Live Coal Gallery opens studio at Hope House & Gardens

Live Coal Gallery, a community arts organization that helps Detroiters of all ages and life stages learn to express themselves through art, is opening its home office and studio at VEJ's Hope House & Gardens.

Detroit artist Yvette Rock started Live Coal in 2012 as an art museum on the first floor of her home in the Woodbridge neighborhood. In her museum, Rock hosted exhibitions by aspiring, emerging, and established Detroit artists like Gilda Snowden, Senghor Reid, Antoinette Connor, Shirley Woodson, Anita Bates, Bruce Griffin, and Reshaun Rucker. 

In 2015, Rock set out to show other neighborhoods how to nurture their own artists and art scenes. She started Live Coal Arts Mobile, an traveling gallery and workshop space that helped aspiring artists all over the city.

Making Hope House & Gardens its home office and studio will make Live Coal Gallery easy to reach for people who live in Detroit's Brightmoor, Old Redford, and Riverdale neighborhoods. At Hope House & Gardens, Live Coal will offer art camps, classes, and exhibitions alongside VEJ's sustainable lifestyle programs.

"What an amazing thing to have Live Coal Gallery alongside us as a partner," said BT Irwin, VEJ's executive director. "It's not every day that one of the premier and most highly regarded small arts organizations in the region sets up shop on your block. We are so excited for the art they are going to make and share with our neighbors."  

Live Coal Gallery will kick off its programming at Hope House & Gardens with a free summer art camp for kids ages 4 through 12. 

Learn more about Live Coal Gallery here. 

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Live Coal Gallery founder Yvette Rock