When Jane Chapman sold her business, she couldn’t bring herself to sell the building on South Choctaw that once housed her merchandise. Despite it’s less-than-glamorous exterior, she felt a pull to the large warehouse. Within months, Chapman would fill the space with her friends and fellow creatives, working together to build a space brimming with both art and encouragement.

Now, 13 artists fill the nooks inside Chapman’s building. And while they all come from different walks of life, she says they all share a distinct desire to learn and to share in the process with one another.

“There’s an art student in everyone,” says Chapman. “Art requires a lot of studying and a lot of hard work. The people here are all interested in learning, and that makes a difference.”

Read the full story of Studio 9170 and its artists in this story from the April issue of inRegister, on newsstands now.