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After five and a half years of hosting poetry readings, concerts, dance parties, photoshoots, yoga classes, art shows, comedy gigs, plays, and even weddings, The Studio in Kendall-Whittier announced today that they will close at the end of December.
The Studio opened in 2020, helmed by photographer Jess Karin Trout and fitness instructor Katy Lynn, who initially used the venue to provide a space to book photography shoots for photographers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the panic of that time, The Studio emerged as a safe and welcoming place for pretty much anything a creative person could think of to do—a big open room that could hold it all.
Over the years, the space evolved to host a wide range of events, expanded to another wing of the building, and hosted permanent studio spots for painters, musicians, and vintage clothing sellers. It became exactly what Trout and Lynn hoped it would become: a stepping stone for emerging artists who needed accessible space to share their work.
In-between spaces like this have always been scarce in Tulsa. When Trout and Lynn opened The Studio, they recognized that artists in town were finding it hard to come by the kind of support a venue like this could offer. “I’m not an artist myself but I was like, I can hold space for these people who are so talented but aren’t able to get seen, who don’t have the resources to get their work even into farmers markets or coffee shops,” Lynn said in a 2020 interview with Root. “We’re really here to make space."
Like Whitty Books, which closed earlier this year, The Studio was part of the heartbeat of the Kendall-Whittier neighborhood and Tulsa’s larger creative scene, a women-owned DIY space that served the dreams of the community. As a closing gift to Tulsa, The Studio is offering 26% off bookings through December 26. They’re planning a farewell open house for the end of December, and a final art show to be announced between now and then. They’ll host their last Makers Market this Sunday, November 23.
