Coast to Coast and Home Again – Artist Finds Her Haven In The Artists’ Village


Visual artist Nancy Steele who loves to work on large-scale, abstract pieces, stumbled upon Community Ventures’ Artists’ Village in Lexington’s East End after keying the ‘magic’ keywords of ‘house-with-studio-space’ into her search engine. The Artists’ Village is a creative community located within Lexington’s East End neighborhood. Comprised of newly constructed homes with attached studio spaces that allow artists to live where they create, the Village surrounds the Art Park, a green space where the neighborhood can gather to watch artists at work, and enjoy art and cultural events.

“I was looking for anything from a storefront that might have an apartment to a house where I could build a studio,” Steele remembers. “I stumbled across the Artists’ Village project online, and I thought ‘That’s perfect! That’s exactly what I want!’ I loved the whole philosophy of the Artists’ Village, the idea of the art community and rejuvenating the East End.”

Steele, who began her career in New York City, was living in Benicia, California when her husband passed away in 2019. Before he died he told her that she should sell their house and studio and return to Kentucky to be near her brother and sister.

Steele is now the fourth artist to move into the Artists’ Village, flanked by Warnock and Goodloe Streets nearby The MET, with a fifth artist’s home to start construction very soon. The Village features newly constructed single-family home/studios surrounding the Art Park, a green space created to host scheduled art festivals and other cultural events for East End neighborhood residents and the general public.

“Mark Johnson (CV’s President of Art Inc. Kentucky) and Myron Agnew (Director, Property Management for CV) were so helpful in the cross-country relocation process. Both were very responsive in answering all my questions frankly and fully, before I’d even seen the site or the neighborhood,” the artist said. “Over the course of building my house, Myron communicated with me frequently about all the many details involved. He took such care, making sure everything would be just right. And he allowed me to make some changes to the original plan that I’m really enjoying.”

“To live amid my paintings and be able to work at any time of day (or night) is great, as it is to see and be a part of the revival of the East End and its rich cultural history.”

Creatives interested in a home in the Artists’ Village can contact Art. Inc. Kentucky President Mark Johnson at (859) 231-0054 ext. 1023 or mjohnson@cvky.org for more information.

In July 2022, our community mourned the loss of our dear friend and colleague, Myron Agnew, who was instrumental in the development of the Artists’ Village, among many projects. Myron truly loved working with clients and helping them realize their dreams of homeownership. He will truly be missed, but his legacy will live on through the many individuals whose lives he touched.

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