Seth Stolz has been a working artist and musician for more than 30 years. Throughout that time, he’s done murals, gallery exhibitions, shows, and more. And even with that level of experience, there are still times he feels intimidated or self-conscious walking into artistic spaces.
“I’ve also been a musician, I’ve been an artist, but I remember when I was younger having an extremely hard time breaking in anywhere because it didn’t always feel like it was inviting,” Stolz said. “It felt like it was a big, unapproachable monster.”
That feeling, and wanting to make sure up-and-coming artists don’t experience similar moments of self-doubt, is part of the reason Latrisha Matson launched The Audacity Gallery, a new inclusive space for artists and musicians, located at 511 Buckham Alley. Matson is the founder and gallery director of the space and Stolz operates his recording studio, Broken Silence Studio, there.
“It’s easy as an artist to feel like you’re not good enough, so you don’t ask to be in spaces,” Stolz said. “I wanted to be able to have a place where it’s like, you know what, maybe you’re not good enough right now, but I’ve been an artist for over 30 years. I’m still not good enough. We’re all learning. So we’re trying to build something that’s more accessible to people who want to do music, want to do art and have a space to be able to do it where you can feel comfortable with walking in and just asking instead of feeling awkward or that you have to prove yourself. We want this to be a place that’s nurturing, that’s the main thing. And then anything else that comes with that are just like beautiful gifts.”
The space is also a way for Matson and Stolz to give back to a city they both have deep love for. They both proudly talk about the role Flint played in their formative years.
“I’ve been here for the last 40 years, my dad was a shop rat,” Matson said.
“We both grew up on these streets,” Stolz said. “Since I was 11 years old, I still skate these streets. I’ve seen the ups and downs of Flint. I’ve seen things come and go.”
The gallery’s grand opening was at Flint’s monthly Art Walk in August, and the space itself only became a reality shortly before that.
“This just kind of fell in our lap,” Matson said. “We did not think about this six months ago. We didn’t think about this two months ago, honestly. But we both have time and the energy, and we both have a network of people, so it’s amazing. I don’t know what the hell to do with it, but we’ll figure it out.”
Matson said the space and vision for The Audacity Gallery, much like art, is open-ended. Her own background is a perfect fit for what she hopes to build at the gallery. Artistically, she’s an accomplished photographer, writer, and storyteller. Professionally, she’s an entrepreneur who has worked in the technology field and is also a community organizer and advocate. A major component of the vision is using her skills to help artists not only have a space to showcase their art, but to expand their own networks and find work or other opportunities. She’s building a tool for artists to create profiles, and is even working on connecting printing and transaction systems to help them sell their work directly.
“Basically the idea is we’re going to have profiles in the system and people will be able to go in and out of these profiles and put their own artwork in there,” Matson said. “We’ll have printers that they can order the printing from. It’s almost like a Shopify, but we’re actually gonna use a local printer and plant that does mailing and shipping at the same time, so we will keep it local as much as possible. Once you have a giant repository of that much information, you can key in certain groups and certain art styles. So for example, he (Stolz) painted a mural at my house. You could go in (to the system) if there’s anybody around who does murals.”
Matson also envisions a space that will house a wide range of creative and social ventures, including themed exhibitions, culinary arts, workshops and demonstrations, small music performances, immersive events that blend creativity and technology, and things like “speed friending” to get to know new people and other fun activities aimed at building community.
“We’ve talked about doing ‘drunk debating’ after the bars close,” Matson said. “People would come in and we’d pass out debate topics. Just things like that to get people socializing.”
Matson’s background in community organizing and activism also factors into the mission of The Audacity Gallery. She noted that she hopes the space will be a way for unhoused artists to feel welcome and share their work or absorb the work of others. And the gallery also recently announced an exhibition called, ‘No Way Out,’ which is an installation constructed from anonymous letters written by survivors of domestic abuse.
While there will be larger scale installations and subject matter, Stolz also said that one goal is to have some exhibitions cycle through faster, so that new work is on display every couple of weeks and more artists can be featured.
“Monthly exhibits seem a little too long sometimes, because after the initial day people come, then they’ve seen it (and may not have a reason to come back),” he said. “I’m thinking a biweekly artists exchange would be cool. And we just want people to reach out if there are any local artists that are looking to put their stuff up. We’re trying to be very inclusive and just celebrate art.”
The Audacity Gallery hasn’t posted regular hours yet, but Matson and Stolz said, “We’re almost always here.” One clue – if the Pickle Rick light is on in the upper window, it’s a good bet the gallery is open and you can stop in. People interested in exhibiting their work, learning about upcoming events, or who have other questions about the space can also contact them through Facebook, Instagram, email (info@theaudacitygallery.net), or phone at (810) 339-7188. Broken Silence Studio can also be contacted through Facebook or Stolz’ Facebook or Instagram.
The main goal is to simply make people feel comfortable and welcome.
“It’s like a clubhouse for artists,” Matson said. “We want everyone to feel like they have a place here. We’re just looking to spread art across the community.”
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