They say those who don’t believe in magic will never encounter it. Luckily, Jennifer Tatum is a believer.
Five years ago, Tatum rented a studio from Cemill Hope of HopeBuilt, a cabinet making business in a warehouse on the Petaluma River. The ambient sounds from the woodshop conjured up numerous creative thoughts.
“The massive creative energy and dedication coming from the team of woodworkers
fed me with inspiration,” Tatum says. “It was the sound of ideas in action buzzing around me. Even if I did nothing but sit and listen, I felt ideas pouring in.”
Then, in October 2019, the WTRSHD building began its remodel, and the renters in the building moved out. An idea Tatum had brewing was to create a collective of art studios there. She now had to decide whether to also move out—or propose her idea of an art collective to the building’s owner, Joshua Peterson.
It’s uncommon to ask for something so unlikely. But Peterson agreed to the idea, and in January 2020, Magic Shop Studios was born.
“I named the space Magic Shop Studios because Cemill Hope’s son, Bodhi, popped into my studio one day and said, ‘Your studio is like a magic shop,’” she laughs. “I definitely feel like a lot of magic has happened here and will continue to happen.”
The collective began with six studios in a smallish space in the warehouse—which was still undergoing remodeling. Over time, Magic Shop acquired more space and partitioned it off into new studios, a printmaking workroom and three galleries. Now there are 11 artmaking spaces with 14 artists creating work there. The new printmaking workroom is available to all artists in the collective and soon to the public as well.
While there is a 20-person waiting list for studios, Tatum encourages anyone interested to join the list and to also investigate the other arts collectives in town, including Wonderstump, and the nearby Slough City Studio.
The first artists to jump into Magic Shop Studios were Andrea Jackson, Renee Kelly, Sarah Rodebaugh, Julie McNamara, Johanna Gharman and Cat Alden. It was a leap of faith for some. When Alden, a mixed media/soft sculpture artist, first rented a studio there during COVID, she was skeptical of Tatum’s big ideas for the space. Tatum’s dreams of adding the printmaking studio, as well as having open studio days and potluck get-togethers, seemed like a stretch. And maybe it was—but sometimes what’s needed is a healthy stretch.
“At the time, it all sounded like a pipe dream to me,” says Alden, “but I was proven wrong. Many people talk about ‘creating community,’ but Magic Shop Studios has actually done it.”
The reasons Tatum believed an arts collective was needed propelled her along.
“It’s knowing that someone is there without needing to ask anything of them,” she explains. “And the random moments of intersecting, with the potential to ignite ideas, problem solve, build faith to experiment and dive deeper into all of our work, are so important,” she says.
Magic Shop’s next trick is to include the larger arts community in the space. Nascent ideas include book readings and bringing in outside artists for events.
“We want to create a serendipitous experience here, without any expectation for artists and the public,” adds Tatum.
Quarterly Open Studios Evening and Art Show
5-8pm, Saturday, Sept. 2.
‘Hot Off the Press!’ works on paper
Monthly Arts Alive
5-8pm, Third Thursdays
Weekly Open Gallery and Artists in Action Art Experiences
11am-4pm, Fridays and Saturdays
