Ten years in, the Artist Bloc remains a safe haven for Greensboro’s Black creatives

Featured photo: Singer Songbird Raven performs at the Artist Bloc on Sept. 13. (photo by Carlos Carter)

The Artist Bloc’s stage has seen many things.

One night there’s a middle-aged man with glasses, locs past his shoulder and an alto saxophone strapped around his neck as he raps and dances around the room. Sometimes, he stops to cradle the instrument and slur melodic sixteenth notes or spontaneously backs up another performer.

Another night, a young rapper halts his rhymes to ignite a torch and puts the flame in his mouth; on another, a young woman gives everyone chills as her sensual voice sings covers, original songs and freestyles incorporating words provided by the crowd. The singer’s hands caress her shaved head and body in a single-sleeved, form fitting, all red dress.

“Bloc” stands for “Being Legendary Off Creativity,” and the Artist Bloc, “where creative minds meet,” is where the artists of the Triad come together to show their skills, network and have a good time. Many of these artists would consider this place to be a second home, which is why they celebrated 10 years of business at Bloc Fest in September.

This month, the venue will hold additional anniversary events including a Afro-Caribbean dance party on Oct. 18 and a celebration for TAB Arts Center on Oct. 27.

A crowd of painters, singers, rappers, poets, musicians and those who just appreciate the arts filled the room on Sept 13. They often joined in song and danced when their favorite local rappers or singers hopped on stage. Newcomers sat back and watched in awe.

“I started to become more known at the Artist Bloc as a performer, a spoken-word artist and someone who really advocates for space,” said Denzel Fleming, who performed that night.

“It’s a space for all budding creatives and established creatives. It doesn’t necessarily have to be your start to be at the Artist Bloc,” he continued. “You can already be established and decide to curate an environment for more people to come. For some it may be an introduction to Greensboro or North Carolina or just overall creativity.”

Fleming, 31, started by writing poetry in the second grade for a competition at Southeast Elementary School. Mr. Boyd, his teacher at the time, gave the winner a set of sports trading cards. Inspired by the cadences of G-funk, or West Coast hip hop, he wrote a poem remixing Dr. Dre’s “One Eight Seven” featuring Snoop Dogg. For him, creativity is fluid.

“Creativity is not just painting or drawing,” he explained. “For some it looks like expressing yourself freely in a space of like-minded individuals.” 

Fleming continued to perform in small settings and competitions through the years. He went on to write and record mixtapes in his dorm room at UNC-Charlotte and passed them around at beauty salons and barbershops in the city.

“At some point in our time of being an artist we have to search for community and one’s community, culture, religion, and so on must start in the home,” Fleming explained. “We are introduced to ‘the way things are’ in a certain space, a safe space. For some it may be our home, or it may be reduced to our room, but then from our room we create and share with the world. The Artist Bloc feels like that room.”

The first time Fleming stepped foot in the Artist Bloc was in 2014. He remembers that sense of welcome that he gets every time he steps through the doors being present that day as well. He describes the experience as “a party for artists — an intimate, low-light setting.”

The business opened its doors that year as an art-supply store with a coffeeshop, plus beer and wine. The neighboring college students made up most of its visitors like Fleming who had moved to Greensboro to attend NC A&T State University.

Founder Darlene McClinton drew her experiences of living in Washington DC and going to the popular chain Busboys and Poets as inspiration for creating the Artist Bloc.

“I knew I wanted to move home to Greensboro to give back to A&T,” said the Aggie. “I wanted to give back to the city of Greensboro because my family is here, and I wanted to create a business that I could leave a lasting legacy to my family with.” 

In the beginning, things were tough. McClinton said that as a Black small-business owner, competing against larger corporations like  Michael’s, Hobby Lobby and Jerry’s Art Supply made it difficult to gain momentum. This called for a change of pace. She noticed how people gravitated towards the stage they used for hosting events and decided to create a performance space.

Since then, not only has the Artist Bloc put on shows with the help of an array of artists including hula hoop dancers, glass blowers, body painters and more, but the business has enriched its community just as McClinton hoped.

Within the past 10 years, the Artist Bloc has been a home to the homeless, introduced couples, hosted weddings and started a nonprofit organization.

A decade in, there was much to celebrate, and the anniversary event replicated much of Fleming’s first night. The individuals in attendance customized their looks to stand out in a variety of ways from ethnicities, ages, and style.

Vendors taking up the backyard space displayed their jewelry with crystals and copper wiring and clothing to help illuminate that sense of individualism, along with art and food vendors. Vendors inside, surrounding the bar, sold body butters, oils, candles and candle-making kits.

Scents of warm vanilla filled the air. A painter tucked himself away in a corner near the entrance while he worked on a piece he’d later put up for auction.

Honoring that energy, Fleming broke the fourth wall with his audience by waving newcomers, hesitant to pass the stage, with a smile and greeting others by name in between the verses of his poetic lyrics.

It’s this transient, collaborative respect and passion for art that McClinton said makes the Artist Bloc what it is.

“Without art you have nothing,” she said. “Art is everywhere. You have visual and performing arts, but nail technicians are artists too. You have makeup artists and hairstylists; those are artists. I call them nontraditional arts, but architects and vehicle engineers are artists as well. Art is literally everything. Without some type of creative mind behind the production of the world there would be no world.”

Visit the Artist Bloc in Greensboro at 1020 W Gate City Blvd. Learn more at theartistbloc.com.