Artist cooperative and community center opens in Hood River

With the help of community organizer Aliza McHugh, Wolf and Fiediga gathered a band of artists to discuss their ambitions, each recognizing the region’s need for an affordable, inclusive workspace. 

To lift the project off the drawing board, seven women with distinct skill sets, all with the desire and ability to invest time in a lengthy process, formed the inaugural ISS board that would carry the plan to fruition. Three board members, Kate Hamilton, Meg Kalmbach, and McHugh, spoke with Columbia Gorge News, sharing insights into the studio’s development, emotions during its culminating evening, and expectations for the future.

Originally born in Hood River, Hamilton and her sister, Annie, a fellow board member, moved to Colorado as young children. But in 2019, the duo returned, strengthening a relationship with art that has kept them nested in the Gorge ever since. “Art has probably been the most joyous aspect of my life,” Hamilton said. “It’s how this place became home.”

A lifelong lover of clay, Hamilton began teaching ceramics classes at The Clay Commons, where the concept for the wide-ranging community center began to take shape. “It felt like the most exciting thing ever to think I could create something like The Clay Commons for people who might not operate within the medium of ceramics,” she said.

Kalmbach, who grew up on the East Coast, moved to the Gorge when her partner got a job in The Dalles. Though interested in photography since she was little, her attention to the medium has only blossomed since her arrival, inspired by the region’s wealth of stunning landscapes. “I decided to level up all of my gear, and it has given me a way to capture and portray how beautiful and connected I feel in a place like this,” Kalmbach said. “The little parts of the Gorge, the plants, how pretty it can be when you stop to look at the small things; it’s how I build my sense of community here.

While not an artist by trade, McHugh infuses her creative side into community organizing and is responsible for the bulk of the fundraising and outreach conducted during ISS’s formation, which remains an ongoing effort. “I came to this work to help,” she said. “I love artists supporting artists.”

“Aliza’s art is bringing people together and seeing what is needed, and who can fill what role,” Hamilton added. “She is very gifted at mental Tetris, how to use community resources, and how to support people who want to get involved.”

As an entirely community-driven endeavor, breaking ground on ISS — flipping a massive, empty space into something warm and welcoming — was a daunting ask, and according to McHugh, an ugly process. The biggest hurdle: achieving funds for a blank canvas. “We were totally reliant on our community to believe in this vision,” Kalmbach said. “To generate interest when it was just white walls and empty space was challenging.”

Nonetheless, the community came through, and the vision prevailed. The Small Business Development Center helped ISS create its business plan, and an angel investor, who wanted a space for his kids to see working artists, helped propel the project forward. The board additionally received investments from the Hood River Rotary Club and has an active GoFundMe page to continue community fundraising. 

ISS membership is centered on a cooperative model. Artists who rent out one of its 21 studio pods become members of the cooperative and, therefore, co-owners of the business, which is facilitated and managed by the board. Such individuals will have the opportunity to teach classes in the space and sell their work in the gallery. 

But you don’t have to be a member to rent the classroom or use the gallery, Hamilton explained. Members get a discounted day-use rate, but non-members still have full access to rent and utilize those spaces. 

The board envisions people of all ages taking advantage of ISS’s promise, hoping to attract kids’ programming, programs for older folks, and multi-generational programming. “This is a place where people can come without a plan for the day, show up, be in the community, and see people,” Hamilton said. “I see it as the center of a spider web, where you can come and do work, be productive, and receive the seven hugs you’re supposed to in a day.”

Hamilton, Kalmbach, and McHugh discussed the many reasons why a space like ISS is especially crucial in current times, particularly in an isolated area like the Gorge. McHugh explained how many artists in the area primarily operate within in-home studios, perpetuating a sense of loneliness. “Many of us don’t have a space where people can work and cross-pollinate their ideas,” she said. “So we all came together and made this happen, which is important now because people have lost touch with others in their communities.” 

Hamilton mentioned how art programming is being cut from schools, driven by reduced federal funding, which has spawned a rise in anxiety within the field. “This is a solution for that,” she said. “It’s a great place to reach a flow state and come back to yourself in a world that’s getting a little bent.”

Kalmbach alluded to a shared desire for a space like ISS in Hood River, where the dominant draw is outdoor recreation. “It’s such a sports-centric area, but there are so many creatives here,” she said. “To have a place where people can come and meet others, knowing they’re going to meet people aligned with their interests…that helps battle those feelings of isolation.”

Naturally, excitement and gratitude ran high in the moments leading up to ISS’s long-awaited opening party, which featured live music and a plant-laden table spread. For two years, the seven board members met once or twice a week at each other’s homes, sharing meals and discussing the project. “Is this a real thing? I was waiting for the moment to hit me,” Hamilton said. “Waking up today and receiving text messages from friends and family made me feel a sense of pride.”

Moving forward, ISS will elect new board members for six-month terms, passing the torch to new leadership who will shape the space as they see fit. “We’ve gotten to this place where it’s so exciting and thriving, and now we can take a step back and let other people step up and come with their ideas,” Kalmbach said. 

The studio’s long-term goal is to become a nonprofit, well-known, and well-utilized by members of the community with a range of experience across diverse art forms. 

Two of the artists already taking ownership of the cooperative, members Tonia Farman and Jessika Burrow, showcased their work inside their studio pods during the opening party. 

Farman, a White Salmon-based, trained graphic artist who specialized in encaustic art (painting with melted beeswax), was ecstatic to see her peers populating their spaces and displaying their creations. “We haven’t had anything like this in the Gorge ever,” she said. “Women came together to do this because they saw a need, and it’s beautiful.”

With no technical background, Burrow got her start in painting in 2020, reusing old Home Goods canvases and applying garage-sale acrylics. She met the board at the perfect time — right when she felt serious about sharing her art, often inspired by nature. “I was nervous leading up to tonight because this is my art; this is me,” Burrow said. “But it’s so exciting to be here around all the creatives and see them excited that it’s come to fruition.”

17 out of the 21 available studio pods at ISS are still available to rent. If interested, email industrialstreetstudios@gmail.com or visit industrialstreetstudios.com.