OREGON — Emma Dehlinger thinks anyone can be an artist as long as they are willing to give art a try. Even your piece it looks “bad” in the end, there’s the benefit of catharsis and mindfulness.
At least, that’s what Dehlinger said visitors to the art lounge she just opened in the village of Oregon tell her when they finish art projects at the business. Bad Art Co. operates under the premise of inclusivity — for a fee of $10, visitors can grab a canvas or figurine, some paint brushes and other supplies offered by the lounge, sit at a table and get lost in their creative flow.
Emma Dehlinger, owner of Bad Art Co., which just had its grand opening in the village of Oregon, discusses two art pieces made by her late mother that hang above a couch. Bad Art Co. is an art lounge that aims to be inclusive to all art levels, providing supplies to use for a small fee, and stems from an art studio that Dehlinger inherited when her mom died.
Dehlinger, who has a background in art therapy and is an artist herself, said people need that more than they know.
Bad Art Co., which has seven total employees and one instructor as an independent contractor, also hosts art classes and workshops with pricing ranging between $10-$50, Dehlinger said.
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The business is located at 787 N. Main St. Suite 105 in the village.
“We do slightly alternative classes,” she said. “Myself, and we have another instructor named Kelly. She’s led a painting without brushes classes, as well as meditative water color. The classes I conduct are with watercolors and oil pastels.
“We aren’t all painting the same picture of a sunset. We just wanted to differentiate your sunset.”
The lounge plans to host live music and DJs, has a room in the back of the roughly 2,000-square-foot space that people can rent for $6 an hour and $10 for two hours, features the works of local artists in an art gallery and sells refreshments, including mocktails and coffee drinks, at a bar.
More than an art lounge, Dehlinger said the space, which offers maximum 275 capacity, is a place where visitors can come to work or just hang out without any pressure.
“We do hope to get our liquor and wine license,” Dehlinger said. But “alcohol will never be the primary focus of this space.”
Dehlinger inherited the business when it was but a small studio from her late mother, who was also an artist. That inheritance spring boarded Dehlinger’s 15-year dream of opening an art lounge.
Her mother’s pieces, which experiment varying colors and textures on canvases, adorn the walls of Bad Art Co. Dehlinger said she can feel her mother whenever she walks into Bad Art Co.
“I hope more spaces like this can come to life,” she said.
Emma Dehlinger, Bad Art Co. owner, and co-owner Mark Smith (right) show where the art lounge located in the village of Oregon will feature live music and DJ sets.
Why is the business called Bad Art Co.?
Dehlinger’s husband and co-owner Mark Smith came up with the name.
“I don’t identify as an artist,” Smith said.
Dehlinger one day observed him not being in the highest of spirits, he said. That’s when Dehlinger encouraged Smith to make some art — not to be a prodigy, but to “focus on the mindfulness of it” and “the emotional and mental aspect rather than the outcome.”
“You create such a cool abstract product and you can’t help but love it,” he said.
So, when it came time to give Bad Art Co. a name, Smith already had inspiration.
“People usually end up really happy with what they have made,” Dehlinger said. “I haven’t seen anyone say, ‘I hate this.'”
