When artist and mother of two Jess Bird (she/they) founded Luna Cooperative last year, they wanted to create a hub where queer people of all ages – especially queer kids – could feel comfortable just being themselves and relax away from the hypervigilant mode that defines their lives in the general population of American culture.
“I want them to see themselves grown up, and that there’s value in art,” Bird, 35, said of the High Falls-based space and its community of creators.
A core idea driving Luna is that people don’t need to have a specific purpose for being there — they could just rely on the space as a safe hangout, but also pick from a variety of creative and social activities offered there.
“We’re here to aid in healing and building community through creative arts,” said Bird. They founded the center during the pandemic, when schools and other spaces were shut down.
“I was concerned about all the kids that had to be at home,” they said. “I did not have a very good home life growing up, and my school was my sanctuary. So I wanted to make a good space, when all of these kids were now going to be spending more time in maybe not safe environments.”
But it’s not just school kids that the space has helped. An adult recently released from in-patient care for an eating disorder has also found refuge in the space. It’s a happy environment, painted in cheerful hues and decorated with defiantly positive affirmations and a jungle of thriving plants.
“Parents have told me that this is the first recreational place they felt comfortable bringing their trans child,” Bird said.
Bird runs the space from the second floor of 60 Browns Race with their partner, Sarina Kari (they/them), who is 26. Kari is an educator earning a graduate degree and serves as the program coordinator at Luna. Like Bird, they also understand the need for a queer-friendly creative space in Rochester.
“I grew up in a very small, homogeneous white community,” Kari said. “I’m half-Japanese and queer, and I’ve always felt a bit out of place. I came out in high school, but I didn’t have spaces like this.”
Luna is stocked with art supplies and a calendar full of workshops and social events for different age groups (game nights, clothing swaps, etc.), queer artist vendor events, and a recurring creative camp for kids.
It’s also a creative co-work with a variety of artists who rent individual studio spaces. Tenants include the prismatic and playful jewelry studio, Pop Shop; The Adorned Studios, where one can take a metalsmithing class or purchase minimalist fine art jewelry; Bird’s own illustration and design practice, Bless the Messy; illustration and stationery by Casseophia; art therapist Abby Whelan’s office; and Fluid, which is Kari’s beautifully-curated genderfluid second-hand clothing boutique, complete with accessories and gifts. Some of the businesses, including Bird’s, are ex-pats of The Hungerford Building, which has been experiencing an exodus of artists under its new ownership.
Luna also has a queer-friendly library filled with books geared toward different age groups, and Bird is constantly updating and refilling the shelves of YA novels and manga when loaners don’t make their way back.
“But that’s okay,” Bird said. “The books are here for those who need it.”
Much like the library, Bird is sort of winging it with Luna’s growth. Serendipitous connections happen through chance conversations, which is what led a queer-friendly barber to offer pop-up, pay-what-you-can haircuts at the space. Luna also has an ongoing crowdfunding effort for help in supporting the space.
For Kari, Luna has been a way to mitigate a sometimes crushing feeling of dread.
“I felt like I couldn’t save the world,” they said. “And then coming to Luna, I was like, ‘Oh, wait, this is a decent chunk. I could help at least with this opportunity.’”
Bird and Kari both like to think of Luna as a “community living room,” and they hope to expand the space to be able to serve more people. Until then, folks can pop by during Luna’s open hours, have a seltzer or coffee, draw, paint, and chill.
You can help Luna’s longevity by donating to their monthly fundraiser here.
Rebecca Rafferty is an arts writer for CITY and the co-producer and host of art/WORK, an arts conversation video series created in collaboration with WXXI. She can be reached at becca@rochester-citynewspaper.com.
This article appears in Jun 1-30, 2023.
