Arts Alive! collects and shares the stories of the arts community in the Monadnock region. These are unprecedented times and there are unprecedented things happening in the arts world. The coronavirus pandemic is pushing change and moving arts leaders to rethink their models of stability and connection. In this account, we hear from Danya Landis, artist and owner of Machina Arts.
Tell me about Machina?
The Machina Kitchen & ArtBar is an organic farm-to-table restaurant, craft cocktail bar, live music venue, and art gallery energizing the creative economy and building community in Keene, NH. Our mission is to cultivate art and vibrancy through food, gallery installations, design, and experiential events, with a focus on breaking boundaries, exceptional quality, service, ethical sourcing and community building.
What inspires you to do you do what you do?
I am a metal sculptor -- my mission is to provide space, opportunity, and a home for artists of all kinds. Our business has changed since it launched in 2013 as a grassroots collective of artists putting on underground events to a ninety-seat full-service restaurant, bar, music venue, and gallery. It’s been though a lot of different iterations, but we have always had the core focus on our mission and held that in every aspect of our business.
How has your life changed in the last month?
Building community is a very important aspect of our business. We do this through art, food, music, our purchasing choices, our team, our guests, donations, and so much more. Not being able to be together as a team and as a community has been impossibly hard. Owning a restaurant is hard even when there isn’t a pandemic. We just made it through our first year, but ninety percent fail in the first year, the odds are against you from the start. During a pandemic somedays it feels impossible -- but we will never give up. Being in a crisis has showed us even more how much our community really matters. Our community is not a fair-weather friend, they show up even in the hardest moments. We have had to adapt, change, think creatively, and rebuild our business model to figure out how to bring our community together while staying apart.
What about your work?
I feel like our business is on a ship during a storm. My job has been to make sure we make it to the shore. Alongside of my partners I have worked tirelessly to adapt as things change so incredibly quickly and to be as prepared as possible to take advantage of each opportunity that could help us weather this storm. My job went from working towards progression and growth to ensuring our survival. I have to think creatively and stay proactive and productive all while trying to allow myself the space to grieve the losses this situation has caused. I stay strong for my team. It’s exhausting, frustrating, and really difficult most of the time. But my friends, family, community, and team keep me going and I know we will come out the other end stronger than ever before.
Where do you find hope and inspiration these days?
Inspiration and hope come from small beacons of light and deep breaths these days. Seeing progress, helping a neighbor, community support, my friends, my family, my partners, and my staff keep me going. Right now, I’ve been knocked down to the bare bones- survival mode. My inspirations of the past still live within me, but right now it’s about putting one foot in front of the other and making it to the other side.
What is the biggest realization you’ve had about your work in the last month?
I’ve always known the importance of having business partners. They are my family! But this past month has really revealed how important it is to support each other and work as a team. I couldn’t imagine going through this alone. I feel very, very lucky I have such amazing people in my life.
Best case scenario, how does your business emerge from “stay safe stay home?”
Since we have our staff coming back, we are planning to do some future menu planning, deep cleaning projects, and some projects we don’t typically have time for which could put us in a better spot when we return to service as usual. We also think some of our creative and new offerings might stick and continue even after we reopen depending on their popularity adding new aspects of our business. We look forward to hosting a dance party with you all once it’s safe to do so!