Root & Runner: Where creativity finds its community

Lori Kaye Lodes

Contributor

January 12, 2026

NEENAH – When Emily Runnerstrom opened Root & Runner Creative Space in Neenah, she said she wasn’t just starting a business – she was creating a home for creativity and community.

Inspired by a lifetime of making things by hand, Runnerstrom said her family’s artistic traditions have always guided the way she sees art and life.

“I grew up in Neenah, and my family has always been very hands-on,” she said. “The answer to, ‘Can I have it?’ was always, ‘Let’s see if we can make it first.’” 

From sewing and knitting to woodworking projects, Runnerstrom said that approach taught her and her siblings the value of learning through doing.

Even her coveted homemade, “wanna-be” Cabbage Patch Kid, she said, became a family DIY project.

“It was significantly creepier than the store-bought version,” she laughed, “but it taught us the joy of figuring things out with our hands.”

Runnerstrom said that mindset carried her through an art degree at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, her master’s degree in book arts from Camberwell College of Art in London and a career in museum education and gallery management.

Though it was during her time as curator of education at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum in Wausau that Runnerstrom said she realized her true calling.

“I’m fulfilled when I’m making my own art, but when I can get people engaged in the act of making – books, painting, knitting – anything that flips that creative switch for somebody, I really find a lot of fulfillment,” she said. “I learned I love creative programming.”

Yet, Runnerstrom said a lifelong dream she had shared with her family always lingered in her mind: opening a creative space to inspire others’ creativity.

A leap of faith 

Runnerstrom said the dream of opening a creative space was a running conversation in her family.

“We often talked about what we would do if we won the lottery,” she said. “We all agreed we’d open a space where artists and others could teach, make their own work and create a community. The hands-on behavior of our family was met with this nonprofit mentality of, ‘Let’s see what we can teach others as well.’”

Runnerstrom said the long-held dream took shape after her mother – a retired nonprofit leader and “force of nature” – discovered that the former Cre8Lab in Neenah had closed. 

Before she knew it, Runnerstrom said she was being ushered into a meeting with the building’s landlord and former Cre8Lab co-founder, Adam Waite – a meeting that ultimately proved fruitful.

“He loved our vision and worked with us to offer a flexible lease,” she said. “It was incredibly possible.”

The result was Root & Runner Creative Space, which Runnerstrom said opened in June 2025 and has been buzzing with activity ever since.

Only later, Runnerstrom said, did she realize the studio’s name reflected its mission – and subtly nodded to her own last name.

“Creating with your hands roots you in a creative community,” she said. “Then that creation sends out runners of inspiration to try new things and connect with other people.”

A space like no other

Inside the studio, Runnerstrom said visitors will find a gallery of local and regional artists, specialty art supplies sourced largely from Wisconsin makers and a flexible studio space designed for classes and events.

Instead of competing with big-box retailers, she said she aims to carry thoughtfully curated, Wisconsin-made products and sought-after art supplies that can’t be found everywhere.

Runnerstrom said these include a curated mix of products, from Blackwing pencils to Wisconsin-based brands, such as Peerless Watercolors, Jack Richeson & Co. easels and Badger State Blades, along with a whimsical signature feature – the Nicholas Quarry Micro Gallery, housed in her childhood dollhouse.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Runnerstrom said she transformed the dollhouse that had been tucked away in the attic into a miniature gallery complete with track lighting and paper doll figures for scale. 

“It was my COVID project,” she said. “I couldn’t get rid of it because of all the core memories attached, so I stripped it out and turned it into a gallery.” 

Runnerstrom said the micro gallery now hosts exhibitions of tiny original artworks, including a recent holiday “Festival of Trees” featuring dollhouse-sized Christmas trees created by 11 artists.

“Mel Kolstad had a collage show in it and sold $300 worth of artwork,” she said. “We even had tiny wine and refreshments [for the show].”

Classes spark creativity

Runnerstrom said Root & Runner Creative Space offers a diverse schedule of workshops – ranging from bookbinding and printmaking to metalworking and mixed media. 

Many of the book arts classes, she said, she teaches herself, while her parents lead in-demand metalworking sessions. 

The studio also hosts visiting instructors, which Runnerstrom said include well-known Wisconsin artists such as Kolstad, whose printmaking and collage classes draw enthusiastic crowds.

Collectively, she said the studio offers about 15 classes each month, with artist instructors also expanding the space’s reach through their own networks.

“Mel is so well connected in the state,” she said. “She’s constantly coming up with new things to teach and loves sharing her knowledge.”

Though most classes at Root & Runner are geared toward ages 14 and up, Runnerstrom said the studio occasionally hosts free family activities and is developing homeschool-friendly programming.

“Other organizations do such a good job with kids, so we focus on high school and up,” she said. “We try to keep things as inexpensive as possible.”

Runnerstrom said the new year brought new opportunities for hands-on creativity, including a Jan. 3 class on kumihimo – the traditional Japanese art of braiding – and a Jan. 9 marbled paper notebook workshop that combines sensory play with bookbinding.

Other offerings, she said, explore watercolor monotypes, negative painting and inventive mixed-media techniques.

“People are coming in regularly to make jewelry or ornaments, and it’s very much about being part of that making community,” she said.

Runnerstrom said many patrons come to try something new – whether it’s creating quirky ornaments with feathers, sequins and fake flowers, or something more straightforward like metalworking.

Classes, she said, are geared to both experienced artists seeking inspiration as well as people who may deem themselves non-creative but have untapped creativity inside.

Runnerstrom said her goal as she builds the business is to fill classes and, in turn, further build the community inside the studio.
“Success would be filling classes on a regular basis and seeing a community of folks coming to open studios and engaging with each other,” she said. “There’s so much mutual inspiration when people create together.”

In addition, Runnerstrom said artists can reserve space to work on their ongoing art endeavors that require more space or a different environment.

The studio, she said, operates as an LLC – reflecting a shared vision and a commitment to community and mission continuity.

“It’s our vision, and I want to stay that way,” she said. 

Currently, Runnerstrom said profits are reinvested into the studio, with hopes of achieving sustainability in the near future.

“Down the line, a paycheck would be great,” she said. “Right now, we’re covering expenses and building something meaningful.”

Describing the venture as the operation is a true family affair, Runnerstrom said her husband, Keith, handles website and advertising, while her parents contribute program ideas, teach classes and used their networks to bring a talented Lawrence University music student for an “amazing” jazz concert in November.

Word of mouth is spreading, and Runnerstrom said she is hearing from people who say friends, family and even therapists recommended the space. 

“That tells me we’re doing something right,” she said. “People walk in and say, ‘Oh, wow, you cover a lot of bases.’ We grab onto ideas as they wander past our eyes.”

For more Root & Runner Creative Space – located at 1131 South Commercial St. – head to rootandrunnercreative.com.