Shamadere Gallery: Art, Music, Poetry, and Success

 

by Gina Myers

 

The first Thursday of the month always draws a unique crowd to downtown Bay City.  For this one day, businesses and art galleries stay open a little later to participate in an art walk event.  Red balloons mark the participating galleries, but one gallery stands out thanks to its hip, young crowd packed in the gallery and standing out front smoking, and thanks to the live music emanating from within.

 

Shamadere Gallery, located at 207 N. Third Street, has become a local favorite, in part due to its all-ages shows coupled with a willingness to foster young, local talent.  Formerly located on Adams Street, Shamadere has been at its current location, a space it shares with Rustic River Kettle Korn, a little over a year.  The owner, Mike Schingeck, is a working artist himself and originally opened the gallery to have space to work.  He has since found a lot of hidden talent in the tri-cities – something that while neither new nor revelatory about the quality of young talent that has permeated the mid-Michigan region over the decades, shines differently through the lens of businesses willing to stake their reputation upon fostering it.

            His vision for the gallery is to support emerging talent, and he has given wall space to many younger artists who had not previously shown work.  

            Schingeck likes working with younger artists whom possess a sustained interest and commitment to art and offers a fresh perspective.  Due to this vision, Schingeck has formed strong relationships with Saginaw Valley State University and the Full Spectrum Collective.  Full Spectrum has hosted a number of events at Shamadere, often coinciding with Downtown Bay City’s First Thursday Gallery Walk, featuring artists, poets, and musicians.  

            Dave Smith, of Full Spectrum, likes having events here due to the space and the cooperative and helpful owner.  “It’s a large open space that makes it great for displaying artwork as well as making it a great space for live music.  The tri-cities are definitely lacking space for artists to display their work, and it is lacking space for live music outside of pubs and bars.  Shamadere provides both of these.”

            Along with a breath of fresh air from the predictable.

            With Full Spectrum and SVSU’s University Artistry, Schingeck sees his job as providing a blank canvas for the groups, providing them with the space to have fun.  The groups curate their own events, selecting artists and bands, and they split the operating costs with Shamadere.

            Local artist Greg LALONDE, who with Smith runs University Artistry, sees great things happening at Shamadere and in Bay City in general.  This past October, Schingeck allowed LALONDE to do a show titled “American Waste,” which featured pieces made almost entirely from corporate waste.  (Editor’s Note: In essence turning true crap into useful artwork)

            The positive response to this show reinforced LALONDE’s belief that the community is willing to take the time to view and read works that lie outside the mainstream and offer more than just pretty colors.

            LALONDE credits Shamadere with creating a very open and nurturing environment, saying “Shamadere has opened the door for a lot of artists to interact with each other, and comfortably feed off from the stirring vibe that’s getting louder in Bay City.  If people want to experience a full range of styles and culture all at once, Shamadere is the place to dip your foot in the pond.” He adds, “[Bay City] is a creative town at our disposal. It has a great art community, and the fact that people are more than willing to work together here is what makes it all successful.”

            And successful it is.

             Not only are events at Shamadere heavily and regularly attended, but the sales of artwork have also been good despite the current economic downturn.  Schingeck says he has been selling more work than usual.  Unlike professional galleries that charge approximately 40 percent commission, Schingeck does not charge any commission, so all proceeds from the sales go directly to the artists.  This encourages the artists to price their works a little lower than what could be expected at other galleries.

            The future of Shamadere is not clear, though Schingeck would like to see it one day develop into a studio and gallery space where artists could have permanent studio space to work in.  Meanwhile, the Full Spectrum Collective and University Artistry looks forward to hosting more events , and LALONDE expects to continue to see a diverse collection of great work there: “I wouldn’t be surprised if some of the greats of the future pass through the doors of the Shamadere.”   

            Check out Shamadere often as the artwork changes roughly every two weeks.  Gallery hours are Monday – Friday from 12 to 5, and they are open late on the first Thursdays of the month.  For more information, contact Shamadere Gallery at shamadere@yahoo.com.  

            To keep up with the Full Spectrum Collective, visit http://www.myspace.com/fullspectrumcollective.   

            For more information on the First Thursday Art Walk, visit http://www.1stthursdaysbaycity.com.