New nonprofit arts exhibition space to open in downtown Ann Arbor

This story is part of a series about arts and culture in Washtenaw County. It is made possible by the Ann Arbor Art Center, the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, Destination Ann Arbor, Larry and Lucie Nisson, and the University Musical Society.

CLUSTER Museum, a new exhibition space for contemporary literary and visual arts, will open Oct. 3 at 307 N. Main St. in Ann Arbor. CLUSTER Museum, or CLUSTER for short, will host a variety of events and exhibitions, all focused on showcasing local artists’ work.

“We want to create community,” says Thea A. Eck, who co-founded the space with Kim Debord and Chien-An Yuan. “One-off events don’t create community. We need physical space for people to go, show, meet each other, network, and for younger artists to also do so. We also want to be another space for emerging artists.”

The idea for CLUSTER began with meetings for local artists and writers to talk about the changing arts landscape and how people can support each other.

“We don’t just need one more space. We need several more to make Ann Arbor a place where artists can live, work, and thrive,” Debord says.

Eck says the gallery and exhibition space will especially focus on mid-career artists who are showing work outside the Ann Arbor region and may not otherwise have shown in local galleries.

“It’s an important time to open a new gallery. We’re asking the community, ‘Is this still an important value?’ We believe art is an important aspect of a healthy city. Now more than ever we need to be having these conversations,” Debord says.

All artists and writers who show or share work at CLUSTER will be paid a stipend. 

“As we grow and build, the stipend will increase,” Eck says. “We do not charge a submission fee. We don’t want to follow that model.”

CLUSTER will open its inaugural exhibition season with a month-long exhibit and event series titled “The Dam Broke: A Portrait on Tyranny.” The exhibit features 10 different artists’ work dissecting fascism and authoritarianism. It includes a gallery show, author reading, children’s story time, writing workshop, textile workshops, a performance piece, and opening and closing receptions from Oct. 3-25. Events are free and workshop fees range from $15 to $25.

More information on CLUSTER is available here.