Station Archive

The second floor of Court ’N Cedar on G Street near Third has been one of downtown's neglected corners, but that’s changing. On Davisville this week, Michael Bisch, co-president of the Davis Downtown Business Association, and artist Marieke de Waard discuss the Open Door Art Studios now taking shape at that location. Based on the Torpedo Factory near Washington, D.C., Open Door seeks to turn a sleepy downtown upstairs into an artists’ hangout, where artists can rent space (this photo shows one of the studios) and work among their peers, and the public can observe and engage the artists. With some work, the downstairs courtyard could become a performance venue. The venture is part art, part economics, and part public attraction—and the latest example of how commerce and art can interact to support downtown Davis.