A vacant building on Division Avenue in the Burton Heights neighborhood of Grand Rapids is being transformed into the new Emory Arts and Culture Hub, the future headquarters of the nonprofit arts organization Diatribe.
Diatribe, which provides programming for area students, says the new hub will have a major impact on its operations.
"The Emory here and the Burton Heights neighborhood is going to have a huge impact on the diatribe's programming we've done, predominantly all of our almost all of our programming, directly in classrooms, in schools," said Gleason Edwards, Diatribe's Director of Development.
The building will feature a performance stage, four retail spaces, and eight affordable apartments on the second floor. Diatribe Executive Director Wardell Frazier said it was important to locate the hub in an area that could use the resources.
"That stigmatism of expression, of thinking that the Burton Heights area isn't safe or that it doesn't have these types of resources. So, it's important for us to create something in a space that is not already there," Frazier said.
Frazier noted the project still needs over $2 million in donations to be completed due to increases in construction costs.
Ava Robinson, a recent high school graduate, says the Diatribe helped her grow in her senior year and believes the new hub will continue to benefit students like herself.
"Having this community, it just really opens your eyes to how great the world is, and how much impact a really small amount of people, a small amount of time can have on your character and your development as a teenager and a child," Robinson said.
The Diatribe hopes to have the Emory Arts and Culture Hub open this fall. For more information, including donation requests, click here
This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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