A new Black-owned creative space officially opened its doors with a ribbon-cutting ceremony this past Friday, June 17.
Community members came together to celebrate the grand opening of The Legacy Building, an all-in-one photo, and video studio, recording studio, practice space, and storefront for creatives to rent and utilize.
Emmanuel Duncan and Sarah Lanier-Duncan are a married couple who decided to create a space for creative expression in South Minneapolis. As local artists themselves, known as the Hip Hop duo “ILLism,” the couple understand the importance of what it means to have access to creative spaces.
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“I think access is going to be the hugest thing for me,” Duncan said. ”Having the space for people to operate is probably one of the toughest things especially if your skin looks like mine.”
A crowd of family, friends, and community members gathered outside the doors of The Legacy Building as the couple gave a few words to welcome everyone into the building.
“For us… our whole mantra is: connect community and create excellence,” said Lanier-Duncan. “We want to be able to collaborate with people and different creatives.”
Some local musicians couldn’t help but show their support. Colin Mitchell, a local drummer who goes by the name “RAWTWHYLAH”, hosted a jam session for the grand opening. Many people who were just walking outside that evening were drawn to the infectious tunes.
Mitchell says that The Legacy Building opens so many doors for artists like himself.
“This is just only going to unite so many musicians and different artists from different walks of life,” Mitchell said. “It’s just a beautiful thing for everybody.”
Plenty of community members are also excited to see what The Legacy Building will bring to their backyards.
Ian Taylor found out about the ribbon-cutting by noticing a flyer attached to the building’s window a few days prior to the event.
“I’m excited to just see a new Black-owned organization that’s going to uplift and energize some of the creativity that we see in the city,” Taylor said.
“We’re contributing to the growth of our people,” Lanier-Duncan said. “When we do that, the community for people who are Black and look like us can flourish.”
The Legacy Building is a space for “creatives to build their legacy,” Duncan said. “They say if you build it they will come. We built it. So come.”
The Legacy building is located at 4024 E. 46th Street in South Minneapolis. For more information about the building, visit the website at www.thelegacybuilding.org.