Noma Warehouse founder Mazie Cook doesn’t believe in the notion of a starving artist.

Inspired by Andy Warhol’s factory, she created a space to start changing that narrative. Partnering with her mother-in-law, Beth Lawson, and sister-in-law, Cara Lawson, Cook opened Noma Warehouse in mid-March of this year.

The warehouse started out as something that could only happen “in a dream world,” according to Cook. Beth Lawson was wrapping up nearly 25 years in the tech industry and Cook had recently graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in studio art. Cook found the property and reimagined it as an artist co-op and event space.

“I live in a dream world,” Beth says, so she pushed Cook to take the plunge.

With Beth handling the business side of things, Cook donning the title of creative director and Cara, who is a senior at the Darla Moore School of Business, managing the finances, the trio became the perfect team.

Walking into the warehouse, you’re first greeted with a small, chicly decorated shop that features everything from clothing to candles — all of which are locally made or curated. Walk down a short hallway and you’ll find yourself in a sprawling studio space, complete with a high ceiling, long, classroom-style tables, and, most importantly, a coffee station.

The four pillars of Noma Warehouse are work, shop, sell, and gather. A close fifth might be working well with others, or more bluntly, as their code of conduct says, “don’t be an asshole.”

The women believe in embracing “what feels right in the space” according to Cook. During the week, members (who pay monthly fees based on needed studio hours and amenities) use the warehouse space to make and store their art. On Friday nights, the space is transformed into a market with around 15-20 vendors, according to Cara.

On Saturday, June 19th, Noma Warehouse hosted the Summer Sol•Fest, featuring a slew of local performers and, to highlight Juneteenth, several local Black-owned businesses. This week the venue will also be hosting a summer art camp for kids.

So, while the space may wear many hats, the women want to focus on supporting art as a profession. “I wanna reteach the community that art is valuable ,” says Cook. “I think using the term ‘starving artist’ is derogatory … it’s bogus and so sometimes you just need to hear that.”

The four pillars of Noma Warehouse are work, shop, sell, and gather. A close fifth might be working well with others, or more bluntly, as their code of conduct says, “don’t be an asshole.”

With community being one of the priorities for the space, Beth says younger artists reach out to the older artists for advice and feedback. Cook notes that they have a diverse group of people of different ages, backgrounds, and methods of work. “It all lives here very peacefully and I think allows for a lot of growth. That’s been really neat to watch,” Cook says.

According to Beth, art brings them together. Witnessing that “family” develop is watching her vision come to life. In an art world that can be competitive, Cook notes the graciousness of the artists that frequent the warehouse — they create an open, sharing community.

The women operate business in a way they would want for themselves. In the so-called dream world that they’ve created, the space is a blank canvas — it just takes artists to expand the vision.

by Stephanie Allen