Motor House in North Baltimore provides safe space for artists to create, share work
BALTIMORE -- Motor House has become a space for local artists to create and share their art.
For many Black artists in the area, the space has meant so much more.
Motor House is known as a hub for artists.
"It makes me feel safe," artist Megan Lewis said.
It provides a community for creatives.
"It's like home," artist Ernest Shaw said. "Being at the Motor House is like home."
Motor House, located in North Baltimore, is a space that offers artists like Jerome Chester a safe space to create.
"It helps being around people that share the same passions and careers as you do," Chester said.
The Motor House building started as a storefront selling cars. Now, it is a home to artist studios and performance spaces.
"It means a lot to have a community of folks similar to the Motor House," Shaw said. "I don't believe in a self-made man, woman or person. I believe that you definitely need a village and the Motor House is a village."
It's a village that Tamara Payne says could be like magic for young artists.
"When I bring my students here to the Motor House, I want them to have that vision beyond the classroom," Payne said. "Beyond a textbook, this is what our lives consist of."
It's a place that means so much to so many.
"Art is my therapy and I think in a city where so many things are happening, we hear a lot of the negative things, but there are so many beautiful things happening here," Payne said.
The space means so much more to artists who are from Baltimore.
"It gives you a place and space to recognize and exist in your humanity," Shaw said. "That is really the greatest gift Motor House has given to me."
In return, artists at Motor House are able to create and share their art with the world.