SOUTH BEND — Brett Padgett played at one of the first shows LangLab held when it opened its doors 15 years ago.
So, he said, its was exceptionally meaningful for him to play there again on guitar and keyboard with Squirm Orchestra, the first of three bands that performed at LangLab’s 15th anniversary party that drew more than 150 people to the former warehouse at 1302 High St. on May 16.
“(This night is an) amalgamation of all of the memories,” Padgett said. “It’s hard to express into words how much it means.”
Since then, it’s become an “arts and business incubator,” LangLab cofounder Stephanie Rizk said, with art, music and community at the foundation of what LangLab is and aims to provide and foster for South Bend.
“If you talk to people here throughout the night, you’ll probably hear a lot about how LangLab is more of a community than a business,” Rizk said. “All of the people that rent space here and all of the people that play music here — and all of the people that are associated with all of those people — we all create this incredible arts community.”
From empty warehouse to Mayor Pete’s wedding
In 2009, Stephanie Rizk and 10 others within South Bend’s arts community bought the abandoned warehouse that would later become LangLab — short for “Language Laboratory.”
The nearly 130-year-old building southeast of downtown had previously belonged to an electronics manufacturer, and before that, Schreider’s Furniture — a company that had been there since the 1890s. The empty 33,000-square-foot warehouse left a complete “open concept” for her and her partners’ visions.
“None of the stuff you see (on the ground floor) was there,” Rizk said. “It was empty — completely empty — no walls, just one big studio.”
Everything from the floors, ceilings, bathrooms and kitchens in the complex was built largely from scratch, Rizk said. After about a year of construction, LangLab opened in 2010.
Since then, LangLab enjoyed a long stretch of business growth followed by regression and, now, growth again.
In addition to concerts by local and touring acts, LangLab has had dance performances and photo exhibits and been the venue for theater companies to stage productions, including South Bend Lyric Opera, Art 4 and Michiana Playmaker. The Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival also holds its adults-only “Shakespeare After Hours” event there each summer.
There have also been birthdays and weddings — including a wedding reception in 2018 for then-South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and his husband, Chasten Buttigieg.
What LangLab offers
The ever-expanding three-level, multi-use complex offers about 20 studio rental units on a month-by-month basis for artists, musicians, photographers, food businesses and more to foster the innovation and creativity of individuals and small startups.
There also is a small seating and fireplace area outside, but the ground and upstairs levels are most used.
The ground floor contains:
■ A space for a planned retail area to allow artists to sell their art and meet commissioners
■ An area used for art courses, including figure drawing and critique nights where artists come to give and receive advice on their pieces from other artists
■ A small bar area that was used on May 16 for a sweets selection
■ The main concert and stage venue, complete with lighting and a soundboard control
■ A corner library
■ A cafe area that is currently in use by Everett’s Café but has been rented out in the past to Cloud Walking Café, Kodachrome (Formerly Zen Café) and Purple Porch Food Co-op.
The upstairs, contains:
■ A small movie theater area with seating
■ A small tattoo studio in one of the rental spaces
■ Rental units lining the narrow walkway
■ A photography studio that is rented by the hour
■ A larger open-office workspace
The basement is LangLab’s next project, however. Trash was cleared out over the winter and more rental units are to be set up.
Bands, video games and figure drawing
Seven years later, LangLab’s 15th anniversary party featured three bands — Squirm Orchestra, Auto Attack and TAKAAT, a video game tournament where competitors played Super Smash Bros for a contested $25 gift card to Everett’s Café — a café located inside the warehouse, a figure drawing class with a rotating number of models, miscellaneous games and cake.
The video game tournament raised $47 from ticket sales and a large box of food donations, both of which will be donated to the Food Bank of Northern Indiana, one of the organizers, Alissa Balke, said.
The figure drawing class also had a “good turnout,” said the head of LangLab’s art education program, Emma Marsh. The proceeds from the figure drawing will be put toward the continued funding of the arts and education program throughout the summer.
Despite the large crowd at LangLab, the atmosphere was relaxed but excited. Even when the complex was filled with loud punk, grunge, rock and music that was a mixture of everything, no one seemed out of place — just simply excited to be with each other.
The headliner of the three bands to perform, TAKAAT, attracted the largest crowd of all. People of all ages, including children, packed stage venue and crowded around the stage to hear their music and see the members of the Nigerien rock band.
“(LangLab) seems like a space for … people who are alternative, people who are artistic, who are creative,” said Lukas Thompson, an artist and model who participated in figure drawing and said it was their fourth time at LangLab. “People who want to express themselves and lift others up and be safe.”
Closed for COVID, followed by regrowth
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced venues such as LangLab to close for a time, all of the previous momentum came to a screeching halt. For over a year, LangLab was forced to close its doors. It survived off the eight rental units it had available, and to reopen its doors was a “difficult decision” to make, Rizk said.
“It was difficult because it was really unclear about how long it was going to be before people started coming back out and feeling safe, coming to concerts and feeling safe, really reestablishing the community,” Rizk said.
Rizk said when LangLab opened its doors once again after the pandemic in September 2021, the reception was “hit or miss.” Shows and events had inconsistent numbers of attendees and the community support was not the same. Soon after the pandemic, Rizk began to bring more people from the South Bend arts community into the fold.
“Yeah, I mean, it was a little difficult at first, but when I started to bring in this new set of people and this new crew — they’ve just been incredible,” Rizk said. “I can’t say enough about how hard they’ve worked to really rebuild the arts community after coming out of COVID.”
After bringing on its crew of new people, she said, LangLab has experienced rapid growth and development, increasing its rental space and availability exponentially on all three levels of the complex.
“I think it’s been really gratifying to watch (LangLab) grow and shrink and grow again over time,” Rizk said. “It’s given me a lot of hope that community not only exists but can be rebuilt when it’s been broken down.”
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