A group of young people hanging out at a local coffee shop discussing art and music turned into a group operating one of Norman’s favorite venues for local bands and artists to perform. From simple beginnings, Dope Chapel was born.
And now, the venue will close.
The "house of worship for all things dope" closed Sept. 15, according to Eric Piper, the venue's co-owner and operator.
“We kind of inherited this space,” Piper said. “We never expected it to turn into such a successful venue, but we love how it turned out.”
Given its name in February, the venue came about in order to encourage individuals to share their art, music, poetry, ideas and experiences and cultivate a sense of community, Piper said.
The space became one of Norman's favorite venues for students to watch and participate in shows.
"What I love most about Dope Chapel is how intimate of a space it is," said Audra Brulc, an international studies junior. "You don't feel like you're lost in the show, it feels like you're a part of it."
Brulc has seen multiple shows at the venue and even participated in last year's "Trashin' Fashion Show" event, where local designers and models made clothing out of trash or things most people traditionally discard.
"Being able to participate and be involved in the Norman art scene is so important," Brulc said. "It gave a sense of support and community to those that are artistically inclined."
This feeling of involvement is exactly what the founders of Dope Chapel were looking for.
“It became more about gallery installations and art shows,” Piper said, “but we also have ties to a lot of local musicians who needed a rehearsal and performance spaces.”
One of the performance pieces that has been shown at the Dope Chapel in the past included an artist who walked from Los Angeles to the Dope Chapel and filmed it all on a camera attached to his helmet, Piper said. He spoke and showed the videos at the venue.
“Dope Chapel isn’t a typical venue,” Piper said. “There’s no bar or PA, it’s just us working one-on-one with local and touring artists.”
With Norman's notorious "Nice Tuesdays" slowly fading away and Dope Chapel closing, Norman artists are looking for new places to perform and show their work.
"I mean, other than really sporadic house shows, there aren't really other venues to see local music," said Sydne Gray, a letters sophomore who frequents Dope Chapel events and performs locally.
But locals will have to find somewhere else to show off or enjoy others' art. The owners of Dope Chapel received a grant to attend lectures and share ideas with other young entrepreneurs in Minnesota, Piper said. After that, he said they will be moving into a new space in Norman or Oklahoma City.
With this new space, the group hopes to feature more art, music and even a screen-printing shop, Piper said.
“You know, we definitely want to stay in the area, and at the beginning of the year, we’re going to start looking at properties and see where that takes us,” Piper said.
Until then, the local house of all things dope will be missed.
