What’s happening: It’s good news for creativity in downtown Farmington. KickstART Farmington, the nonprofit arts organization, gallery, and gift shop, has found a new home downtown, this after the gallery and gift shop had to vacate its original Grand River storefront in December 2022. KickstART Gallery & Shop will open at 23616 Farmington Rd., and perhaps as soon as this summer.

What it is: KickstART launched a little more than 10 years ago as the organizer of the Greater Farmington Film Festival, eventually expanding its scope as an arts advocacy organization for the community at large. The gallery and gift shop would open in 2019, where they’ve hosted artists’ exhibitions, sold local artists’ works, organized art classes and workshops for children and adults, and forged partnerships with neighboring businesses.

The importance of being downtown: While KickstART had to leave its original storefront before it was able to find a new home, founder Dwayne Hayes vowed to reopen in downtown Farmington one way or the other. As he told us in December 2022, “There wasn't really any thought of relocating outside of downtown, in part because we see ourselves as a complement to the community and everything else that’s happening here… Staying here allows for an opportunity for us to collaborate with what's going on throughout downtown Farmington. We think it's really important for us to be here.”

[Related: Read “Why this nonprofit arts organization has to move, and why it’s staying in downtown Farmington” on Metromode.]

Dwayne Hayes, founder and executive director of KickstART Farmington. (File photo: David Lewinski)Something to look forward to: "We're excited to remain in downtown Farmington and look forward to building on the programming we developed in our previous space. We'll continue to host art exhibitions but anticipate the new space providing more flexibility to diversify with more musical and literary events, along with providing an opportunity to present film screenings in an intimate setting,” Dwayne says.

“Unfortunately, we have a lot of work to do to get the space ready so I don't have a clear timeline for opening but I anticipate we'll be open this summer. In the meantime, we're looking forward to the inaugural Farmington Author & Book Festival we're putting together in collaboration with the Farmington Community Library. That event will take place on June 3rd in downtown Farmington."

KickstART Gallery & Shop will re-open at 23616 Farmington Rd. in downtown Farmington.

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