Our Story

In March 2017, our founder Tallia Feltis identified a need for an accessible and creative community space. Tallia quickly started developing the Neighborhood Art Center (a 501c3 non-profit organization) concept, repurposed a former mall portrait studio, and opened doors later that summer.

Since then, we have welcomed over a thousand children and their families to the Neighborhood Art Center studio and at offsite community events (including Art in the Park, Downtown Provo Art Stroll, and Tiny Art Show).

Our Mission

Make art accesible to the children and families of Utah County.

Our Values

• To create a welcoming space where children are free to create and explore
• Provide high quality, process based, arts education to childre and adults in our community
• Inspire a lifelong love of art, creativity, and learning

Contact

For visiting artist submissions, supply donations, and general inquiries, please send us an email.

Tallia Feltis

Tallia is the founder and director of Neighborhood Art Center. Her passion for kids’ art spaces really took flight when she and her two children started exploring children’s museums around the country. In Tallia’s travels, she frequently takes note of interesting new projects to incorporate into our studio at NAC. She believes that art education and experiences are an integral part of human development.

Keera McClellan
Board Chair

Keera is a mother of four children, and loves being the house where kids like to congregate. She loves being involved in her neighborhood, and worked to help update the mural in Maeser Park — a park that is often overlooked. Keera has been on the board since the Neighborhood Art Center opened because she truly believes in its mission and what it means to our community.

Eden Wen

Eden is a parent, a product designer, and a reader. She started taking her child to NAC as a place to get messy with art, and now she’s excited to be giving back. She also volunteers as a CASA (court-appointed special advocate) to help foster kids have a voice in court.

Elizabeth VanDerwerken

Liz is a creative hobbyist and civically-engaged person. In addition to her full-time employment in city government and volunteer work with Mormon Women for Ethical Government, Liz is excited to be a part of the Neighborhood Art Center board. She loves NAC’s mission to make art and creativity more accessible to kids and families in the community.

Emily Bade

Emily is a creative working in the photography and videography field. They found their passion for art and creativity at a young age through community programs, and want to support a space where kids can be creative.

Jethro Gillespie

Jethro has worked as a public school secondary visual arts educator for Nebo School District for the past 15 years. Jethro received a PhD in Art Education from Concordia University in Montreal, QC in 2018. “As a career art educator, I absolutely love the NAC. The mission, the vibe, the space that it provides in our community is so important and generous and fun.” In addition to teaching, Jethro loves to spend time with his family, making all kinds of his own art projects, and spends time floating around on his one-wheel.

Thad Gillespie

Thad works as a software engineer at a tech company called Intercontinental Exchange. He has a special fondness for non-profit work and he previously volunteered on the board at the OUT Foundation, a queer BYU alumni association. Thad is thrilled to support NAC’s mission to make artistic expression accessible to everyone.