Burdick’s Got Moxie: East Parent and art teacher Alexis Burdick makes her passion into a Business with new store Moxie Art Studios

Pulling up in her silver Honda minivan, East parent Alexis Burdick gathered her arsenal of paints, glitters and sand art boards out of her backseat. A birthday party with little girls eager to make rainbow seahorses awaited. Alexis has spent years build this business, working after school and running around town on the weekends, but now she finally gets to let the clients come to her
Alexis’ weekend side hustle — after her day job as an art teacher at Shawnee Mission North — is being a mobile art party teacher. Parents hire her through her website to create custom-designed sand art board outlines for birthday parties. She’s designed space mermaids, rainbow giraffe donuts and any other over-the-top theme a 7-year-old girl could come up with to paint on their birthday.


“I never know what I’m walking into [at those parties],” Alexis said. “Now I get to control what I’m walking into because it’s the space that I’m creating. And so every time someone comes into the brick-and-mortar space now I can create that Wonderland.”


Ten years after her first party, Alexis is finally gaining stability by opening her own studio space for art classes. She spent 10 years dreaming, three years searching for the perfect location, six months of negotiations with the realtor, 30 days in waiting period and renovations delayed by a Covid-infected contractor. But finally, Alexis is nearly ready to open Moxie Art Studios at 10362 Mastin street in Overland Park by late October.
The studio will offer art classes and in-person art projects where clients can make and take it home within the hour on weekdays, with reserved parties and events on weekends.
“I’m trying to be patient,” Alexis said. “I want to hold my excitement till the construction is finished, but there’s always going to be something that’s going to throw a curveball into your plans.”
She’s worked hard on her own for years to build her party business. But Alexis won’t be working alone at the studio. Her oldest daughter and East alum Adya Burdick will help at the studio while growing her own small business and studying graphic design at JCCC.
“I’ve been designing T-shirts and sweatshirts for fun,” Adya said. “But when the studio space is open, I’m going to branch out with the birthday parties and offer classes where they can make sweatshirts and pick out their own designs.”
Alexis’ classes are meant to be a space where anyone can create without judgment. Especially when they’re not as confident with their artistic skills — trying ceramics or painting for the first time — the “nominally creative” as Alexis would say.
“I say ‘nominally creative’ people, meaning the people who want to be creative but haven’t had the access, experience or the opportunity,” Alexis said. “You feel anxiety over it, and that kind of holds you back, but having an inclusive and judgment-free creative space where you don’t have to be the world’s best artist allows you to enjoy [Moxie Art Studio.]”

The independence of running her own business is something Alexis hasn’t always had as a teacher at North. The district’s structured curriculum doesn’t always work for a subject that should allow students to express their creativity and use it as an outlet for their stress, according to Alexis.

Her teaching style adapts to each student and has had an impact on her kids even if they just took the class for a graduation requirement. SMN sophomore Maci Swob is grateful for that relaxed environment that Alexis’ class gave her — the opportunity to make her own art without restriction.

“I actually never wanted to do art because I’ve never been a big artist,” Swob said. “But Mrs. Burdick is really good about letting each kid do what they feel comfortable with in their artwork.”

Even with all the preparations for their studio, Alexis and Adya are still balancing lives of their own. Adya is in college, on the school dance team, and working as a part-time dance instructor at Miss Maria’s while Alexis is still handling a full time teaching job while also taking care of two other kids, including east Junior Clara Burdick.
“People work during the day,” Alexis said. “They’re doing the same thing we’re doing during the day. So the studio is open after school hours for students. It’s a great little niche that can be built around our current schedules.”

For Alexis, teaching art has always been about putting her students first and making her classes something anyone can enjoy. Now, Moxie Art Studio in order to share that experience with even more people.

“My daughter asked me why I like the word moxie,” Alexis said. “It’s because I feel like to be an artist you just have to jump in and have confidence and courage to just take chances and trust that it’s gonna be okay. That’s what I want [Moxie] to be.”