The soft opening of the Avis Street Photo Studio marks a significant milestone for Inside Southwest Detroit and the Detroit photography community. This initiative, a partnership between Inside Southwest Detroit and Facing Change: Documenting Detroit, is the culmination of a long-held vision to create a space dedicated to photography and arts education. The studio is more than just a place to make pictures; it is a vibrant hub where community, culture, and creativity converge.

Avis Street Photo Studio is rooted in longstanding local aspirations and traditions of community storytelling through lens-based arts. For the past 20 years, Inside Southwest Detroit has been committed to documentation, storytelling, and mentoring through Expressions and other initiatives, recognizing the value in producing and sharing local narratives.

This practice evolved into formalized programming, such as the "See, Shoot, Share #SWDetroit" workshops at The Alley Project in 2013 and Young Detroit Photo Society in 2018, both of which helped build lasting relationships and sustain a creative community and accessible arts education.

Since 2015, the space that now houses the studio has undergone a remarkable transformation. Once a vacant commercial structure on The Alley Project, it was reimagined through participatory design involving local residents and partners who envisioned, among other things, a place where photography could document and uplift community narratives.

As the building's first tenant, La Sirena Studio fostered a culture of creativity and collaboration, supporting local photography and arts through events and partnerships—including hosting workshops, critiques, and speakers with Inside Southwest Detroit and Facing Change: Documenting Detroit’s photography fellowship and, eventually, offering office and programmatic space in their studio for Darkroom Detroit to operate during a transitional time. These collaborative efforts laid the foundation for a space that serves as both a physical and symbolic canvas for the community’s stories.

Avis Street Photo Studio serves as a platform for early and mid-career photographers, as well as local youth, providing them with opportunities to learn technical photography skills, develop creative expression, and engage with their community. Through a robust education curriculum, young photographers are trained in various aspects of photography, including portraiture, documentary work, and darkroom techniques.

The space features a newly expanded and updated darkroom, portrait studio, and hours of operation to be announced late Fall. The studio is also continuously building on its partnerships with local artists and organizations, further enriching the cultural landscape of Southwest Detroit.

This is just the beginning. As the studio grows, it will continue to be a place where stories are told, memories are captured, and the vibrant culture of Southwest Detroit is celebrated. The soft opening of Avis Street Photo Studio is a testament to the power of collaboration and the fruition of a long-standing vision. It is a space where community comes together to explore the art of photography, document their lives, and write the next chapter of our collective story.