Studio Grand has a mysterious tendency to pop in and out of existence so you find it just when you're meant to. It's just one of those places... A place where people have momentous epiphanies in voice class; brilliant artists who have a conflicted relationship with gallery-culture find a home; children come to trust and honor their creativity; spirits are lifted while learning Afro-Puerto Rican Bomba Traditional Dance rhythms and moving to soca beats; hearts are opened with poetry and storytelling nights, whole audiences are stunned, moved, awed, shaken, and soothed by formidable musicians, all in an intimate space with a living room feel and gorgeous gallery looks.
Holly Schneider, Studio Grand's founder, envisioned a welcoming space where artists and community members could experiment, teach, create, study, collaborate, and perform. A local resident and parent herself, Holly was invested in seeing more family-friendly entertainment options in the neighborhood.
She wanted top-quality arts and music to be available to the entire community. Admission to Studio Grand shows is charged on a sliding scale and classes are affordable. (Help us get those scholarships out and they'll be even more so!) Holly adamantly believed in the value of artists and their work, prioritizing payment to artists while keeping Studio costs to a minimum, and often insistently teaching artists (and, by extension, all of us) not to underestimate their—our—worth. She took those personal challenges common to the passionate and creative soul, and she found a way to share her hard-earned wisdom, strength, and love.
Holly grew up in New York and Florida surrounded by musicians; her father managed the Rolling Stones in the 70’s. Holly moved to Oakland in 1999. She taught herself how to read music and became an inspired musician. Holly was involved in the local experimental music scene and worked in genres ranging from punk to classical. She was also a member of the Bay Area’s all-women’s Bomba ensemble Las Bomberas de la Bahia. She became an admired dancer. She became a beloved music teacher. She raised a son who has grown up to be a phenomenal Oakland musician and composer.
With a constant flow of creativity and a desire to imagine a sweeter world, Holly had a nagging call to create something meaningful here in Oakland, the city where she raised her son and found so many people she so dearly loved.
In September 2013, Holly opened Studio Grand with the support of family, friends, and generous seed funding. Circumstances aligned and Holly's eagerness to make a beautiful, bold difference blossomed into Studio Grand.
Holly rallied great musicians from around the Bay Area and beyond to come share music of all genres. The Studio hosted Diana Gameros, Oakland Future Trio, Antique Naked Soul, Maria Jose Montijo, Chuck Johnson, Alex Vittum, Aram Shelton, Maria Del Pilar, Motoko Honda, Fantastico Negrito, Marina LaValle, Theresa Wong, Irene Diaz, to name a few. Holly felt that instead of dispersing into increasingly specialized venues, musicians could see themselves all rooted in the same traditions, and come together to challenge and support each other in a shared space. For the first visual exhibit, Artist Matthew Scheatzle graciously hung his meticulous sculptural work at the Studio. Since then, Susan Matthews, Random Parts Gallery Artists, and Sung Kim have hung beautiful shows in the space and will be hosting a piece by Chip Thomas in December 2014. Play and music classes for the little ones were swiftly in place. Claire Gendler taught sold out sessions of voice classes for adults. Studio Grand was up and running towards a bright future.
In May of this year, we lost Holly to a very quick battle with cancer. Holly's family and friends, new and old, rushed to be by her side. Though the sudden loss left us with shock and heartache, Holly herself left us with love and teachings that are still unfolding and a heartening vision for Studio Grand.
Wherever Holly is now, she’s also left us a fire under our butts to keep the Studio flourishing for Oakland and all those touched by her work and her light. Holly’s husband decided to keep Studio Grand going and has enlisted a talented and capable collection of Holly’s friends to continue Holly's work. The Studio is also blessed with a dedicated group of volunteers and curators.
We hope you’ll join us in keeping this dream alive and growing. Together we can make 2015 an amazing year for our growing Studio Grand community with exceptional music, art, and classes. We will strive to continue generating the warmth, support, and inspiration the Studio is known for.
We need your support to:
- keep our Artist-in-Residence program going strong
- soundproof our walls so we can have performances throughout the day
- cover the cost of bringing in visual art exhibitions
- launch our internship and arts-venue learning program
- offer stipends to artists and long-time volunteers
- expand our class offerings and allow us to offer scholarships
- revamp our sound and lighting setup for performances
- cover our rent in a commercial zone
- cover our utilities and internet
- provide staff salaries to take care of day-to-day operations
Thank you for reading through our campaign. Whether or not you're able to give a monetary gift, you can share our campaign with your friends on Facebook or via email (see Indiegogo share options). We would also love for you to volunteer! Feel free to stop by, or visit our website for more information. We deeply appreciate your participation, whatever form you choose.
With many thanks and lots of love,
Studio Grand
