They’re Still Standing

Across the street from the federal courthouse, there’s a handpainted door and a funky sign. On a recent evening the street is desolate, except for a disparate group of people who keep opening the door and heading up the green staircase. A bike riding lady wearing a bandana. A middle-age woman fresh off of work. A gentleman with a mohawk and a bird tattooed onto the bald side of his head. These people are all headed upstairs to a regularly scheduled improv class at the Wallflower Gallery, a longstanding cultural oasis for artists and activists in the bustling heart of downtown.

“Back in the day it was a lot cooler in some ways, grittier. It’s cleaned up now, but we’re still here,” muses Flash, the mysterious curator/sound engineer/event organizer/Jack-of-all-trades who runs the gallery’s day-to-day operations. In a city where few businesses last a decade, the Wallflower’s achievement is not to be overlooked. The gallery has lasted thanks to persistence, constant evolution, luck, and the kindness of strangers. “I look at success in different ways. We’re well respected. We open the door for people who want to build a community here. What we need to do is make this more sustainable,” says Flash. At the Wallflower you can discover art, enjoy live music, buy some cool handcrafted jewelry or knick-knacks, or just chillax and talk political change with the collective of folks that gathers. The emphasis is on all things local and progressive. To celebrate a decade as a cultural landmark, the Wallflower will be hosting a three-day celebration. An art exhibition opens on Thursday, May 17, at 7:00 p.m.; a holistic happy hour and spoken word event will take place on May 18. And today from 1:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., there will be an all-day festival featuring lots of live music, spoken word poetry, social commentary, and positive vibrations. Admission is five dollars, and donations are greatly, greatly appreciated.
May 17-19