Artpost History

Artpost opened in 2009 as a gallery and creative space located in downtown South Bend, IN. Artists Kay Westhues and Jake Webster co-founded the gallery to provide an inclusive, welcoming exhibition space for regional contemporary and folk art, as well as a venue for local poetry. The gallery contained a small shop with art books, crafts and artwork, but the main focus was creating a space for members of the local art community to connect, create, and inspire each other.

Artists exhibited include Julian Alcantar, Henderika Akkerman, Ruth Andrews, Joe Casey, David Cory, Jan Dean, David Ebbinghouse, Dr. Funlaw, Rudolfo Zárate Guzmán, Lee Heinsen-Logocki, Stacy Holloway, Erin Jackson, Charles Jevremovic, Jack Kapsa, Natalie Klein, Gordon Ligocki, Hank Mascotte, Susan Moore, Steve Moriarty, James Palmore, Nandita Raman, Javaughn Renee, Jason Rowland, Laura Shindollar, Mike Slaski, Eric Souther, Jake Webster, Kay Westhues, Dawn Williams, and Maria Winston.

Group exhibitions and events included a low fidelity camera show, a wearable art sale, an exhibition of vintage Cuban posters, a gallery swap with the 2739 Edwin Gallery in Hamtramck, MI, and a regional street art exhibition and panel discussion.  We held a 24-hour Poetry Marathon each April in honor of National Poetry Month.  The gallery closed in 2013 after our last exhibition, We Are the River, a juried outdoor and gallery exhibition celebrating South Bend’s  St. Joseph River. Jake wanted to spend more time creating sculpture at his studio in Elkhart, IN, and Kay pursued a Masters degree in Folk Studies at Western Kentucky University.

Currently Artpost serves as a studio for Kay’s photographic practice, and visits can be arranged by appointment.

Videos about Artpost:

Dreaming in Public, created by Grassroots Media:

Interview with Jake Webster by Jim Yocom: