​Some doors will never close: keeping the Spirit alive

By Sabrina Hornung

sabrina@hpr1.com

At the end of September, downtown Fargo said goodbye to another old friend; the Spirit Room closed its doors, marking the end of an era. The Spirit Room room has been a fixture downtown for the past 25 years, with a mission “to enrich people’s lives through the development and practice of creative, contemplative, and healing arts.”

Enrich our lives, it did.

The news rang out like news does when you lose a friend that you haven’t seen in a while. Folks from all corners of Fargo’s literary, music and art worlds shared their memories, as did folks from spiritual and wellness corners.

Nathan Hanson posted on Facebook about the iconic fluorescent sign being taken down, “With mixed emotions and gratitude, we will gather at Broadway Square to witness one of the final acts in the ‘Dissolving of the Mandala,’ as Dawn so beautifully put it.”

Artist Larry Simpson mentioned he’d miss climbing those stairs. Another individual posted, “I like to say that the path to enlightenment is uphill. I recall those stairs whenever I need to climb a steep slope.”

There was something magical about ascending those steep old stairs. Walking those stairs felt like coming home. Our creative downtown crowd almost felt like family to a certain degree. The whole space radiated warmth and wonder and there was such a great sense of light.

Executive Director Dawn Morgan was (and still is) just so cool. She was the Spirit Room.

I don’t remember when I first discovered the Spirit Room. It may have been when my mom and I took a yoga class there in the early aughts. I remember feeling a similar sense of wonder when I discovered the Plains Art Museum, which was within the same timeframe. During my senior year in high school, I’d skip my 7th hour study hall to see the new exhibits, wandering the galleries solo but never feeling out of place, which is rare for an awkward, lanky high school girl who never really felt like she fit in anywhere.

Downtown was different in those days. It was the downtown renaissance, the era of shows at Reed Lane, of Juano’s, the Trentino, Hemp and Bead, The Vinyl Connection, Zandbroz, The Exotic Bazaar, Bertrosa’s…There was a certain grittiness to it, yet it felt quite bohemian and slightly cosmopolitan at the same time.

Roberts Street Antiques was the reason I found my first apartment downtown at a whopping $325 a month. I walked from business to business to see if there were any apartments available upstairs. My friend Arnie (the proprietor) made the connection and even gave me a deal on some furniture then helped move it upstairs. The Red Raven made its debut in the basement of that building when it sold. I moved out because I couldn’t fathom paying $450 a month for an apartment in 2005. My, how times have changed. But then again they’re always changing… On that note, 2005 was the same year the HoDo came into our downtown lives, further establishing the fact that art and culture in our region were thriving and downtown was a hub for it all.

The arts felt accessible thanks to spaces like The Spirit Room, not only because of the studio space it housed. It was a place where established artists and emerging artists could show together through an open call for entries. The annual Great Winter Crow Show was testament to that. It combined visual art, performance art, as well as literary art that was eventually showcased in the book "In the Spirit of the Crow: A Gathering of Art and Poetry" a 56-page anthology of art and poetry from the shows between 2004 and 2012.

The Spirit Room was a space to exhibit, collaborate and learn. It was a space as eclectic as its artists. Maybe those walls seem so warm now in hindsight because it was in an era before everything was glossed over with a coat of gray paint, before downtown became awash with start-up cultures, empty condos and a bank on every other corner.

Which makes me wonder… has our sense of the grassroots arts culture that we knew and loved been astro turfed? Has individuality become corporatized?

Maybe this autumn air is making me sentimental. Maybe I need to admit that times change, people change, and I’ve changed. Things are different when you’re a wide-eyed art student with the idealism that comes with it. There’s still some of us out there that carry that same spirit. There are still group exhibitions, collective galleries and arts organizations to be a part of. The spirit of DIY is still in the air thanks to spaces like Parachigo, Gallery 4 (who just celebrated a 50 year milestone in FM), Dakota Fine Art and the Rourke Art Gallery + Museum across the river. (Forgive me if I left anyone out.) Plus, there are organizations that create opportunities for artists such as the Arts Partnership, LRAC, and the North Dakota Council on the Arts and so many more.

Maybe the real lesson is that the spirit of the Spirit Room transcends walls. We just need to keep the spirit alive. Dawn Morgan, you’ve left a lasting impression on downtown Fargo. Thank you for gently leading the way down an inclusive, creative and beautiful path in downtown Fargo.