Entry No. 5 — the Anchorage file — filed under: converted church
The Nave (the old Church of Love)
A 60-year-old derelict Baptist-then-Korean church that artists activated as the 'Church of Love' before it became The Nave, an arts commons. Its weirdest legacy is on the building itself: a giant 3-D steel shadowbox mural designed by Drew Michael and cut by Garrett Perkins that glows like a lantern in winter, plus a polka-dot asphalt 'Twister mat' ground mural by Kerby McGhee out front. Old Sunday-school rooms are now cheap artist studios.
The story
Before it became an arts commons, 3502 Spenard Road spent six decades as a Baptist and later Korean church before falling derelict. The Cook Inlet Housing Authority originally bought the property with plans to tear it down for a parking lot. Local artists had a different idea: they quietly moved into the empty sanctuary, staged community events, and nicknamed the squat the 'Church of Love.' The takeover worked well enough that the housing authority dropped the asphalt plan, renovated the building, and officially reopened it as The Nave, named after the structure's central hall.
The weirdest remnants of that transformation remain carved into the building's exterior. Out front, artist Kerby McGhee painted the asphalt into a giant polka-dot 'Twister mat' ground mural. Bolted to the main wall is a massive 3-D steel shadowbox mural designed by Alaska Native artist Drew Michael and cut by Garrett Perkins. During Alaska's dark winter months, interior lights glow through the cut steel, turning the facade into an illuminated lantern visible down Spenard Road.
Inside, the conversion kept the bones of the old house of worship while flipping its purpose. The former Sunday-school classrooms downstairs were stripped and partitioned into affordable work studios for local painters, sculptors, and makers. What used to be a place for weekly sermons is now a warren of creative workspaces anchored by a shared hall for pop-ups and performances.
What it's like
If you pull into the parking lots on the north or south side on a random weekday afternoon, expect locked doors. The Nave operates strictly on an event schedule. To get inside, time your visit to an exhibition, a creative workshop, or the monthly Spenard Second Saturday art walk on the second Saturday of the month, when the interior opens up and you can wander past the studio doors. If you're coming by off-schedule, stick to the exterior: Kerby McGhee's polka-dot ground mural and the steel shadowbox facade are accessible 24/7, and the shadowbox mural reads best after dark during long winter nights.
The move: Stroll the exterior to find the steel shadowbox mural and the Twister-mat asphalt out front, then catch an opening, workshop, or Spenard Second Saturday art-walk event inside the converted nave and peek into the warren of artist studios.
📍 Before you go The Nave sits on historic Spenard Road in the Spenard neighborhood, southwest of downtown Anchorage; it's the old church building, and there are parking lots on both the north and south sides. The exterior murals are free to walk up to anytime, so anyone can swing by, but the building's interior is event-driven, opening mainly for exhibitions, workshops, and the monthly Spenard Second Saturday art walk (held on the second Saturday). Time an inside visit to one of those. Winter pays off too: the steel shadowbox lantern reads best after dark in the long northern nights. Spenard's offbeat bars, diners, and other studios are walkable along the same strip, so make a loop of it.
- 📍 Spenard
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoor or outdoor
Where: 3502 Spenard Road, Anchorage, AK 99503
Hours: Event- and exhibition-driven; check thenavespenard.com or Spenard Second Saturday for openings. Exterior murals viewable anytime.
Pair it with
- Spenard's Neon Palm Tree — Pair the glowing steel shadowbox mural with Spenard’s other steel survivor—a 33-foot lit palm tree left over from a 1960s tiki motel just 0.3 miles down the road.
- "Spen" — the Spam Can & Raven Sculpture — Walk half a mile down Spenard Road to check out another piece of neighborhood public art: John Coyne's bronze raven perched atop a giant Spam can.
- Bear Tooth Theatrepub — After catching an exhibition or studio event at The Nave, head half a mile down the strip to grab pizza and Broken Tooth beer while watching a movie in a booth.
- Together with Tarot (Tales of the Tarot at Rage City Vintage) — Extend your Spenard neighborhood art loop with a drop-in tarot reading by Alysha McGuire amidst retro racks at nearby Rage City Vintage.
Good to know
When can I go inside the building?
The interior opens only for scheduled events, workshops, exhibitions, and Spenard Second Saturday art walks on the second Saturday of each month. Check their event schedule before heading over.
Can I see the murals without an event ticket?
Yes. Both the ground-level asphalt mural out front and the 3-D steel shadowbox facade are outside and accessible to view free of charge at any hour.
Where is parking located?
The venue has dedicated surface parking lots on both the north and south sides of the building off Spenard Road.
What happens in the old Sunday-school rooms?
The former classroom spaces in the basement and side corridors have been converted into low-cost work studios for local Anchorage artists and makers.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: adn.com · forecastpublicart.org
last checked: 2026-06-06