The Box Factory for the Arts in St. Joseph is marking its 30th anniversary this year, and it’s planning a celebration for next month.

Robert Williams is a Box Factory volunteer and one of its founders. He tells us the Box Factory for the Arts started coming together in 1995, when the Berrien Artist Guild started talking about acquiring a place where it could meet and display art from members. They used to meet in the homes of artists, and later, at the Krasl Center for the Arts.

Williams says the guild first looked into renting space at the former Box Factory, which had shut down several years prior. However, the guild later learned it could qualify for a state grant to fix up the place if it owned the building and acquired non-profit status. It took a while to get there, but they did eventually buy the building.

“Originally, we were just going to use it as a place to meet and maybe have an art gallery,” Williams said. “It was only going to be about two or three thousand square feet. So when we had to buy the building, we had to start thinking about what we’re going to do here. And the ideas came around about, obviously we were going to rent space to artists who wanted studios. And then we decided, well, we’ll rent space to other people.”

They found one tenant for the entire top floor, which helped pay for improvements. In the 30 years or so since, the Box Factory has become a local institution.

“Today, we have a lot of artists in studios, and we have a few small businesses, but we have a waiting list of people who are looking for studio space or small business space.”

Williams says there have been many ups and downs, but the Box Factory for the Arts remains.

A dinner and concert to celebrate will be held on June 14 at the Box Factory with live music from Bryan Lubeck and an auction. Tickets to the event are $75 and can be purchased online. You can get them right here.