Meet Julie Goodall of Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Julie Goodall.

Hi Julie, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My story begins back in the summer of 2000 when someone from my church asked me to consider offering art classes for homeschoolers. There were several homeschooling families in our church at that time, and I was schooling my oldest for kindergarten. We cleared a section of our basement added a few tables and some racks, brainstormed some lessons and a few months later, Julie’s ARTery was born. Just a few classes at first, then I quickly realized the need for more as parents continued to call. Gradually parents asked about doing classes and they too joined the classes. In 2007 we moved and I needed a new location, so I moved my homebased business to a historic building in downtown Zanesville where I taught classes until 2020.
In 2016 we discovered an old Victorian house in downtown Zanesville that had been condemned by the city. With the help of one of my college art professors, my husband and I purchased it and began renovations. Initially, it was just my husband working to empty it out and begin demo and cleaning, but then, on occasion, family members would pitch in. The plan was to eventually make this be my teaching studio but that looked to be far into the future with the amount of work that needed done.
The year the world changed in 2020. I wasn’t able to teach students to pay my rent. My husband and I decided that it was time to leave the Masonic Building that I had been teaching from for 12 years and make the Victorian House our newest and final destination. We opened June of 2020 with several full classes of both children and adults. I hired my first teacher, and we were so excited to be around other people and get back to making art. We had only one classroom, a hallway and a small bathroom tucked under the stairs, but it was amazing. We later added a gallery, along with a ceramics room with kiln, a multipurpose room, and an additional bathroom upstairs. What used to be just me teaching mostly mixed media, drawing and ceramics hand building classes now included oil painting, stained glass, wheel throwing, jewelry making, crocheting and American Sign Language. We now have workshops and host community events and painting party style experiences for Zanesville and the surrounding counties. At year 26, we now have 6 teachers not including myself. This former little basement studio has allowed me to include our children, family members and now grandchildren in classes and learning activities and has allowed me to step away from teaching art in public school.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
In hindsight, it has been a relatively smooth journey. Definitely some moments of stress and frustration but it has been an incredible journey of joy that I wouldn’t trade for the world. The moments of transition from one location to the next were difficult because I loved each of the spaces that I had created. Covid definitely put a damper on things with the cost of construction materials skyrocketing, but if it hadn’t happened, who knows how long it would have taken us to get our current location ready or expand to the variety we offer today.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I teach all of the mixed media classes for children and adults, the ceramics classes, and all of the pottery wheel throwing classes. I also do workshops on occasion and manage the day-to-day phone calls, class registration, social media posts and customer relations. I paint as well, but mostly for my own enjoyment, with hopes of selling my works. My specialty is making pottery, mugs, bowls, vases, etc.
I am most proud of what my studio represents and how it makes others feel. The Lord has greatly blessed this endeavor and brought the most amazing artists/instructors to the studio. I honestly couldn’t do all of this without them. Each week the studio is filled with artists, young and not so young, and they love being here. Some take multiple classes within a week. Parents feel safe dropping their children off, and most of all, memories are made here. Peace, joy, encouragement and art fill the studio, and that’s what makes it different.

What were you like growing up?
I am the oldest of 4 and I’d say the leader of my siblings, but honestly, we all work together and love each other. Growing up in my family was only something that God could have ordained. We didn’t always have a lot but come to find out after these many years, we had the family and childhood life that all of our friends longed for and admired. I loved being outside with my dad who was a hobby farmer. If I asked for an animal, he got it for me. I went hunting and trapping and did all the things with him when I was a kid, He was quiet and I think that I take after him in that regard. My parents encouraged us to always do our best and I did just that. Got all A’s in school, worked a job from the day I turned 16. I bought my own car and was a responsible kid who loved and honored her parents. We grew up in church and pretty much my friend group was those that I went to church with or the neighborhood kids.
I used to sit on my grandpa’s lap and tell him to draw specific things. He was an attorney but also had an artistic flare. My dad could also draw. My mom was a nurse and showed us all how to have a nurturing spirit and to put others first. My family was humble and for that I am grateful. I always loved art and my elementary art teacher, Mr Colliflower. How he ever knew me from all of the 1500 students that I had, I’ll never know, but he encouraged me and up until his death, last summer, we still kept in touch.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.juliesartery.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/julies_artery
• Facebook: Julie’s ARTery