MALVERN, Iowa (KMTV) — "It's not really what people expect to see," Zack Jones acknowledges. "You think of an old church and you think of potluck."
The artist, who grew up three miles outside of Malvern, Iowa, is challenging the norm while bringing a childhood dream to life.
"My brothers and my cousins — we always talked growing up about how we wanted to buy an old Main Street building and do something cool with it."
For Jones, the opportunity came 11 years ago in the form of a 150-year-old Presbyterian church which was built just four years after the City of Malvern was established. The church hadn't held services for decades and served, instead, as a community gathering space.
"Before I owned it, it was white. You know, very modest," Jones explained.
Today, the Art Church, as he calls it, is more colorful than most imaginations. Jones has infused energy into the building while honoring the features which make it special.
"The Victorian Gothic windows. You know, I view the architecture and the building as a piece of artwork, so it really complements what I do. And I try to complement it — I call it 'her' — in return."
Jones studied art in Arizona with renowned artist Sergio Ladron de Guevara.
"Sergio's from Mexico City, so he very much pushed the color palette and brighter colors, painterly. And he really instilled those things in me," Jones shared.
Ladron de Guevara also instilled how to paint with love and integrity, which is reflected in Jones' thinking.
"...How many people grew up going to church here and generations that have gone here have passed away," he continued. "There's been funerals here, there's been weddings here, there's been baptisms. But, if you look at all of those things, they're functions that bring people together."
Jones wants the space to, again, be a place where neighbors connect.
He added a vacation rental to the basement to help cover the costs upstairs, and estimates he's spent more than 2,000 hours (not counting family and friends) working on the Art Church.
"It's almost like you're connected to the people that built the building. And I'd like to think, you know if there is a spiritual aspect to this whole thing, that they're looking down and proud of me for taking this on."
The Art Church will be ready for visitors during the Southwest Iowa Art Tour; with a 150th Revival Celebration on September 16, 2023, from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
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