It began with Brendan Martin's desire to find the right place to show his own work, but now into its second show on Michigan Ave., the new
MODI Art Gallery has the potential to become much more.
After moving back to the Lansing area where he grew up after living in Philadelphia and studying art in New York, Martin noticed a gap in the local arts scene.
"There are [local galleries] with older, more accomplished artists, and others that sell postcards and jewelry," says Martin. "There isn't a professional environment for young, emerging artists. We wanted to be a tradition style gallery with one show per month."
Together with partner Pat Abood, Martin set about changing that with the 600 square foot space at 605 E. Michigan Ave. A former medical marijuana dispensary, the pair invested some serious time and elbow grease into the storefront to transform it into a gallery, aided by funds raised on Kickstarter.
MODI Gallery opened with a showing of Martin's work on Feb. 1. A second month-long showing is now underway, and artists have expressed interest in showing in April as well. That all depends, says Martin, on how MODI continues to take shape as an organization, as he hopes it will become more of a community project than a proprietorship.
"We want to stay open and be able to let people show there," he says. "We're looking at how we can do that."
Martin is optimistic about MODI's future. He and Abood have already partnered with such organizations as the
Arts Council of Greater Lansing and Lansing Art Works.
Source: Brendan Martin, MODI Art Gallery
Writer: Natalie Burg, Development News Editor
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