About

The Art Room was founded by Clara Corn in 2012 after two successful annual art extravaganzas. At the second of these, Clara Corn and Amber Wilhelm (James), then art therapy graduate students at Emporia State University, took a survey which asked people in attendance about their desire for more such art making opportunities in the community.

The result was an overwhelming YES.


A year later, the Art Room became a reality and has been evolving and growing since 2012.


We at the Art Room believe the act of making art is intrinsically therapeutic and we aim to maintain a welcoming, non-judgmental atmosphere. You're invited to come in and explore your creativity while working alongside others. 

Though the Art Room was started as an art therapy master's project, and a belief in the therapeutic uses of art remains the guiding undercurrent, art therapists are not on site on a regular basis. Sometimes art-making can bring out some complex emotions that may need to be processed with a mental health professional. We have a wide array of pamphlets and contact numbers for nearby mental health services, some of which offer sliding scale fees based on income.


The Art Room is absolutely free to the public. All of the materials we have have been donated by your fellow artists and the community at large. If you'd like to make a donation it would be greatly appreciated! Please fill out the contact form on this page, or connect with us on facebook.


The Art Room is open each Saturday during the food pantry time (10am - Noon) and again from 3pm to 5pm, and Sunday evening around 5pm with a studio facilitator and a planned activity, though you can also come and work on your own independent project. Times are subject to change depending on events at the Welcome Table Community Center, weather, and other variables, so check with us on facebook, on the Art Room door, or with Marianna - the lead facilitator of the Art Room.

If you are an artist who would like to volunteer your time and teach a workshop, please fill out the contact form - we would love to have you!

Clara Corn ~ Marianna Lish

                 











Clara Corn's family has lived in Turley for 5 generations and 4 currently still live within walking distance from one another. It was this emotional connection to the community which spurred her to start the Art Room. She received her masters degree in art therapy counseling from Emporia State University after graduating from Northeastern State University with bachelors degrees in Fine Art and Psychology. She has experience working in a wide array of clinical and community settings and is currently the director of resident services at Plumb Place in Emporia, Kansas. She has presented her work at conferences on the state, national, and international levels: the Kansas Art Therapy Association (2013), the American Art Therapy Association (2011 and 2012), and the Global Alliance for Arts and Health (2014). She believes art is a therapeutic tool on a personal as well as collective level. She subscribes to the idea that art therapists who work in impoverished or disenfranchised communities have the responsibility to be social activists. She believes art should not be used to help people simply adjust to a society of systemic oppression. It is important to not stop at the amelioration of stress symptoms, but that art can serve as a way for individuals and the collective to speak out about inequalities and build a collective identity. Her theoretical orientation is most informed by the psychologists Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, and Carl Rogers and the art therapists Maxine Borowsky Junge and Robert Ault. In addition to her interest in community art therapy work, Clara is interested in language and color symbolism and enjoys writing fiction in her spare time.

Marianna Lish is a self-taught artist, originally from Queens, Ny before settling in Turley where she now lives with her husband. She is an active member of the Turley Community; having founded the Turley Alliance Against Crime and Hiding Behind the Couch, a support group for adult survivors of childhood abuse. Marianna worked closely with Clara in the Art Room in 2013 and when Clara moved back to Emporia, Marianna became the lead facilitator for the Art Room. She actively promotes the Art Room around the Tulsa metropolitan area and handles the day to day workings and weekly events. She believes in the power of art to heal and bring people together in community. Marianna's primary media is acrylic paintings on canvas or a mixed media approach combining painting and poetry. She frequently uses vibrant colors and texture to create emotionally evocative or meditative peices. She believes in the importance of active community engagement and that community art projects can help build a sense of community identity and inspire people to be more engaged in their neighborhoods. Marianna strives to combat inequality in everyday life through volunteering and spending her time learning more about being an effective social activist. Her other interests include reading and writing poetry, conducting genealogical research and in her spare time she relaxes by playing video games.

Amber James

Amber returned to her home of Carleton, MI in the greater Detroit, area after receiving her masters of art therapy counseling at Emporia State University. She has experience with many different populations and is currently an art therapist working in the inpatient psychiatric setting at two different hospitals in the Metro Detroit area. She works with children at Henry Ford Kingswood and adults at St. John Providence, and is the legislative chair of the Michigan Association of Art Therapy. Amber subscribes to the idea of art as therapy, that the act of making art is therapeutic in itself and employs a variety of artistic interventions in her work. In addition to art therapy, Amber is a talented drummer and enjoys playing music, traveling, and spending time with her two children.  

Welcome Table Community Center and Garden

The Welcome Table Community Center, Third Place Community Foundation & The Welcome Table Community Garden Park and Orchard