Building Community Creativity

A new experimental art space anchors East Pearl

By McKenzie Watson-Fore

One wide window at 1721 Pearl Street is covered in eye-catching cobalt blue paint. Oblong peepholes reveal an artists’ studio and bespoke creative hub, recently christened Top Hat Supply for Journeys. 

The experimental nonprofit art space is helmed by weaver Darcie Shively and ceramicist Michelle Polizzi, who both work in the studio on a near-daily basis. Fiber cones and potted cacti fill the windowsill; Polizzi hand-builds teaware at a table in the center of the sunlit room. However, unlike many artists’ studios in Boulder County, this one is open to the public. Whenever the artists are on-site, passersby are welcome to step inside, view the rotating exhibitions displayed on the gallery walls, check out the thoughtfully sourced shop space and linger. A yellow-floored lounge and sound healing area is arranged with comfortable furniture, low-slung tables, a tea cart and a bookshelf.  “People are invited to come in and have tea,” Shively says. 

The space’s name—Top Hat Supply for Journeys—is both a reference to the erstwhile Top Hat Supply that formerly occupied the block and a gesture toward the creative journeying that Shively envisions the space holding. As a working artist, she’s encountered countless people who say they wish they could do what she does—make art—but are just not creative. “Everyone is creative,” Shively asserts. “Creativity comes in so many forms. I am very interested in reconnecting people with their creative spirits, in whatever form that takes.” The offerings at Top Hat Supply for Journeys, rather than emphasizing one specific skill or craft, allow participants to tap into creativity as a lens, a process and a journey. 

The space already hums with the energy of an invisible network. Mike Price of Little Horse Vintage, a curio shop on east Pearl, procured most of the sound equipment and lighting; a red-bristle broom, gifted by local artist Jamie Kripke, hangs by the door. The loom Shively weaves on is from Schacht Spindle Company, a Boulder-based company founded in the 1960s. Shively learned how to weave from Shuttles, Spindles & Skeins, a yarn store formerly located in South Boulder that permanently closed in March 2020. “They were very community-oriented,” Shively reflects, “so I’m pulling a bit of that forward.” 

Shively and Polizzi met two years ago through a discussion group convened around a shared interest in black holes. “We’re kind of like soul sisters,” Shively laughs. The two artists radiate a welcoming, approachable spirit, and their respective mediums encompass functional and formal art. “There really is no function without art,” points out Polizzi, who specializes in ceremonial and ritual objects. Many of the materials in the space—wall hangings, event supplies, trays and more—were made by the artists.

The first exhibition hosted in the space featured the work of fiber artist and CU professor Steven Frost. On view now is a show by Carol Ann Wachter, and the fall will bring a group show about impermanence. Concurrent with the exhibition schedule, Shively curates a range of interactive workshops with exhibiting artists and others. In April and May, Jamie Kripke hosted Japanese-inspired listening experiences; Shively is also working toward hosting “alternative Saturday night” art open houses for teens. “Creativity is conditioned out of us,” Shively says. “We want to help people find that again.”  

Top Hat Supply for Journeys opened in February after receiving an operating grant from the City of Boulder. The grant enabled the pair to sign a five-year rental agreement for the space and to make initial renovations. Shively is also seeking sponsorships for art supplies and underwriters for events and workshops. “They would typically cost around eighty-five dollars a person to host,” she says. “I’m hoping to get someone to offset that so we can charge less.” Steven Frost’s weaving journal workshops, offered in March, were priced at $25 a ticket and included materials, a weaving journal zine and travel-size looms printed on the 3D printers available through BLDG 61, Boulder Public Library’s makerspace. 

Ultimately, Shively and Polizzi are harnessing Boulder’s creative energy to create a vibrant communal space where visitors and artists alike can take risks, experiment and express their own unique visions.