{"id":101386,"date":"2026-02-03T16:53:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T23:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/?p=101386"},"modified":"2026-02-05T17:02:58","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T00:02:58","slug":"never-leave-the-art-room-at-6th-and-6th-studios-in-the-granary-district","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artistsofutah.org\/15Bytes\/never-leave-the-art-room-at-6th-and-6th-studios-in-the-granary-district\/","title":{"rendered":"Never Leave the Art Room at 6th and 6th Studios in the Granary District\u2028\u2028"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Painted<\/a>

Image by Steve Coray.<\/p><\/div>\n

There\u2019s a particular energy that begins in art, drama, or band rooms. These are the places where people first learn that making things can be a way of life rather than something to outgrow. Those early spaces make room for ideas, experiments, and people who never fit the usual mold; and for many, that creative spark never fades. Cities are at their best when they recognize this and embrace the eccentric, electric, and creative instead of expecting that impulse to fade. That recognition is cultural and economic, visible in the Granary District’s 6th and 6th Studios opens at 569 West 600 South.<\/h4>\n

Inside the studios, rooms are alive with color, sound, and new collaborations. A newly completed desert-themed mural created by Christian Michael, owner of 6th and 6th Studios, with artists Will Best, Eric Teniu, and Kuma greets guests at the entrance\u2014a cactus and hummingbird rising together as bright markers of the space\u2019s energy.<\/h4>\n

\u201cSalt Lake\u2019s art scene isn\u2019t short on talent,\u201d Michael says. \u201cIt\u2019s suffering from capitalism. People are scared to buy art, and the city treats creative life like it\u2019s temporary instead of something that brings real value. If we want growth, artists need the space to stay and work.\u201d<\/h4>\n

Creative neighborhoods work because they draw people in, keep them nearby, and give a city its identity. The Granary District shows this clearly. When studios, venues, and small businesses sit close together, visitors stay longer and wander into things they hadn\u2019t planned on, which builds community and keeps money circulating among living artists. Salt Lake\u2019s Gallery Stroll has always had good intentions, but its spread-out format sends people driving between neighborhoods instead of exploring. The Granary offers a different model: a walkable cluster with enough art and independent businesses to create natural movement and sustained interest. With early support and stability, districts like this can grow into reliable cultural and economic anchors for the city.<\/h4>\n
\"Large<\/a>

Painting by Hayden White. Image by Steve Coray.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\n\u201cOur vision is to have creative and financial control of our art,\u201d Michael says. \u201cWe don\u2019t have to pay gallery people 50%. We\u2019re taking control of our curation and making sure people don\u2019t make us look corny or misrepresented.\u201d<\/h4>\n

This kind of ownership\u2014both creative and economic\u2014is what allows 6th and 6th to function as a real community hub. And it isn\u2019t happening in isolation. The people running the space are building practical relationships with the city around them. \u201cWe\u2019ve had great support from the Salt Lake City police,\u201d says Gio Brooks, part of the Studios and Plumhouse Social Club staff, located at 6th and 6th. \u201cThey check in with our security and make sure things stay safe, make sure the vibe stays positive.\u201d<\/h4>\n

The studios stretch across newly painted hallways lined with large-scale paintings, sculptural experiments, and half-built projects migrating between rooms. It’s a mix of emerging and established voices, sharing the same creative corridor. There’s Elmer Preslee, the sculptor whose world of big-eyed characters, thrift-store assemblage, and clay-driven imagination has made him a cult figure both locally and abroad. And Hayden White, whose re-imagined Rockwells looked so good at FICE last month. Together with Michael, who moved to Salt Lake 15 years ago and whose background in fine art, fabrication, and mural work sets the building\u2019s tone, they form a core that attracts a broader community of exhibiting artists.<\/h4>\n

Next door, Plumhouse Social Club extends the building\u2019s energy into the night, hosting late-night DJs, performances, and collaborative experiments that feed back into the studios. That rhythm between day and night works because Salt Lake\u2019s creative scenes have learned how essential it is to look out for one another.<\/h4>\n
\"DJ<\/a>

At Plumhouse Social Club, light, sound, and atmosphere extend the building\u2019s creative energy into the night.<\/p><\/div>\n