In May 2014, a group of wide-eyed, carefree punk kids were afforded an unheard-of opportunity: The Borough of Flemington presented them with a key to an abandoned bank on Main Street, permitting them to use it as a pop-up art space until the building was ultimately sold for redevelopment.
In a matter of weeks, the group dubbed itself Flemington DIY and began hosting art shows and concerts. It soon became a hub for the community, bringing artists out of the shadows and providing a much-needed avenue to showcase local talent across the spectrum, and all walks of life.
As an organization encouraging participation, we’ve seen artists of all ages proudly display their work in a public showing, many who had never had the chance before. We’ve heard musicians perform in front of an audience for the very first time. We’ve laughed at amateur stand-up comedians at open mics. And we’ve cried together at important panel discussions about issues that affect everyone in town, and beyond. We’ve seen first-hand how important a space like Flemington DIY is for the benefit of the greater community.
Over the last six and half years, we’ve had the privilege of producing and hosting over 600 events and affordable programs for thousands of all-age participants such as art shows, film screenings, workshops and classes, social discussions, community groups, theatre productions, screen-printing, and concerts featuring renowned musicians from across the world.
No one could have ever imagined this once-in-a-lifetime experiment would have lasted this long, especially with the imminent redevelopment plans looming over our heads year after year.
Well, that day has finally come. The building at 90 Main is slated to be sold this winter as part of a large-scale redevelopment plan. To be honest, the timing of this is in our favor. While the pandemic has temporarily shuttered our doors since March, we’ve shifted to virtual programming and building community online. The shutdown will provide us time to seek out a new, affordable location with a goal to re-emerge when it is safe to congregate again.
We will continue to host virtual and outdoor events and be a resource and platform for you.
We are forever thankful and grateful to: the Borough of Flemington for their incredible generosity and trust in allowing us to take up residence at 90 Main Street; our vast group of dedicated volunteers over the years who have truly put in the blood, sweat, and tears to literally keep this operation running; the local business and organizations who we’ve collaborated with; the donors who have financially supported us to no end; and our hard-working board members for keeping us on track all these years. If you have ever stepped foot in 90 Main, thank you.
Stay safe, stay creative, and stay positive.
See you on the other side,
Jeff Hersch, Co-Founder and Executive Director
and the Board of Flemington DIY