Monroe Street Market's Arts Walk has signed another tenant.
Banished? Productions, an "avant-pop" theater company that has produced "tactile dinners" and audio walks, is moving into its first official headquarters after
raising $11,500 through the crowdfunding site Indiegogo.
The studio, which Banished? is calling the ARTillery, won't be "just" a theater company's office, however. While roughly half of the funds raised will pay the company's rent for the first six months, Banished? is also investing thousands into building out a classroom, a "gastro-laboratory" and a tool library, where members can check out anything they need for a project.
The library will have everything from "screwdrivers, hammers and mallets to big circular saws and sanders," Banished? board chair Lisa Carr says.
Designer Hiroshi Jacobs' modular plan for the ARTillery will allow the group to use the space for multiple purposes despite its 475-square-foot size.
The move represents a big change for Banished. Previously, Carr says, "We were working out of the home of our technical director and artistic director."
Banished? is i
nviting visitors to a studio-warming on Oct. 5.
The Arts Walk at Monroe Street Market, part of a $200 million development by Abdo Development LLC, Bozzuto Development and Pritzker Realty Group, is filling up quickly. Last month handmade/vintage shop Analog
announced its opening in the development and recently the art gallery Catalyst Projects
announced its plans to open this month.