Whose City? Looking Elsewhere for Urban Renewal
Eva Rouleau
Division Ave. in Grand Rapids Michigan is not an area that one would categorize as conducive to creative production. For one thing, the material conditions simply do not exist; outside of Morningstar 75, a coffee shop in what is known as the heartside district is a sandwich board that reads "Coffee, Its What’s for Dinner," a statement that hangs uncomfortably between humorous and brutally honest. The neighborhood, dotted with missions and homeless shelters mostly run by religious organizations has recently been designated as "Renaissance Zone" defined by the city of Grand Rapids as a "distressed and blighted area…. [made] virtually tax free for businesses or residents presently in or moving into a zone." Enter the Division Avenue Arts Cooperative.
Taking advantage not only of tax incentives but an area that has consistently flown under the radar of the city’s nearly ineluctable conservatism, the DAAC, as it is called by members and friends, has dedicated itself to providing an alternative venue for arts and entertainment in an area sorely in need of revitalization and has set the tone for an alternative to the more costly and visible gentrification efforts being made in surrounding areas. Run by and catering to a younger and more vital population than the one small art museum and the smattering of galleries devoted to paintings and other objects that might match your couch, it has provided an alternative space for performance, organizing, exhibitions and community interaction.
Local organizer and DAAC board member Tami Vandenberg says that an organization of this kind has been in the works for years. "An attempt had been made to create an arts cooperative in the very same space the DAAC occupies now. Rumors of money, fights, booze and police are some of the more exciting reasons [for why it didn’t take off] but more likely it was a couple of key members moving out of town and the pending sale of the building." Obstacles to its success have by no means been eliminated. "The building we rent has been on the market since we began but the sales have always fallen through. Rent has been late on more than one occasion and we were robbed." But, in following with the luck that seems to keep this small organization afloat against extreme economic and social odds, the money was retrieved. "Two of our members ran after the thief and tackled him and got the money," recalls Vandenberg.
It is perhaps its location within a notoriously conservative community that has heightened the organization’s sense of social responsibility. Recognizing that the function of art and music goes beyond that of entertainment and aesthetic pleasure, the DAAC’s gallery space is often utilized for the purpose of local political organizing, thus liberating art from the sterility of aesthetic purity and re-assigning it a social and political function. "A pre-election Extravaganza took place last September featuring political art, voter registration, and bands." A testament to the power of grass roots organizing and setting an important precedent for community involvement, the DAAC has cobbled together an organization run by amateurs and for amateurs.
The lack of professionalism and experience might seem like a flaw to many. In fact it might have scared away some rather deep pockets but even that is a good thing- giving the organization the freedom to take risks that lie entirely outside the realm of possibility imagined by local philanthropists. Taking a slower route to expansion the DAAC has opted to pay its bills mostly with shows by local and touring bands and the occasional grant. It is currently working on attaining 501(c)3 status and is an organization of people who are "learning as we go."
Vandenberg is pleased, but even she is a little surprised by its success. "If someone had told me about the status of the current DAAC a year ago, I would have never believed it and I consider myself a realistic optimist and idealist. Members have come and gone, the promoters and committees are changing all the time. It is an organic place."
