The foundation of the Open Arts Center (OAC) traces back to a spontaneous encounter at a local theater production. Claire Brislin, a writer and longtime educator, first met Maija Kellner-Rode, an artist, designer and teen mentor, during a 2023 production that featured panel discussions and an art exhibition. Kellner-Rode was exhibiting her paintings when Brislin, an audience member, shared her thoughts on creating more opportunities for young people to make art. That brief exchange sparked a series of coffee meetings where the two began shaping a shared vision. Just three weeks after their first conversation, they committed to creating a third space for teens to practice their creative agency.
Their vision has since expanded to serving young people and adults while fostering intergenerational creative relationships from the OAC building on Second Street, which officially opened its doors in April 2026. They designed a dynamic space meant to invite people to discover their artistic inclinations. The building also features gold accents and signage, a street-level beacon signaling that creativity is welcome.
Open Arts Center Gives Bend Teens Space to Explore Art and Creativity
Through the double doors of the Teen Center, a fashion-design station holds textiles and magazines donated almost entirely by Fashion Workshop, a partner nonprofit. An art wall nearby is stocked with supplies for teens to take what they need and return when done. There’s a lounge with instruments scattered throughout that’s also home to a monthly open mic, and couches that encourage the artists to settle in. Nothing is precious; spills aren’t faux pas as most furniture and supplies are reused.
Central to the founders’ shared philosophy is providing teenagers with a level of agency rarely found in other environments. Brislin and Kellner-Rode emphasize the importance of unstructured time, allowing young people to explore their identities away from the constraints of highly scheduled instruction. By using a self-directed model with no rigid curriculum or phone bans—only an open space with the necessary tools—the center encourages teens to follow their own marvel instead of an adult-imposed agenda. This approach is rooted in their conviction that positive adult relationships beyond those with parents and teachers are vital to a teenager’s development. Brislin cited the impactful work of the Boys and Girls Club as an example. The founders continue to prioritize recruiting mentors who participate in the creative process alongside youth, championing a collaborative atmosphere rather than a traditional teaching dynamic.
Art Studios and Creative Spaces for All Ages in Bend
The co-founders are cultivating a “sense” of creativity, viewing it as a capacity as essential as sight or taste, though one that is too frequently neglected. Kellner-Rode seeks to reawaken this instinct in individuals who may no longer even perceive themselves as creative. “Innately, we’re born as creative humans, and that can look and develop in so many ways,” she said. “It doesn’t have to be a 2D drawing; it can be music, dance, crochet, the way you dress—there are so many ways in which we’re creative people.” This philosophy is evidenced by the adults who rent studio space throughout the facility—many are returning to artistic pursuits after lengthy professional careers, driven less by a desire for technical mastery than by a need to reconnect with curiosity.
While the adult studios are physically distinct from the Teen Center—featuring large warehouse garage doors and collaborative working tables that are more reminiscent of Brooklyn than Bend—the core mission remains unified throughout the building. It is a shared environment where a teenager discovering a new interest and an adult reclaiming a long-dormant one are engaged in the same instinctive process.
The gallery room connects the adult and teen spaces. It’s a modular space framed by a wall of windows, built to be rented out, activated and filled with whatever the community brings to it. The founders are prepared to host teen art shows here, multimedia collaborations, retreats, live music performances and the like.
Open Arts Center Connects Bend’s Artists and Creative Community
Looking forward, Brislin envisions the space becoming largely teen-driven, with young people operating the open mic and leading their own workshops while she simply supports what they’ve already decided to build. Beyond that, Brislin wants the OAC to be Bend’s gathering point for the creative community at large, a place where artists and organizations can come together to speak and catalyze change for the city’s artistic future.
The inception of the Open Arts Center began as an ambitious undertaking to give young people a place to explore creativity, build confidence and navigate the transition from childhood to adulthood. Since then, the space has become a home base for volunteer mentors, teens finding their voice and working professionals rediscovering a forgotten passion. Brislin and Kellner-Rode first found that sense of creative community when they met in a shared artistic environment, and now they have established a space where others can similarly experience and consistently return to creative exchange.
