The city of Lorain was once a bustling ship building and steel manufacturing community. Throughout the 80’s, the city slowly lost much of its industry and the economy began to suffer. Over the years, things have slowly improved, however, we feel that the city needs an innovative catalyst to jump-start the revival of the “International City”. The BRIAR’s main purpose is to help rebuild the communit
y through the fine arts. Education, economic impact, and community development will be the pillars of our foundation. P.A.T.C.H. “Promoting Arts To Create Harmony” is our mantra. Harmony in art, harmony in music, and harmony in our community is how we will contribute to the revitalization of Lorain, OH. In its infancy Black River Innovative Artist Residence will be fundraising for the completion of our facility. Our hope is to provide fine arts education, as well as living and working space for young creative individuals that can take advantage of the Arts and Entertainment District on Broadway in downtown Lorain. The cornerstone of the BRIAR will be our after school programs. Many school districts have begun to cut programs in art and music, and in our opinion, these disciplines are fundamental for developing a well-rounded young individual. Located on the 2nd floor of 668 Broadway, "The BRIAR" will become the hub for arts and entertainment in downtown Lorain, OH. The facility will include 8 reasonably priced artist studios/rehearsal spaces as well as an expansive work area for tenants and members. We will also house a state of the art audio/video production facility, "Broadwaves Studios". Additionally, The BRIAR PATCH will be an 1,800 sq ft space fronting Broadway. It will house many of our events and classes. Lastly, the basement will house 5 additional rehearsal spaces for bands. Perhaps most importantly, we plan to offer an after school art, music, and audio/video production program to accommodate students who are not fortunate enough to have access to these types of electives in school.
