Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County presents 'The Lab' performance series

Arts Council of Winston-Salem and Forsyth County has a new performance series: “The Lab.” New and emerging artists will showcase their work in the Milton Rhodes Center for the Arts garage.

Enter the back gallery, stroll the length of the white-walled hallway adorned with art, open the double doors into the parking garage, and you’re suddenly hit with live sound and light in a low-ceilinged, intimate setting.

Arts Council Chief Marketing Officer Katie Hall says it’s a much-needed gathering place for local residents seeking experiences like “The Lab” provides.

“We continue to support other area organizations that are within the arts and cultural space, but by utilizing our facilities, our production teams, our lighting teams, etc., we’re able to create a new space that doesn’t really exist elsewhere,” she says. 

The evening will feature six artists ranging from ukulele with sound pedals, to rock, electronica and rave, but curator Taja Seafus says all genres are welcome: drag, a monologue, short film. The focus for her is this platform — providing a safe space for underground artists, including LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC creatives, to share their work with the community.

“We’re all here to help each other in one way or another,” says Seafus. “You can’t really get through life without supporting other people, because they will also support you. So, it’s like a flow of creativity, of food, of environment, of family. It’s just creating that space.”

Each of “The Lab” performances concludes with a jam session open to all artists, and the events are pay as you can and open to the public. The next installment of “The Lab” takes place Monday night.