The journey from teaching art to children to promoting the NOTO Arts District
TOPEKA (KSNT) - Our July 2024 honoree went from helping young kids appreciate art as an early child care provider, to promoting an arts and entertainment district as NOTO's Program and Communications Coordinator.
Staci Ogle grew up in south Topeka and has lived in the Capital City her entire life. Before graduating from Washburn Rural High School, she did a lot of babysitting and early child care for nearby parents and school teachers.
"I was really connected to younger kids, and had no idea that once I got out of college that I would actually be finding myself in that position," Ogle said, "so, I did in-home preschool for 15 years and loved it."
Her new passion was discovered while teaching kids some simple art projects. She wasn't only creating a richer environment for the children, but Staci soon realized that she was really fostering her hidden talents.
"That's kind of where I decided to dive more into painting, and so I started at my kitchen table and just would pull the paints out during nap time, or some downtime in the evening," Ogle said.
During this same time, the historic North Topeka downtown area, that faced several devastations over the years like the 1951 flood and the collapse of the river bridge got a new life in 2010 with an initiative called "Heartland Visioning" and an arts district was born.
"There were a few key stakeholders that got involved, and some businesses started open up, and the city really embraced it," Staci said.
Staci became more involved in the arts community, and opened her first studio in 2011. It was a way to grow as a person, but also help create a thriving environment for her kids, and other people's children, to grow up in.
"I decided that the NOTO Arts District was away for me to help continue to build on my own personal goals, but also you know add to our city that I love so much," Ogle said.
Staci was soon helping with fundraisers and organizing local art fairs, by 2018, she opened her largest gallery to date. This gave her a way to facilitate growth for even more artists.
"I really loved being able to make a bigger impact as a whole, and so when I was offered the opportunity to come and work for the organization, I decided to close down my preschool and close down the gallery I made this my full time mission," Staci said.
NOTO is an organic district that thrives to survive. It's an arts district, economic development district and district beautification area. It's comprised of over 50 small businesses; everything from galleries and antiques to eateries and boutiques.
"I love everything that we've done down here as a district, from our public art initiatives, to the gallery exhibits that we have, to just providing arts opportunities to Topeka and the surrounding area, and really exposing the community to something that they were so hungry for, but also didn't realize it," Ogle said.
Staci believes NOTO is stronger now than before COVID, and she's excited about its future with new activities, exhibits, and opportunities for expansion.
"I think we were able to prove that we could make it happen, but it's such a wonderful thing to see the community support and embrace all of the arts that we have going on down here. We're so unique, and we bring so many wonderful things to Topeka. And that's so incredibly important.'
Lastly, Staci wants to thank outgoing NOTO Executive Director Tom Underwood for his support and mentorship.
If you know a woman we should highlight in this segment, please go to ksnt.com and nominate them there. We feature these honorees, during 27 News, on the last Tuesday of each month.