What are some unique examples of projects or organizations that are helping grow and improve your local art or music scene?

October 26, 2012 5:19 AM

What are some unique examples of projects or organizations that are helping grow and improve your local art or music scene?

I'm the editor of a local alternative magazine here in Newfoundland, Canada where every year we publish a feature that brainstorms around a particular subject. This year we're focusing ways to improve or grow the local art and music scene. Do you MeFites have any suggestions for inspiring things happening in other places we should take a look at?

Things like... 826 Valencia ... Joe's Mill Musical Instrument Library ... The RPM Challenge (which is popular here!) ...

posted by stokast to media & arts (10 answers total)

The kids running Fredericksburg All Ages have brought a lot of live music into our small town.
posted by COD at 5:34 AM on October 26, 2012

The Awesome Foundation
Hornswaggler Arts
Critical Fierceness micro-grants
Artist residencies
Propeller Fund
posted by Jason and Laszlo at 6:08 AM on October 26, 2012

New Haven, CT has Artspace which runs a project/event each year called City-Wide Open Studios, in which participating local artists open their studios to the public for a weekend, and there's a separate "alternative space" weekend held in an abandoned building (often an old factory, school or office building). In the "alternative space" they have installation and gallery art from dozens of local artists (that might not even have their own studios) in the same location. It's pretty great for the local art scene. It started out a few years back as one weekend and has now expanded to three consecutive weekends because of the volume of artists that participate.
posted by reptile at 6:18 AM on October 26, 2012

This NYTimes article discusses the creative projects of a different kind of developer in Roanoke VA (where I live). Revitalizing downtown, renovating gorgeous old buildings, buying a radio station that was about to go ClearChannel, and creating an intimate music hall that links the region's bluegrassy past to contemporary acoustic (mostly) musicians are just a few of his projects. That music hall also doubles as a microcinema.
posted by headnsouth at 6:42 AM on October 26, 2012

D'oh! Left out his annual small-cities/big-ideas convention.
posted by headnsouth at 6:54 AM on October 26, 2012

Representing Los Angeles, CA here. I think these organizations have revolutionized our local art, music and underground creative communities and have been able to bridge the local community with the larger established museums and concert halls with their grassroots work. They are all non-traditional, but work with the most innovative to mark LA as it's own unique cultural arts community. Machine Project in Los Angeles (Echo Park area), Materials + Applications in Los Angeles (Silver Lake area) and Droidbehavior in Los Angeles (tour and create events around the world). Me mail me if you want more information.
posted by i_wear_boots at 8:18 AM on October 26, 2012

Seattle Experimental Animation Team
posted by bq at 1:21 PM on October 26, 2012

The All Ages Music Project

Cinefamily
posted by dottiechang at 2:20 PM on October 26, 2012

Closer to your neck of the woods is This Town is Small in Charlottetown. Run by a few friends of mine from back home.
posted by Space Coyote at 2:35 PM on October 26, 2012

DC has Artomatic, which takes over an empty office building and turns it into gallery space and stages. Pretty incredible.
posted by jaksemas at 9:52 PM on October 26, 2012