Gravitate's Strong Ties with Art Terrarium
I’m sure many of you have heard about the Art Terrarium in downtown Des Moines. But how many of you know about the strong connections between the Art Terrarium and many of the members at Gravitate? It’s a great example of how coworking spaces can foster community.
Andrea Metzler had been working as the Program and Events Director at Gravitate for several months when she decided to start the Art Terrarium in 2017.
“When we decided we were actually going to open up a real brick-and-mortar retail shop, having the connections I made at Gravitate was super helpful in getting a business started. I had never done it before."
“Mason Kessinger designed our logo and helped us with some promotional posters. And he did it all for free which was amazing.”
Mason still keeps in contact with the Art Terrarium and makes pottery for them in the winter.
“Kate Lyon, who had an office at the old Gravitate, helped us with writing our operating agreement and helped us with all the legal things that come with starting a business. Having that connection to walk us through what we needed was super valuable.”
“Just having the community of Gravitate people in general to support us, promote us and buy some plants was really awesome.”
Andrea still uses Gravitate as a place to work occasionally and is a player on the gravitate volleyball team.
“Having a space where I can concentrate and focus on doing the business side of things is really nice.”
Next time you get the chance, be sure to visit the Art Terrarium! In addition to having a beautiful collection of plants, they’ve got local art, a potting bar and are constantly hosting cool events.
Jake Slobe is the Managing Editor of Clay & Milk. He also writes blog posts for Gravitate. A recent graduate from the University of Iowa, Jake has previously written for the Center for Global & Regional Environmental Research, Iowa Journalist and The Daily Iowan.