By Jodi Miesen
WKTV Contributor

Sounds of music, song, and poetry rang out for close to three hours in the cozy, art-filled space known as ArtRat.

The event, known as “Saturday Musicians Co-op,” showcased local artists, giving them a chance to practice their craft in front of a live audience and on this fall day, about two dozen people came out to watch singers, musicians and poets all take their turn at the mic.

It is only a sample of the array of activities that has been taking place at Division Avenue’s newest tenant, all of which are designed to highlight just what a hidden gem the Heartside District is.

Heartside’s Renaissance

The Heartside neighborhood has gone through a transformation in recent years. Prices for retail space is very reasonable making it attractive for unique specialty shops and eateries that now dot the landscape of the Division corridor. Once such place is ArtRat.

Owned by Matthew Rothenberg and his wife, Nancy Tobin, ArtRat, 46 Division Ave., opened up to the public a little over a year ago. Rothenberg said Tobin, a painter, had already been using the space when the couple saw its potential to build community.

 

“So Nancy first started using this as her studio in 2018,” Rothernberg said. “And then we realized what a beautiful space this would be to have a gallery. So last year, we renovated the space and opened just before ArtPrize 2021.”

Tobin is a Grand Rapids native and graduated from Ferris State University’s Kendall College of Art and Design in 1981. She eventually made her way out West, where she met Rothenberg. Years later, the couple moved back to be closer to Tobin’s family.

 

Having spent several years living in bigger cities, like New York and San Francisco, Rothenberg said Grand Rapids has its own unique vibe. One he digs.

“It’s got the kind of intensity and vibrancy that we look for in cities,” Rothenberg said. “Nancy and I are city people. Our kids are too. This feels like that.” 

Building the Community

But it’s not just art and artists’ performances taking center stage at ArtRat. To get people more engaged in the community, ArtRat is hosting more civic minded events. The gallery held a voter registration event in the fall and partnered up with PROACTIVE Project to try to get more citizens registered for the recent midterm election.

ArtRat was also one of four sites picked to host a voting event for Participatory Budgeting GR. Participatory Budgeting GR was an initiative that allowed citizens to vote on proposals created by residents in order to spend the $2 million that the City was allocated to get because of the American Rescue Plan Act. Residents were asked to come up with ideas on how to spend the federal funds and then they got to vote on their favorites.

ArtRat has also been mixing art with song, music, poetry, and other live performances in an effort to bring in patrons and local artists alike. They’ve hosted ‘The Hai-Cuu Experience’ at the gallery about once a month. The Hip-Hop poetry experience is a collaboration with Cuu JoSama and Kenneth Cortez Productions.

It’s just the cool place to be

Starting in November, a new monthly event, ‘Americana Sundays’ will showcase individual singer-songwriters and bands performing in American roots music styles.

 

Rothenberg said he hopes events like this will help make people aware that this hip, cool scene is happening in the Heartside neighborhood. A vibrant and diverse area that’s starting to attract younger artists and people who enjoy the arts. Rothenberg said he’s confident once people see the potential this neighborhood has, they’ll be back.

“People may not be aware that it has a thriving retail scene with lots of unique things for people to do,” said Rothenberg. “There’s plenty of parking, cool businesses, cool people. Just a cool community to be a part of.”

Building a community through the Arts

Madyson Visscher, a local artist, works for the gallery as its social media manager. The 22-year-old moved to the neighborhood a year ago and like the owners she works for, she fell in love with the area and what it has to offer. She said Heartside has seen an explosion in the art scene, making the gallery a perfect hub for the community and herself.

“I feel at home here for sure,” said Visscher. “There’s even this strip now. With all of the new retail and like resources that are here. Whether it’s a little space, so someone like me, an artist, I can go work in there. It’s a co-working space, plenty of cafés. We got the new vintage stores that are up and I’ve been spending way too much money in those.”

Visscher has been writing features on behalf of the ArtRat gallery showcasing some of the businesses in the area. The stories are published via email once or twice a week. She’s also been talking and getting feedback from residents in the neighborhood. Visscher said the gallery hopes it can break the stereotype that it only caters to people of a certain status.

 

“I think some art galleries can be a little uppity or sophisticated,” said Visscher. “But we’re definitely trying to change that narrative and be a space not only for artists, but just for the community too.”

Open Mic Night a Success 

Rothenberg, a musician, said he wanted to give artists a place to hone their skills thus that is how the “Saturday Musicians Co-op” came to be.

That opportunity to showcase his craft is why 18-year-old drummer Eli Winkelman came. The recent high school graduate of Grand Rapids has played a few times in front of people but mainly for school related events. He said the owners are a friend of his dad’s. He said he was happy for the opportunity to jam.

“It was actually really fun,” Winkelman said. “Because like, we actually got like, a lot of people, and it was pretty cool. Made me feel good.”

Some more seasoned performers took part as well. Journeé Evans, 23, is no stranger to performing. Evans is an artist and poet. The audience sat in silence, drinking in the words falling from her lips. She was met with the roar of applause afterwards. Evans said she was happy to be a part of the experiment.

“I feel like it is very unique”, Evans said. “And it’s very innovative, bringing in two genres that aren’t usually together, and then making an experience that everybody can enjoy. I feel like that’s a very balanced and awesome way of bringing attraction to any place.”

And that for Rothenberg was the whole point.

 

“Something I can do is create opportunities for people to come here”, Rothenberg said. “And perform here and interact here. You know, just get them down here and they can see the opportunities for themselves.”

For more information about ArtRat’s events, you can follow them on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/artrat.us