The Inside of Flint Arts

By Amanda Emery
Dec. 18, 2009

The days of the Flint art scene are changing. Galleries are closing or on the verge of closing, there aren't any independent shows to speak of, the music scene isn't what it used to be since the Local has been closed. So what is the role of the arts in Flint? In what direction are they heading? And how much of a role does the bad economy in Flint play?


Photos taken and submitted by Chris Ringler. Photos depict various indie art shows in the downtown area at 625 and Churchills. Photo from the last Guerilla Art Show at 625 in Downtown Flint.



Greater Flint Arts Council is one of the main galleries in downtown Flint and one of the most active. GFAC doesn't just have events on art walk night, most Fridays that you drive by, there is always a full house inside, and there is always a full range of events. Not only do they holding events at their main headquarters on Saginaw Street, but GFAC also has a Web site www.geneseefun.org, that highlights events through out all of Genesee County. The site highlights music, arts, theater, dance, and special events around the area.

Greg Fiedler, executive director of the Greater Flint Arts Council, says that the city of Flint has a very "grass roots" feel and that that is a good thing. "I believe that Greater Flint Arts Council has played a significant role in fostering the health and growth of the grass roots art scene in downtown." Fiedler said, "We want to see the grass roots scene continue to grow. I would like to see more artists living and working in downtown spaces. My ideal vision is having an Arts Council with the resources needed to meet the needs of visual, performing and literary artists."

Buckham Gallery has seen it's fair share of hard times this past year. The gallery was on the verge of closing in early fall, but has managed to stay afloat. Due to state budget cuts the gallery lost $15,000 in grants that would normally cover one-third of it's annual costs. The gallery is still depending on the sale of art pieces, donations, and it's membership drives to keep money coming in.

"For the moment, Buckham is safe." said Jen Sikora, manager of Buckham Gallery. "We received grant monies that will allow us to remain open throughout the rest of the fiscal year. However, because this grant is not secured for the next fiscal year, we are still treating the situation as if danger were still imminent. We're hoping that the remainder of the fiscal year will continue to be fruitful for us, allowing us to build our savings to a point where we're able to sustain ourselves in the future. We might not be closing, but we are looking at the situation realistically."

Red Ink in downtown Flint has seen hard times as well. The gallery remained closed for the better part of a year until it took up it's new residence in the Capital Theater where it has been for the past several months. The problem now is what is the future of Red Ink? Shannon Strickland, gallery attendant/assistant to the director, says that Red Ink is closed due to lack of funding. "The economy and lack of funding was the main cause of Red Ink closing. With so many families facing challenges just to put food on the table, grant money is being redirected to where it is most needed at this time." But Strickland also says that Red Ink still has a future here in Flint. "Red Ink does have a future in Flint, it is going through hopefully just a hibernation period. The hope is that Red Ink will reform in some way or in a different capacity in the near future."

There is a lot to be said about independent art shows, because they give artists who wouldn't normally be able to show their work anywhere else. "Indie art shows allow people not yet established, or who are intimidated by the current art scene show their work." said Chris Ringler, an artist and writer in Flint. "These shows also foster a sense that the artist's work is not done when the art is done - they need to take ownership of these shows and support, nurture, and promote them." But I have noticed recently that there aren't that many independent shows around anymore either. There are still some community artists that pull together to put shows on, but they seem to be less and less. "I think ideally some space will open where people can do indie shows." said Ringler, "We need to foster art and artists that are not established yet and encourage artists who are established here to take their art out of the city and to other places and other shows."


Photo taken and submitted by Chris Ringler. Photo from the first Punk Rock Rummage Sale at Churchills in Downtown Flint.

The Local 432 has been out of the scene for a few years now, but is hoping to be open again in the near future. Joel Rash, owner and operator of the Local 432, says that the Local has always been a huge niche in the downtown community. "Flint Local 432 also fills an important niche in downtown’s entertainment spectrum." Rash said, "While there are several bars and restaurants in downtown that cater to the 21+ crowd, no venues specifically program for young adults. Even ‘family friendly’ arts programming is usually geared toward a younger crowd. The vast majority of the Local’s patrons are aged 16 to 22. The UM-Flint students in the new 1st Street Residence Hall are mostly 18 & 19 years old, and in real need of off-campus but appropriate entertainment options." Although now is economically a hard time to try to raise money to re-open, Rash believes that that is what makes this the best time. "From a strategic standpoint, this would seem to be the worst possible time to raise funds and reopen." Rash said, "In truth, this is the best time because the Local is needed now more than ever. In difficult economic times there is an increased need for low-cost or free options for young people."

The arts in Flint are changing, they are changing in that, the shows are smaller and so are the turn outs. The one thing that has remained the same is that the indie shows tend to have larger turn outs because they are different that the larger shows, and it is something new and fresh for the scene.


Photo taken and submitted by Chris Ringler. Photo from the first Punk Rock Rummage Sale at Churchills in Downtown Flint.


"Without indie shows the art in a community gets stale - same people showing same/similar work over and over and over again. And nothing inspires new art more than seeing other art." Ringler said.