During a Friday evening class, Mahsa Khazeni describes to a small group of faithful Dzanc House attendees the instructions on how to approach their colored pencil and marker drawings, with suggestions of creating hybrid creatures or scenes from dreams or nightmares.

“Forget logic and make something new,” said Khazeni, whose artwork fills the surrounding walls of the Ypsilanti nonprofit’s gallery space as its monthly featured artist.

This is what a typical weeknight has looked like at Dzanc House since it opened in the spring of 2024 as a hub for anyone who has a desire to create, hosting nightly figure drawing, fiber arts, and “collage and chill” classes.

Created as an extension of the Dzanc Books independent press nonprofit, the former residence is now a gallery space that changes out monthly. Artists can apply to showcase their work in the monthly gallery exhibits, with Dzanc House taking a 30% commission on all art sales to help sustain the gallery, cover curation, and support advertising. Classes typically run about two hours, are limited to around 15 people, and typically include built-in breaks and an opportunity to work on a collaborative piece at the conclusion.

On the weekends, the nonprofit also offers free youth literary and cultural arts programming, instilling the power of the imagination, the wonder of the word, the art of the book, and the process of creative exploration, as its website notes.

Collectively, the space has become a low-pressure gathering spot for a variety of individuals and their creative outlets, said Amanda May Moore, creative director and residency coordinator.

“I think it's super important to be able to offer accessible ways to explore art,” Moore said. “It's a safe, nonjudgmental environment where we can experiment and learn together and build community. I think we really need to foster creative community spaces, whether people come to a lot of different things or they come just two times a month.”

Despite a recent dispute with the City of Ypsilanti over the zoning the residential building is run out of, City Manager Andrew Hellenga said the two parties are working together to ensure Dzanc House can stay in its current space, while making sure all local, state, and federal guidelines are followed.

“We recognize that Dzanc House has touched the lives of many in our community and beyond,” Hellenga said following an Ypsilanti City Council meeting where several community members spoke out in support of Dzanc House. “There is certainly space in this city for their work, and that was demonstrated to us [during the meeting].”

Prior to running Dzanc House, Moore took a similar approach to fostering community through art as the co-creator of Ypsi Bloom, which was intended to have a similar third space studio and gallery function for artists in the Ypsilanti area.

Although Moore had to close down Ypsi Bloom last August due to high overhead costs, she was approached by Dzanc Books about furthering her vision for a community art and gallery space at its new home on South Huron Street.

The new location’s naturally “homey” vibe has been conducive to creating a welcoming environment for artists to drop in and hang out for the evening, Moore said, sharing ideas and inspiring one another with their works.

“I'm told that it's warm and inviting, and being in a home, I think, is very unique,” Moore said. “It's a little more cozy than maybe somewhere downtown. It's not much quieter because we're still on a busy street, but I will say it's very cozy. You try to create an atmosphere that's conducive to creativity and give them this space to create, as well.”

Along with empowering local artists by hosting their work in the home’s gallery space, Dzanc House’s impact can be felt with some of its outside-the-box events it has hosted in the community.

In August, Dzanc House organized a “South Side Stroll,” where eight homes in the surrounding neighborhood hosted different artists in their yards, along with musical guests' accompaniment.

Dzanc House also hosted a party to celebrate the 96th birthday of contemporary Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, with regular contributors to its programming spending hours drawing Kusama-inspired tentacles that eventually decorated its walls.

“That was a lot of fun and a lot of work,” Moore said. “Those tentacles took us a very long time to make. We learned a lot. We were pretty exhausted by the end, but it was a lot of fun.”

Artists who frequent Dzanc House classes say they appreciate the sense of community the space has created by allowing them to engage in creativity without judgment.

Ypsilanti resident Mackenzie Stolzenburg said Dzanc House is a place where she can try new things, and there are no limits put on the ideas she wants to pursue.

“Amanda is the reason why I am brave enough to put my art into the world,” Stolzenburg said. “I think she attracts the right people to the space, and then we all are just like, 'Oh, you're fun and cool.' We all take classes from each other, and then you meet other people. Sometimes we just do something because we want to do it, and there's no class.”

Ypsilanti resident Bri Broderick said the connections she’s made with fellow area artists are what keep her coming back regularly to Dzanc House’s classes.

“You don't have to commit to a semester-long class if you want to find something new,” Broderick said. “It doesn't cost a ton of money, but there's a lot of different artists who are bringing in new material. With something like this, I can give it a go and know that the instructor is going to come in with really fun prompts. It's just a good way to try a lot of different art.”

Martin Slagter is a writer and reporter with 18 years of experience in print and digital media. He also writes about Michigan-based music in his weekly newsletter Radio Amor.  

Dzanc House is at 402 South Huron Street, Ypsilanti. The events calendar is here; gallery events and hours are here.