Beerhorsts open home to public

Last weekend, art enthusiasts and passersby were able to stop at the Beerhorst home and buy artwork made by various members of their family.

Rick and Brenda Beerhorst have been hosting art open houses for about 24 years. They say there have been many changes since their first open houses. At one point, the open houses included music and food. There were four open houses during the year. Now the family hosts two art open houses a year: one in the winter and one in the spring.

“It’s changed a lot too, since then, because back then, the kids would have $1 drawings and now, now Rose might sell more than we do,” Rick Beerhorst says.

At last weekend's open house, there were several displays set up around the house. One display showed dolls, headbands and crochet bowls. Another display had pot holders, cloth ornaments and drawings. Knitted hats lined the entrance into the dining room, where there was another display with CDs, snowman pins and cookies. Paintings hung along the walls.

“I like that there is just so much stuff here,” customer Emily Gremel says. “It’s not like you go to see one thing. Even within the family there is just so many ways to be creative.”

“I love their work,” Kyle Heys says. “It’s a great mix of good artwork, good creativity, spirituality themes and community themes which I find inspiring and fun to look at.”

Customers could stay inside the house or go outside to look at the art wagon or the studio. Inside, music played in the background as customers walked around the house. The children played and ran around and Rick Beerhorst would talk to customers.

“I really appreciated the open house format,” Jordan Garling explains. “Inviting people into your home the way he did to view his work while he was going about his day—making lunch for his family and the like—made the experience very intimate.”

“[It was] a little awkward actually,” Trent Heille says. “If there were more people, I would have felt more comfortable, but as it was, I felt a little on-the-spot to talk to Beerhorst or ask questions or buy something.”

“What I especially liked about the open house was the house itself,” Heille continues. “I’m not sure how old it was, but the architecture and layout were fantastic, and made for a really good space to display art.”

In case customers missed the open house, they can go to Rick Beerhorst's website or visit Rick Beerhorst's Etsy page, Brenda Beerhorst's Etsy page or Pearl Beerhorst's Etsy page.