gaining confidence.

Art Awakened encourages groups to consider combining their event with an artistic technique class or simple ceramics painting. Wakefield lists business staff gatherings, bridal or baby showers, Culver Academies student leader groups, men’s groups, milestone birthdays, date nights and family reunions as inspired ideas for an innovative group activity.

“It’s a great way to spend time together and have conversation inspired by creative activity,” Wakefield says.

After 20 years of running her own custom embroidery business in Culver—and 18 years before that running Suzi Q Daycare—Wakefield took ownership of the collaborative-format business when the previous owner, also an artist, chose to close the shop. Wakefield was a vendor in the store and viewed the opportunity to purchase the business as a way of ensuring local artists would continue to have a space to display and sell their work.

Highlighting the list of vendors are artists who also accept requests for custom orders. Gabrielle Davidson harkens back to the days when her father taught her how to create rings out of metal as the foundation for her early artistry, later expanding into working with stones and beads that are popular for baby shower gifts and beyond. Cindy Carter has enjoyed making beautiful items since childhood and now finds inspiration in nature and landscapes for her stained glass, mosaic and ceramics. Lori Bendy’s glass resin pieces are a celebration of color and shape, and her resin glass workshops are some of the most popular. Metal Art by Wesley is an eye-catching collection of unique formations best seen firsthand in the shop.

Along with these vendors and the many others, Wakefield invites artists to bring their materials and work in the shop — perhaps helping shake a case of artist’s block by bouncing ideas off other artists and promoting an atmosphere of community and creativity.

Art Awakened by Suzi Q is located at 109 S. Main St., Culver. You can visit them online at artawakened.com for more information.