Heads of the Class

One thing that appealed to Fergusson, beyond the church's fulfillment of his structural needs, was the site. "It's isolated. It's about privacy. As an artist, I don't want to perpetually live in the space where I shall work or with the art-viewing crowd surrounding me at all times."

Fergusson agrees with my theory about these institutional buildings representing what lofts did 10 years ago. "As various industries abandon their space, artists move in," he says. "That's what lofts were. Schools are abandoning themselves now."

And that's why Nikol Lohr is having so much fun.

"I really liked school," she says. "I like learning, and I like being graded and judged." That's not a sentiment you hear every day, but it makes some sense. As someone who works for herself (on projects such as the entertaining Web site Disgruntledhousewife.com and an upcoming knitting book called Naughty Needles), Lohr misses evaluation, structure and external sources of motivation. Don't misunderstand — she doesn't miss the kind of evaluation she got in the workforce, back when she had a boss. "That just kind of made me seethe with resentment," she recalls. No, she misses that teacher's stamp of approval and the stern but sweet discipline that must be followed to earn it.

Living and working in a schoolhouse, she says, "You're that person you lose when you get out of school."

She wants to share the experience with other artists — who, she says, could really get some work done if only there were fewer distractions. That's what makes the Harveyville Rural High School and Grade School buildings and the Eskridge Rural District 31 High School and Grade School buildings so perfect. In Harveyville and Eskridge, she says, "There truly are no distractions. Except yourself."

The Harveyville Project will begin operating as an artists' retreat in the spring. Lohr hopes to draw writers working on books with deadlines approaching, artists with shows looming, and people who just want a weekend getaway. Because of the bigger gym-and-auditorium complex at the Eskridge campus, Lohr is also thinking about hosting a film festival, but for now she's in the process of seeking nonprofit status and applying for grants.

Lohr lives in the Harveyville High School building. Her bedroom is a classroom. Her bathroom has stalls. She has converted the band room into her personal library. When I visited, I stayed in the social-studies room — and used the projector to watch a movie before bed. That night, I was too cool for school.