Factory Work

FACTORY WORK

Art Center plans expansion into renovated space

By DON FABER

NEWS STAFF REPORTER

There's a smile on the face of
Marsha Chamberiin these days.

Chamberlin is executive director
of the Ann Arbor Art Center, which
- -ding.

»•i' enter has just purchased a
15,000-square-foot building at '"""'
Felch St. to house the center's ec
ramies studio, along with space for
sculpture, tile making and jewelry
making.

The site is a former factory, and
the name of the new facility will be
the Art Factory.

"In January, we started looking
for space," says Chamberlin, "with
our goals being to stay downtown,
provide room for growth and en-
large parking opportunities."

The Art Center looked at the for-
mer Schlenker Hardware building,
the proposed downtown Burger
King site and a facility on North
Main before settling on the one-
Tv Ich Street location.

As it turned out, an Art Center
board member knew the owners of
the Felch Street property and asked
if the building was for sale. Yes,
came the reply, make us an offer.

With lots of windows, low mainte-
nance and an interior that's not
built out, the former factory is ideal
for the purposes intended.

The goal, says Chamberlin, "is a
high-quality working studio where
new techniques can be tried. We en-
vision not only a teaching studio
where people can walk through and

NEWS PHOTO • IARRY E. WRIGHT

The new addition to the Ann Arbor Art Center, 220 Felch St., Ann Arbor. The former factory
building will house the center's ceramics studio.

we see the Felch Street location as
one end of the Kerrytown devel-
opment."

watch students blowing glass and
building sculpture, but also an exhi-
bition place — a beehive of activ-
ity."

Chamberlin promises "state of
the art" facilities while raising
"substantial dollars" to do the job.
Already the Art Center has received
a $57,000 grant from the Michigan
Council for the Arts to renovate the
building.

About 40 percent of student en-
rollees at the Art Center are in ce-
ramics, sculpture and tile making.
"Before, we were leasing space for
these functions," says Chamberlin,

"but with more space we can in-
crease our class size by 50 percent
in these areas."

In the Art Factory, "each work
area will stand independently,"
says Chamberlin. "We want to pro-
vide an artist work space in every
medium. We want to create a syner-
gy among students, working artists
and the general public."

Chamberlin says the Art Factory
will be another community re-
source that enhances Ann Arbor's
quality of life.

"Our identity is part of down-
town," Chamberlin explains, "and

Chamberlin is hoping to add
some landscaping to the site, while
also keeping alive the notion of hav-
ing outdoor classes.

"We'll own and run the building,
have tenants and build equity in the
place," says Chamberlin. "We want
to grow into the facility as we raise
funds."

In the meantime, the 117 W. Lib-
erty center "will stay exactly as it

is." •