Last year, the Old Bank Building in Downtown Muskegon opened for the first time in years to welcome the artists who had stepped up for the first Art in Eight. In the language of SiTE:LAB and architecture, that event activated the space. Since then, we've held farmer's markets in that space and set up temporary mixed use retail there. We've brewed coffee in the corner of that big room. In May, we even hosted a fine art event under that high ceiling. The space progresses, with the owner putting in a pair of restrooms and additional improvements. Under the first floor, a basement with windows to the earth awaits an imaginative architect to unleash its potential.
Remembering back to that first Art In Eight, a sheet of plywood had to be laid down over a big hole in the floor. That hole has been sealed over. The ceiling has a gaping hole where an elevator might have raised people to the second floor. We'll get to that soon.
When one considers that the construction project that became The Block concert hall hadn't commenced last October, let's reflect on what can be possible for the Art in Eight by October 2014. Really, it's all about bringing people downtown to live their lives and create. When people come, the city awakens. And happily, it pleases this blog writer to be on the home team, sending out invitations.
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