A creative collective for structure, access, and joy.
Studio Buddy is a small but growing artist-led initiative that creates time, space, and community for art-making. Founded by visual artist Joey Schmidt, Studio Buddy is grounded in the belief that the creative process can be both personal and shared, and that art can be a tool for self-discovery, healing, and connection.
We believe in showing up for ourselves and each other. Whether you're making for therapy, for a deadline, for beauty, or for breath, this is a place to create in good company.
What We Do
Studio Buddy offers structured and flexible creative opportunities throughout the Kansas City area and beyond, including:
- Live model drawing sessions
- Plein air painting meetups
- Work share circles and critique groups
- Museum and gallery visits
- Community-centered art therapy experiences (in development)
- Occasional artist-led workshops and pop-ups
- Multi-disciplinary artist showcases and parties
We’re here to help artists of all kinds to build rhythm, accountability, and access into their practices. No art degree required. Just a willingness to show up, experiment, and be kind.
The Origin Story:
Studio Buddy started as BASCOOT, a playful name for monthly model meetups in early 2024. The goal was simple: make space for diverse artists to create, together. But after a serious car crash in May 2024, everything paused, including Joey’s art practice.
In that stillness, the project shifted. “Buddy” was Joey’s childhood nickname and a term of endearment used only by his mom and sister. Reclaiming it now, Studio Buddy turns inward healing into outward invitation: a space for art, reflection, and connection.
A year later, Studio Buddy is relaunching with renewed purpose. Still scrappy, still growing, and open to all who want to make space to make.
Who It's For
Studio Buddy is for working artists, returning artists, maybe artists, shy artists, stuck artists, and community-minded creatives who want to make space for their work and for others. We center inclusion, flexibility, and care. Come as you are.
Where We're Headed
Studio Buddy is growing slowly and intentionally, with plans to explore:
- Partnerships with museums and local arts orgs
- Artist residencies and retreats
- Creative wellness programming
- Sliding-scale studio memberships and shared workspaces
- Deepened offerings for trauma-informed and therapeutic creative practice
This collective is rooted in Joey’s own evolving studio practice, especially as he explores themes of trauma, tenderness, grief, and the sacred nature of fear. His current body of work, "Scary as Sacred", has reshaped and deepened the purpose behind Studio Buddy: to make more room for art that heals, challenges, and connects us.
Back to Top