We’re Going Back
The Fridge is coming home to the original spot behind Eastern Market where it all began.
Since 2009, The Fridge has been a beloved underground gallery, helping launch the careers of over 1,000 professional artists and a gathering space for those often left out of the traditional art world: graffiti writers, outsider artists, poets, MCs, queer and trans creatives, returning citizens, and youth with something to say and nowhere to say it.
We’re continuing our support of:
• Black, Brown, Asian, and Native voices!
• LGBTQ+ and nonbinary creators
• Street art, hip-hop, poetry, and raw self-expression
• Zero gatekeeping. No degree or gallery resume required
But in 2023, we lost our space. Rising property taxes, a real estate scam, and a legal battle we didn’t ask for knocked us out. We won in court but still had to close our doors.
Now we’re going back to where it all started and reopening stronger than ever.
Our Goal: $50,000 by October 1st
We’re reclaiming the original location and relaunching by New Year’s 2026. Your donation helps make it happen.
Item Cost
Property taxes $12,000
Renovations & paint $5,000
Repairs & gallery setup $7,000
Utilities & insurance $10,000
Permits & licensing $2,000
Marketing & outreach $2,000
Artist stipends (opening show) $10,000
Total $50,000
Why This Matters
The Fridge was never just about art. It was about belonging.
Every donation helps reopen a space where:
• Kids can be free to create and be heard
• Queer artists can show their truth without censorship
• Graffiti is celebrated, not criminalized... And on gallery walls!
• People feel seen, no matter where they’re from or what they’ve been through
We’re not starting over. We’re picking up where we left off, in the same location, with the same mission, and an even bigger vision for what DC can be. Just wait until you meet our new community partners!
No raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or returns on investment are offered in exchange for any donations made to this GoFundMe.
️ See Why It Matters
✊ ✊✊✊Let’s Bring It Back
We’ve been the underdog space with the big heart. The one with paint on the walls and all of the cool kids and nerds in one space. The one where everyone had a place.
Now we need you.
Donate whatever feels right.
Tell your people.
Help us bring The Fridge back.
A Full-Circle Moment
What makes this comeback even more powerful is what comes next.
Shaymar Higgs, founder and executive director of The SPACE, began his creative journey through a pop-up show co-sponsored by The Fridge in 2009. As a young artist with hand-sewing skills, he was invited to intern at The Fridge. That opportunity helped launch a lifelong commitment to creativity, access, and community care.
During his time at The Fridge, Shaymar also helped bring in several nonprofit organizations and built community-based programming for local high school students. That kind of work helped expand The Fridge’s reach and rooted it even deeper in the neighborhood it served.
Years later, Shaymar launched The SPACE as a pop-up of his own. Just like The Fridge, it grew into something bigger. Today, The SPACE is a thriving community hub that offers free classes in 3D printing, digital design, mental health and wellness, entrepreneurship, and more.
Now, these two stories come full circle.
The Fridge will reopen the gallery in its original Eastern Market location and expand its offerings to include:
• Free creative workshops for youth and adults
• 3D printing, laser engraving, and digital design labs
• Entrepreneurship and workforce development programs
• Mental health-centered art and healing practices
This isn’t just a gallery reopening. It’s a return to the community that sparked it all, and a chance to bring even more resources, creativity, and connection to our friends and neighbors in Washington, DC.
Students from The University of Maryland created this mini-doc: MAKE SPACE that highlights The SPACE and features Alex Goldstein!
Thank you for believing in art, community, and providing third spaces for all.
– The Fridge Fam
Quotes From Our People:
“When we talk about keeping DC weird, the Fridge is the real thing. It’s one of our last independent art spaces still standing, holding the line for experimentation, risk, and community. I’ve spent the past year writing a book about building a permanent space like this—and I can tell you, it doesn’t happen without people stepping up. If the Fridge has ever surprised you, moved you, or just made you feel like you belonged, now is the time to show up and support it.”
Julianne Brienza, founder of DC Fringe Festival
Co-organizers3
Shaymar Higgs
Organizer
Washington D.C., DC
Alex Goldstein
Beneficiary
Co-organizer