A second building is envisioned as a home for art studios, and the third could possibly be converted into living and working space for artists.
Bought to tear down
Bassist Jon Mesoloras brings his gear into The COPA, a former warehouse that now serves as the performance space for the Madison Jazz Jam.
In the meantime, while fundraising gears up, the largest of the three existing warehouses at COPA is being discovered as a home for rehearsals and performances. Even a filmmaker, Robert Love of Jynxed Films, is using the space to build sets and film his action horror movie, “A Time to Die.”
Finding big, reasonably priced spaces to do their art is a constant struggle for the Madison area’s smaller arts groups, which are often run by volunteers, said Madison Jazz Jam president Laurie Lang.
Jud Sojourn waits for his chance to perform during a Madison Jazz Jam gathering on the COPA stage.
“Looking for a venue is always a challenge. We all go to the same places and get shuffled around,” she said. “Costs add up pretty quickly.”
So COPA — both present and future — offers a low-cost and long-term home, she said. When Lang initially asked musicians and performers to try out the current warehouse space, “I felt like I was asking people to come to a speakeasy in the woods,” she said.
Once inside, however, they were treated to a “really warm atmosphere,” Lang said, not to mention an “awesome” sound and lighting system, a full video setup and room for an appreciative audience.
