2021 Mayor's Arts Award Nominee: The North Church Venue, The Jennings and Pyle Family
Why are the arts important in Muncie? What do the arts do for the community?
The arts are important especially to Muncie because it brings community together. It allows all to express themselves and give to others through their talents.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Our building was originally a church built in 1902. In the early 2000s it was abandoned and sat empty until 2019 when the Jennings family bought it and turned it into a venue space! Recently, the Pyle family purchased the business and took over to allow the Jennings family to continue to build and remodel other structures in the Muncie community.
we call ourselves:
We call ourselves remodelers and designers. Dave Jennings and his sons Michael and Matthew thought of all the designs on their own and turned the space into an indescribable venue from basically nothing.
Where can people see your work or learn more about you?
People can see our work through some of the open to the public events we have. Most people still don't know we exist so we would really love the community to know what we are about and see the venue in person to get the full experience!
What is your favorite part about being in Muncie?
Our favorite part about becoming part of the community of Muncie are the people. We love meeting new and interesting people that we probably wouldn't have met otherwise.
How did you become interested in the arts?
We became interested in the arts because the Jennings family saw such potential for Muncie and the community and wanted a place that could benefit the community. Dave has been in construction most of his life and knew The North Church Venue would be something special.
What is your favorite arts memory? An amazing event? An experience? A place?
If you could change one thing about the arts in Muncie, what would it be?
One thing we would change about the arts in Muncie would be that more people would be involved in the arts community of Muncie. We hear lots of people say there isn't anything to do in Muncie, but we disagree! There are so many fun and unique arts culture activities, you just need to know where to look!
