The 3rd Ward

It's high time I think some of the awesome places around here were recognized for being awesome. The first on the list: The 3rd Ward.




Located at 195 Morgan Avenue (above a five minute walk from my apartment!), this space has everything your creative heart desires. There are workspaces available to rent, with access to the wood shop, metal shop, photography studio, or digital media lab (complete with Final Cut Pro, Adobe Creative Suite & After Effects, and Macromedia Studio).




There are classes available in Digital Design, Photography, Professional Development, Screen Printing, Welding/Metal Work, and Woodworking. There is also a featured class: for this month it is Write A Business Plan.

You can become a member on a few different levels, and gain access to the labs, earn exhibition space, get discounts, AND GET HEALTH INSURANCE!

Also, the AMAZING Gardentone Recording Studio
is located here. I met with the head engineer and was thoroughly impressed by the setup. You should check out their website for more pictures and a list of artists and equipment. There is a possibility I may be able to record there as a freelance engineer in the future as well!


Last but not least, there are amazing events going on here. My personal favorite, Handmade Music Night:




Every 3rd Thursday, geeky DIY musicians come in to see crazy electronic devices handcrafted by other circuit-bending geeks and perhaps build their own! This past week, we saw a performance by the Electric Junkyard Gamelan , with instruments made from flower pots, rubber bands, and garbage cans. There was also a pretty sweet Arduino synth for everyone to toy around with. Did I mention there's free Pabst?

Oh, and for the artists out there, every 1st and 3rd Wednesday is Drink-N-Draw. $15 admission, $10 if you bring a friend. They supply the models, you bring your tools.

Of course, a space wouldn't be complete without a Movie House, every 2nd Sunday of the month. They just celebrated their 2nd anniversary with a 2-minute film festival.




I can't express how sweet this place is. I only first attended Handmade Music Night this past week, and I'll be sure to attend as many events in the future as possible. It's so great that such a communal space is so close to me.