“There is an arts renaissance going on in Roanoke right now and I want to be a part of the change and movement to keep artists here,” says Roanoke native Nathan (Nate) Vaughan.
Vaughan is one of the creators of a new arts organization in Roanoke, Living Room Studios. The creation of Living Room Studios stemmed from a strong desire to build an organic community around positive causes and helping to define what it means to be an artist. Vaughan has a strong belief that everyone has something to say and that our voice is an art form in and of itself.
While Vaughan’s background is in mechanical engineering, he has always had a love of music, the arts and connecting with people. The goal of Living Room Studios is to cultivate diversity and be committed to promoting the fact that “there is an artist in all of us,” and helping people tap into that creative side.
Vaughan believes that the arts and music scene in the city can be competitive in nature. Through conversations and observation he has seen artists fall prey to a zero-sum mentality, thinking that “success” can only happen for a select few which then drives them out of the area. Living Room Studios is working to achieve its non-profit status with a focus on making resources available to artists.
There are resources available that can help make it more sustainable for them to remain close to their roots and cultivate the necessary relationships and community to build and foster their brand. Part of the mission is to be able to change the culture to one where artists and creatives are collectively rising and collectively winning.
You can learn more about Living Room Studios and their upcoming events at Mountain House on their LinkTree page or on Facebook.
A few upcoming events:
- Monthly Sunday Socials – 2nd Sunday of each month at 6:30 pm – Offers the opportunity to build community – “Roundtable” discussion with prompts and questions related to arts in the City
- Feedback Loop – Open Mic Style Event – 3rd Friday of each month at 6:30pm – Artists are open to bring experimental work with the option to get feedback from other artists and community
- Mountain House Backyard Concerts – Once a month as planned by spotlight artist – This usually takes place on a Saturday at 6:30pm – Artists and dates posted on Facebook and Eventbrite. This is a donation-based event.
