150 artists turned a dusty Spokane warehouse into an arts paradise for one night, Friday/tonight. The seventh annual arts event ‘Terrain’ is on Pacific Avenue and Bernard. Unlike last year, the organizers won’t pack up Saturday - instead they’ll prepare to keep the space open year round.
Terrain is proof that there are hundreds of budding artists in Spokane, and hundreds more people who want to see local art. There are 250 pieces of art this year, live music, and theater, all under one roof. The organizers think there is enough interest to do more events like this throughout the year. Founder Patrick Kendrick says they want to keep the building year round, and have started a fundraising campaign on the Kickstarter website.
Kendrick: “You can purchase a day for Terrain, and then it’s your day at Terrain, for $120 bucks you buy the day. You can also buy a weekend, you can also buy a week or a month. So that’s going to help us basically sustain the business, keeps the doors open and keeps the lights on, all that kinds of stuff.”
He says with new vibrancy in neighborhoods like Perry District and Browne’s Addition, there’s even more energy downtown. Terrain volunteer Heather Ann Franz says the only places for artists to show work now are bars and a few galleries. She stopped painting two years ago.
Franz: “As an artist, not having somewhere to show and to share can impact your work as well. I just kind of like trailed off because I was like ‘I don’t have anywhere to share it now’. But this gives me motivation to start painting again.”
City Council President Ben Stuckart is also advocating for the space, and helped kick off fundraising at the Terrain sneak peek Thursday.
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