When Fatima Laster first opened 5 Points Gallery + Studios in 2018, she aimed to create a collective space where access to the arts and advocacy intersected. Now, the gallery and artist residencies are facing the possibility of foreclosure.
Over the past seven years, 5 Points has provided an inclusive space for artists of color and other marginalized groups to showcase their work while addressing social and economic justice issues directly affecting the North Side of Milwaukee, such as housing and food insecurity.
The physical space of the gallery dates back to the 1920s and, for many years, was known as a Black-owned funeral home. Not only does the building have a historical connection to the North Side neighborhood, but also a personal connection to Laster.
“I am from the neighborhood,” she said. “I grew up around the corner on MLK, and now I'm literally like, if you go on top of the roof, you can see the steeple of my house, my old house.”
Entering the gallery through the Spanish-style arches, you’ll find multiple art pieces across varying media — wearable arts, paper and stuffed dolls, portraits, photography, comic books and even soap. In the past, 5 Points has hosted community events like fashion shows, live music performances, film screenings, weddings, dinner series and artist talks.
But the building is more than an art gallery. It also has studios available for use, fully furnished residences intended to provide artists with low-cost living spaces while they work, and a commercial kitchen space so culinary artists can practice and perfect their craft.
Now, Laster and the artistic community face the prospect of all of that going away, as a looming balloon payment of $260,000 due Dec. 1 has forced 5 Points to plan for a possible closure.
Before redeveloping the space in 2018, Laster partnered with the city of Milwaukee's Artist and Resource Collaborative Hub (ARCH) Program, which provides loans to buyers of city-owned tax foreclosed properties intended to be used for art-related purposes or as community resources centers. That’s the mission 5 Points has pursued in the seven years since and hopes to continue into the future.
If the neighborhood loses the space, Laster believes the foreclosure will only contribute to the housing insecurity issue in Milwaukee and take away a strong support system vital to the neighborhood and arts community.
“The taking of this building is not just a taking of a building,” she explained. “It is like cultural erasure. It is a removal of real community and culture that brands Milwaukee in a very high-quality way. And it is destabilizing the neighborhood that has fed off of us being here.”
One of the exhibitions currently on display addresses that message in an unmistakable way. It’s Laster’s own installation, titled “Interrupted: Cash For Homes,” which examines the displacement and erasure of intergenerational family homes in the North Side neighborhood due to redevelopment and gentrification
The viewer is greeted by a hallway plastered with abrasive signs that read “WE BUY HOUSES,” leading to a replication of Laster’s grandparents’ home — the one she grew up in. The exhibit includes furniture and personal items from her grandparents, portraits and photo albums of family members, old math homework left on the kitchen table and a TV playing a visual art piece.
Laster shared that she has been making the gallery’s monthly payments and has been in communication with the lender to inquire about the possibility of a loan extension. She has also explored other avenues of potential assistance, such as applying for grants, but the process has become very competitive with grant funding increasingly getting cut.
Refinancing has not been an option, and selling the building is Laster’s last resort. Ultimately, she’s been relying on community support to help keep 5 Points open through a GoFundMe campaign and a donations page on the gallery’s website.
As a way to raise awareness of the importance of 5 Points within the community and immerse people in the space while fundraising, the gallery will host an all-day “Save the Gallery Art and Music Festival” this Saturday, Sept. 27. From noon until 10 p.m., the event will offer art workshops, poetry and music performances, food and market vendors, a massage therapist, auctions and raffles. Additionally, there will be a panel discussion on gentrification and revitalization without demise.
The festival is not only intended to save the gallery, but celebrate the impactful work 5 Points has accomplished over the past seven years. If there is no solution to saving the building, Laster wants the celebration to be a remembrance of sorts for the organization’s programming of art, music and community.
“I don't regret anything that I've done,” Laster said. “I can't regret making concessions on the rent so people could afford to stay here, whether it's housing rent or the studio rent. I can't regret making the artwork affordable by doing installment plans and working with people in a way that they can pay over time and me not taking from them. I don't regret the demographic that I serve.”
Save the Gallery Art & Music Festival
Art Workshops
- Noon to 1:30 p.m. — Tie-Dyeing Tees with Manny Vibez
- 1:30 to 3 p.m. — Bookmark Making with Rhonda Gatlin-Hayes
- 3 to 4 p.m. — Writing in Response to Visual Art with Nakeysha Roberts Washington, Founder of Genre: Urban Arts
- 4 to 5:30 p.m. — Articulated Paper Doll Making with Kierston Ghaznavi
Panel Discussion | 4 to 5 p.m.
- Topic — Gentrification: Can you revitalize without demise?
- Panelists — Fatima Laster (5 Points Art Gallery + Studios), Xela Garcia (Walker’s Point Center for the Arts), CK Ledesma (Villa Arco), Bro Shear (Resident-First Advocate) + additional guests.
Poetry + Music
- 5 to 5:30 p.m. — DJ TurtleSooup with Chiquita Renee Sound Bowls
- 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. — JD the Poet, Alea McHatten, Pule, Just Becca
- 6:30 to 7 p.m. — DJ TurtleSooup
- 7 to 8 p.m. — Death Is a Business
- 8 to 8:30 p.m. — DJ TurtleSooup
- 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. — Emmitt James
- 9:30 to 10 p.m. — DJ TurtleSooup
Food + Drink
- Aunt Manda’s Gingery Beverages
- Celebrity Treat by Jen Z
- Charcoal Powers
- Crispy Eggroll Company
- Lenny’s Brew
- Pound4Pound Cakes by Nesha
- Vegan This Plant Based That by Chef P
Vendor Marketplace + Community Activities
- 5 Points Art Gallery Gift Shop – Original Art, Designs. Books, Wearables, Handmade Goods and More by Local, National and International Artists
- Ammar Nsoroma – Pastel and Charcoal Portraits
- Carter Cuts II + Pati Rodriguez – On-Site Barbering and Hair Styling
- Erik Salgado – Public Mural Painting
- Highly Edible – Herbals and Edibles
- mars – Communal Tapestry Weaving
- Matte Black – Original Denim Wearables
- Queen’s Palace – Massage Therapy
- Tropic Tha Brand – Original Crochet Wearables
- Welcome 2 The Jungle – Pop-Up Plant Market
- Yail’s Wellness Garden – Organic Personal Care Products
Auction + Raffles
- Original artwork, including pieces from Matte Black
- Curated experiences, including family memberships to the Milwaukee Art Museum, a weekend stay in 5 Points Art Gallery + Studios artist residency, and a private chef experience.
