Meet Beth Keenan | Artist, Entrepreneur, Hopeful Optimist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Beth Keenan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Beth, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Though conceived long ago, FunktiniLand materialized in 2022. Following 15 years of traversing the nation for art shows, my mom and business partner, JoAnn Rawley, and I recognized the importance of being present in our family and community. Shifting from shows to online sales, our goal remained constant—to establish a space supporting Ohio artists and makers while providing a home for our own creations. The discovery of City Goods in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland in 2022 spurred us to promptly seize the opportunity to open our inaugural retail location. At present, FunktiniLand proudly showcases the diverse works of over 38 Ohio creatives, offering an extensive array of mediums at inclusive prices to make local art accessible to everyone.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My professional journey has been a challenging yet immensely rewarding one. Over the past 25 years as a working artist, I’ve encountered numerous obstacles, akin to navigating potholes and scaling mountains. Despite the difficulties inherent in running a small business, I’ve embraced these challenges as opportunities for personal growth, expansion, and perseverance, which have collectively shaped me into a resilient individual.

The challenges associated with entrepreneurship have been multifaceted, but each hurdle has been a stepping stone toward success. It’s through overcoming these obstacles that I’ve honed my skills and developed the tenacity necessary for sustained success in the art world.

One of the most gratifying aspects of my journey has been the opportunity to interact with the public. Meeting diverse individuals from around the world has been a source of inspiration and motivation. Despite the fleeting nature of these interactions, the moments shared are small yet indelibly memorable. It is these connections and the ability to touch the lives of others through art that fuel my ongoing commitment to this creative path.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We get a lot of people visiting Cleveland stop by to discover FunktiniLand and we love to share everything wonderful about our city, it’s people, and places. We make sure they know to visit the Cleveland Botanical Gardens and ,of course, the Cleveland Museum of Art. We love Brewnuts for donuts, breakfast at Lucky’s cafe, lunch at Judith Cafe, dinner at Salt and a napoleon dessert from Farkas Bakery. We make sure they know that our Cleveland MetroParks are amazing for walks and bike riding, especially Edgewater at sunset. We are big on thrifting and vintage, so we would head over to Table for Two in Ohio City, Launch Pad in Asian Town, and Slow Union. To discover more artists and funky places in our community, we would visit 78th street studios, Screw Factory, Coco’s Selfie Space in the 5th st Arcades, City Goods Cleveland, and Cool World Cleveland. Lastly, we would check out an Guardians game and play some pinball at Super Electric Pinball.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Without the partnership and friendship with my mom, JoAnn Rawley, FunktiniLand, and in fact my entire artistic career, might have never come to fruition. My mom has instilled, with in all of her children, a wicked hard work ethic and she was the first person who shared a taste of being an entrepreneur with me. She has also been by biggest cheerleader in life and our relationship is one of my most cherished.

We also recognize that without the creativity of the Ohio artists that we showcase in FunktiniLand, our space would lack the exuberance, humor, and funky, fun atmosphere that we are so honored to create.

Website: www.funktiniland.com

Instagram: @funktiniland

Facebook: @funktiniland

Yelp: @funktiniland

Image Credits
Image – Auden & Company