Former industrial site turned into haven for Macon artists, musicians and entrepreneurs

Saturday evening is a good time to explore one of Macon and Middle Georgia’s more unique artist enclaves.

Triangle Arts Macon is having grand opening celebrations from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. with a chance to meet local artists, view their work, listen to live local music and grab a bite from on-site food trucks and a Fall Line Brewery beverage — ID required.

It’s also the chance to scout out and see much of the complex’s five multiuse buildings, two art galleries, mixed-use studio space, rentable event center plus see murals, street art and graffiti that more and more adorn buildings and creates Triangle’s creative flavor.

Triangle Arts is at 206 Lower Elm St., east of Martin Luther King Boulevard in Macon’s eastern industrial area. The event is free but reservations and notice of attending are encouraged and can be made on eventbrite.com with links and more information at facebook.com/triangleartsmacon and triangleartsmacon.com.

“We’ve been waiting a long time for this and though we’ve welcomed people to come see what’s going on all along, this is a real celebration because we’re ‘official,’” said Ric Geyer, owner.

The thing is, Geyer bought the property and began work to bring it to life back in 2019 but, you know – COVID-19, plus the difficulties of starting a new business and jumping through hoops and over hurdles greatly forestalled the official opening.

It also gave Geyer time to further shape and grow the vision for the place and get to know more area artists, the non-profits Triangle Arts is involved with and the city’s overall cultural and economic life.

To understand Triangle Arts better, understand that its vision is multifaceted and its activities match. First, it is a for-profit endeavor that seeks sustainability but is just as committed to pouring back into neighborhoods and the community.

Geyer often calls it a low-profit rather than a for-profit organization.

Though Triangle has a clear look, feel and youthful atmosphere, Geyer and others go out of their way to make it welcoming to people of all ages and backgrounds.

Practically speaking, the Triangle campus offers studio space to artists and creatives of all types and rentable venue space for events from weddings and receptions to concerts to product launches. It also serves as an incubator for entrepreneurs, just-starting-out promoters and others to get a foothold and launch ideas.

Like the car show set for Dec. 19. Geyer ran into some young, local automobile aficionados with great cars a while back who had a dream of doing a show somehow, somewhere. Though Triangle has an artistic bent, a big part of the vision is helping all kinds of dreamers make their “somehows” and “somewheres” happen and now there’s a car show at Triangle. Not part of the original business plan but well within the spirit of the vision.

“In all we do, there’s the idea of just helping people make their dreams come true whether they’re artists or some other dream in mind,” Geyer said. “And our idea is the more successful we can help them be, the better off we all are. Not just Triangle Arts but the community.”

Evidence of that is the four-plus entrepreneurs Geyer invited to the grand opening just to introduce themselves and their products and ideas to people. They’re not all directly connected to Triangle Arts but are there because, as Geyer said, “I just like doing that sort of stuff.”

One is a digital airbrush artist launching a comic book line called Adroit Comics. Another involves food. Another is someone making soaps and candles. Another is a designer making clothing commemorating and celebrating Black history. Yet another operates a non-profit for kids.

“We’re about giving people who don’t have much of a wide-open chance a chance and a place to be encouraged,” Geyer said.

But there is art — traditional and non-tradition artists, photographers and others. In addition to getting to view studios Saturday there will be gallery shows and live art produced by painter Kevin Lewis.

And street art, Triangle Arts’ hallmark. Or maybe their “wallmark.”

“There’s economic value as well as artistic value to street art,” Geyer said. “It sparks interest and tourism and if you need examples just visit sites in Asheville and Atlanta where it’s become a really big attraction. We ourselves get people from all over the country every week who come just to see the street art we have.

“Street art has real artistic and cultural significance and we consider it a beautiful expression of freedom. Why not use murals and paintings to tell our history and stories in street style and leverage it into tourist and other dollars gained rather than fight it?”

It may rain, so Geyer said bring your umbrella, and it may get too dark to see all Triangle offers outside, but there’s plenty to see outside and inside and always the invitation to come back and see more. But come Saturday to celebrate what may be one of the slowest rolls to a grand opening ever.

“We’re incredibly excited to be at this stage in our mission to help people move forward in their dreams, their ideas and their art and to be able to celebrate the end of 2021 in a place of vibrant creativity while we look forward to 2022,” Geyer said. “And we’re thankful to be part of this community and for the help of the Mayor’s Office and City Hall in our becoming ‘legit.’”

Despite COVID and initially operating in a lower gear than planned, Triangle Arts has already received Historic Macon’s Revitalization Award and Macon Arts Alliance’s Creative Impact Award. Prior to making Macon his home, Geyer opened similar sites in Detroit and Atlanta, with the Atlanta venue, the famous “787 Windsor,” being named 2018 Event Venue of the Year by Atlanta’s Creative Loafing Magazine.

Looking for still other things to do this weekend? Consider:

• NewTown Macon’s Christmas In Downtown beginning at noon Saturday with Santa, hot chocolate and all sorts of Christmas goings-ons in shops and restaurants and, of course, there’s always the Main Street Christmas Light Extravaganza on Poplar and Third streets beginning at 6 p.m. with Under the Lights Carriage Rides this weekend. www.facebook.com/ntMacon.
• Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park’s Earth Lodge Tour from 11-11:30 a.m. Saturday and Native American Games from 2-2:30 p.m. www.facebook.com/ocmulgeemoundsnps

Contact writer Michael W. Pannell at mwpannell@gmail.com.