‘Art is meant to bring us together.’ Spirituality is key to success of Culture House
The contemporary world tends to compartmentalize the sacred and the secular, and Jeremiah Enna believes that’s the source of many of humanity’s problems. When Enna and his wife, Mona, founded Culture House in Olathe, he hoped it would serve as a model for how the arts can be informed by spirituality. After 24 years, it would appear the experiment has been a success.
Culture House is one of the most innovative cultural organizations in the Kansas City area. It trains 700 students, ages 3 to 20, in every field of art: music, theater, dance and the visual arts. It also encompasses a semi-professional theater company and a professional dance company, and it provides after-school programs and countless public performances.
Culture House has become a well-established part of Kansas City’s arts scene, but in 1996 it was just a vision.
Enna’s concept for Culture House was shaped by many of his personal experiences. He was born into what he describes as “a wonderful Christian home.” When he moved to Los Angeles to study at the University of California, he subscribed to an eclectic New Age spirituality.
“And that didn’t work so well,” he said.
In Los Angeles, Enna saw the arts being “commodified,” and he was convinced that it was virtually impossible to have a career in the arts and a stable family life. When he was invited to come to Sweden to work with a group of artists, he jumped at the opportunity to learn a new way of doing art.
“When I moved to Sweden, that group of artists were Christians seeking to find out if Christianity was true and if it was relevant or effective in helping culture in our era,” Enna said. “That was their question and I thought it was a great question, so I joined them, and in my 20s became a Christian.”
It was also in Sweden that Enna met his wife, who had a dance company in Helsinki. Both were excited about the possibility of bringing the Christian-based practices they experienced in Sweden to Kansas City.
“We wanted to provide encouragement to just include your talents in your everyday life,” Enna said. “We realized the separation of the spiritual from the secular is very unhealthy for our culture. There should just be art and not sacred art and secular art. Art is meant to bring us together and cause great discussion, conversation and allow us to grow deeper in understanding each other.”
While in Sweden, Enna also saw that the arts can have a place for married people and those with children, and not just those who are starting out on their artistic careers.
“It’s very difficult to sustain a family in the arts industry,” Enna said. “It’s very difficult for marriages to survive because the challenges are so great. So one of the things we wanted to do was show how to be an artist and sustain a family and relationships.”
Enna says he learned a lot about how to do that when he was part of an artistic community in Sweden that he describes as “very hippie and cool.” All of the artists were supportive of their fellow artists who were married and had children. Enna brought that spirit to Culture House.
“We have a professional dance company, and the women and men in the company who have children bring their children with them to rehearsal,” he said. “We get to benefit from really mature artists who otherwise might have to give up their craft and their profession while having children.”
Enna says that you don’t see Bible verses on the wall at Culture House and nobody is beaten over the head with Christianity. Culture House is non-sectarian and open to all, but Jesus’ moral and ethical teachings guide them every step of the way.
“Part of it’s the stories we choose,” Enna said. “For example, Mona will draw inspiration from the Bible and has told a couple of stories from the Bible itself. Deep, human stories. It’s very important to us that if we do a story from the Bible, that it’s also real and connected to the human experience. We don’t want to tell stories that are so spiritually minded that they’re no earthly good.”
Culture House has broad appeal. Its professional dance company, Störling Dance Theater (named after Mona’s maiden name) is one of the most highly regarded dance companies in the area, second only to the Kansas City Ballet in attendance. One of its most acclaimed productions is “Underground,” about the Underground Railroad.
“When they were opening the Kauffman Center, Jane Chu called me,” Enna said. “She had seen ‘Underground’ and asked me if we would move the show to the Kauffman Center and house it there. So we did. It has been an incredible experience of dialogue around race and healing.”
Next February at the Kauffman Center, the Störling Dance Theatre is scheduled to present its 14th annual production of “Underground.”
As for every arts organization and school, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought enormous challenges to Culture House. But the team has been ahead of the curve, placing paramount importance on the safety of students and artists. Enna says that the spiritual foundation on which they’ve built Culture House has also stood them in good stead.
“God tells us in the Bible to not be afraid and that he’s still in charge,” he said. “So we know the temporary challenges and struggles we have are temporary. We should be smart in dealing with them, for sure, but we also know there’s more. And that brings a lot of hope and relieves a lot of stress and helps us make good decisions.”
Culture House, 14808 W. 117th St., Olathe, Kansas, 913-393-3141 or www.culturehouse.com.
Bach at Westmoreland Park
As summer winds down, it’s the perfect time to enjoy a breezy outdoor concert. The Bach Aria Soloists will present BAS at the Park Sept. 12 at Westmoreland Park. The socially distanced concert will feature music by Handel, Bach and tango master Astor Piazzolla.
Violinist Elizabeth Suh Lane will be joined by her cohorts, cellist Hannah Collins, soprano Sarah Tannehill Anderson and Elisa Williams Bickers, who will be bringing her gorgeous harpsichord to the park. Those who are registered (registration slots are now full) are invited to bring your favorite beverage.
2 p.m. Sept. 12. Westmoreland Park, 4600 Oak St. www.bachariasoloists.com.
You can reach Patrick Neas at patrickneas@kcartsbeat.com and follow his Facebook page, KC Arts Beat, at www.facebook.com/kcartsbeat.
This story was originally published September 4, 2020 at 5:00 AM.