5 minute read
» Penny Duff & Michael Slaboch
from The Storehouse in Galien, MI
Tell us about The Storehouse! The Storehouse is a platform focused on intimate, casual gatherings. The premise is simple: invite people over, ask them to bring a dish and a bottle to share and cash for the artists, and infuse the space with community, art, and a sense of ease. We find that house concerts are a perfect vehicle for these goals.
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We started the project in the summer of 2014, when we purchased a wasted acre of land in Galien, Michigan. As we embarked on a multi-year project to restore this patch of land and see what we could make of a life out in the countryside, we knew from the outset that we wanted to create a multipurpose space capable of accommodating a wide range of activities. With this in mind as we designed our home, we made half of the house a large open room that we call The Storehouse.
Since New Year’s Day 2017, we’ve hosted cultural events at our home and elsewhere within the community in collaboration with institutional partners and local businesses. Featuring concerts with musicians from around the world, multidisciplinary art exhibitions, epic community meals, and conversations with some of our favorite thinkers and makers, our Storehouse-curated events create a space for exploration and new connections in our little corner of the world.
You are collaborating with Ox-Bow for the first time this year as curator of our new Summer Benefit concert. Why do you think it’s important or valuable for local or regional businesses to be in partnership? Many years ago, we read an interview with Rebecca Solnit in which she stated: “I still think the revolution is to make the world safe for poetry, meandering, for the frail and vulnerable, the rare and obscure, the impractical and local and small . . .” And though this was likely just some offhand comment by Solnit, it really resonated with us and the worldview that has guided many decisions about how we live our life. Whenever possible we work hard to prioritize operating at this very small, local level in everything that we do, and that has taken us in some very unexpected directions.
There are so many talented, super-passionate people in Southwest Michigan working every day to develop their crafts, and there is a tremendous enthusiasm for collaboration. Just as with the slow/local food movement, we are very inspired by the different ways that collaborations between local businesses, organizations, and individuals can convey new things about the
nature of our community today as well as start to create different visions for its future. By fostering partnerships with other small operations in our region, we can create our own alternate reality that has very little in common with the broader corporate sphere that dominates other parts of the country. It’s very empowering and enlightening to be a part of this communal process.
Another reason that local and regional partnerships are so vital to Southwest Michigan is that we can dream a little bit bigger when we combine forces, and this amplifies community investment in projects. When you are open to it, there are so many ways that people can participate in co-creating events or projects. For example, we recently hosted a concert with the legendary Sun Ra Arkestra that absolutely would not have been possible without a series of community partnerships. From a local inn that donated ballroom space for the event and free lodging for the musicians to local nonprofits who provided direct financial support to the band, local restaurants who donated food, countless friends who loaned us instruments and gear, and a friend who ran out to get pizza for everyone after the show, it was a community endeavor through and through.
It’s cliché to say “it takes a village,” but sometimes it does! And oftentimes we all benefit because of it. This type of distributed responsibility can actually lead to a greater enjoyment and sense of community pride than if we were to focus on figuring out how to do everything on our own. And, honestly, that’s the type of world we want to live within. Ox-Bow is an inspiring model of this collaborative ethos, with over 100 years of experience in developing creative projects and regional partnerships. The Ox-Bow community has been doing this work for so long, and we are incredibly honored to learn from and alongside them as we work together to create a one-of-akind concert this summer.
What is your vision or inspiration for this summer’s concert at Ox-Bow? What are you most excited about? Since 2011, we’ve been producing musical gatherings in nontraditional settings, and we have come to find that there is something so charged about the experience for both the artists and audience alike in these circumstances. Everyone is a little bit “offkilter” in their expectations of what the event will be, and that seems to open up this incredible space for different, unexpected things to happen.
When we first thought about collaborating with Ox-Bow for this summer’s concert, we were so inspired by the beauty and idiosyncratic nature of the campus itself. There are all of these nooks and crannies throughout the campus, and we couldn’t help but imagine all of the different ways that artists and audience members might intersect with each other throughout the day. We value scenarios like this, where there is an element of surprise or chance, but the overall vibe is mellow.
That idea is at the heart of our vision for the concert: that it will be a joyful, rambling summer day where people can partake in all of the truly unique things that make Ox-Bow so special while commingling with friends and strangers. We are very excited to anchor the day by curating a series of performances by many of the musicians that have been integral to the development of The Storehouse over the years. We are also thrilled to present artists who we’ve been hoping to host in our series but hadn’t yet had the opportunity to do so!
What’s your favorite toast? Without a doubt, our favorite toast is the epic avocado toast at Sqirl in Los Angeles. The toast itself is a very thick slice of sesame country boule (buttered on both sides because . . . why not?!) that is served with paper-thin slices of avocado, a rich garlic crème fraîche sauce, pickled coriander carrot slivers, and topped with za’atar spice blend. It’s a whole to-do, very over-the-top, immensely delicious, and we love it.
Follow The Storehouse on instagram @thestorehousemi
