BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Just a few minutes after ArtsQuest’s moving sale began at the Banana Factory in Bethlehem on Sunday morning, the line of patrons waiting to check out stretched around three sides of the building’s Crayola Gallery.
To be sure, some were there just for the bargains on art supplies, MusikFest memorabilia, photography equipment, books and other odds and ends that ArtsQuest has accumulated over more than two decades in the building.
“It is a bittersweet thing to be moving out of this building. So if people feel like they can take something with them that helps them in their art, or if it helps them in terms of remembering MusikFest, that's a great way for us to kind of give back.”ArtsQuest Senior Director of Visual Arts and Education Lisa Harms
But for others whose personal history runs through the Banana Factory, which is scheduled for demolition early next year, Sunday’s sale was a chance to find some closure in taking home a piece of it.
“It is a bittersweet thing to be moving out of this building,” ArtsQuest Senior Director of Visual Arts and Education Lisa Harms said.
“So if people feel like they can take something with them that helps them in their art, or if it helps them in terms of remembering MusikFest, that's a great way for us to kind of give back.”
For Dawn Moser and Ryan Hulvat, that meant looking for some of ArtsQuest’s old Olympus cameras, donated by the manufacturer years ago for an after-school program they taught together.
They 'basically lived here'
For years, the Banana Factory was a place where they grew, learned and saw others do the same, becoming an important part of their lives.
They “basically lived here,” Moser said.
“I had shows here, and we stayed up all night here, and I know the maintenance guy… people made art here and developed their careers here,” Hulvat said.
“I had a lot of good memories here and a lot of challenging memories here — like literally some of the greatest moments and some of the scariest moments.”
“We all feel very connected to the Banana Factory and to these buildings. But for those of us that are programming on a day-to-day basis in and out of the building, we fully understand the challenges and the disrepair.”ArtsQuest Senior Director of Visual Arts and Education Lisa Harms
Moser said, “It's these developing moments that I know didn't just happen to us. It's happened to everybody that walks through this door.
“It’s hard to see things go and to know what’s going to happen.”
The Banana Factory, which since 1998 has housed classes, after-school programs, exhibitions and artists’ studio, must be empty by the end of December.
Early next year, workers will demolish the aging complex and begin work on its replacement — a five-story, $26 million cultural center built on the same site.
“We all feel very connected to the Banana Factory and to these buildings,” Harms said.
“But for those of us that are programming on a day-to-day basis in and out of the building, we fully understand the challenges and the disrepair.”
More moving sales scheduled
That disrepair includes HVAC issues and pipes prone to bursting, Harms said.
ArtsQuest Chief Executive Officer Kassie Hilgert previously described the complex as “falling down.”
The new cultural center is set to include more space for programming, more subsidized artist studios, an expanded glass shop, a first-in-the-valley comedy club, and office space.
“We want to ensure that all artists that are in the building are aligned with the mission of ArtsQuest and serving the community through the arts, but that's the case for almost everyone in the building."ArtsQuest Senior Director of Visual Arts and Education Lisa Harms
Artists who currently occupy studio space in the Banana Factory will need to find a new home for the duration of construction.
Harms said ArtsQuest is helping make connections to people with space to offer.
Once construction is finished, all of the artists will need to re-apply for studio space in the new cultural center.
Moser said she worried that could leave out some artists who have been with the organization for decades.
“We want to ensure that all artists that are in the building are aligned with the mission of ArtsQuest and serving the community through the arts, but that's the case for almost everyone in the building,” Harms said.
ArtsQuest plans two more moving sales at the Banana Factory this year; the next is scheduled for September.
