Richland man earns raves for bolstering local artistic community

Michael Nemo’s first artistic inspiration came from his mom.

As a boy, he would sit and watch her doodle. “She was really good,” he recalled.

Her off-the-cuff masterpieces would start with scribbles on a piece of paper.

Then she would find something beautiful in the chaos — boxes, geometric shapes.

Nemo took cues from her, fashioning his own shapes and faces from the mishmash of lines.

He hasn’t stopped creating since.

Now 34, Nemo is a respected artist — one who is earning raves not only for his own work, but also for his efforts to bolster the Tri-Cities arts community, including with his Don’t Panic community art shows.

He moved back to the area last year after more than a decade away, and he’s become “a walking catalyst for the arts,” said Dara Quinn, co-owner of Emerald of Siam in Richland, an arts hub.

Nick Napoli, president of the new Confluent makerspace near the Emerald, said Nemo is “super motivated and community oriented.”

“When he came back (to town), he wanted to plug into what was happening here right off the bat,” Napoli said.

Nemo has put together several Don’t Panic events in the past several months, including at Paper Street Brewing Co. and the Emerald of Siam.

The next one is planned May 21 at the Emerald, 1314 Jadwin Ave.

About a dozen local artists will showcase their work. Nemo also will create a painting live during the event, and a community canvas will be set up so event-goers can exercise their own artistic sides.

“Sometimes we have bands. I would like to start finding more performance artists,” Nemo said, adding that the events also include an open mic for poetry and “whatever (people) want to say.”

The May 21 event starts at 9 p.m., with a $5 cover.

The next night, Nemo plans a different kind of event at the Emerald. The Mammogrammys will raise money for Tri-City musician and artist Amber Griggs, who works at the Emerald and recently was diagnosed with breast cancer. That event starts at 6 p.m. May 22 and will include a silent auction, karaoke and performances by several bands. A $5 donation is suggested.

A portion of proceeds will go to the Warrior Sisterhood, a local support group for women dealing with cancer.

Nemo grew up in Richland, but he didn’t stick around long as an adult.

By his late teens, he left for the west side, pursuing art and working in club and event promotion and design.

He eventually moved to Los Angeles, living and working there for about 12 years.

The Don’t Panic events got their start in L.A., organized by Nemo and his friends to raise money for youth arts education.

When Nemo moved back to the Tri-Cities, he brought Don’t Panic with him. (The name is a nod to Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy).

Nemo also has put together a weekly artists meet-up at the Emerald. It starts at 8 p.m. Wednesdays.

And he’s plugged into Confluent, the makerspace that opened earlier this year on Williams Boulevard.

He teaches painting there, and Nemo and Napoli also are working together on The Glow Show, featuring art with light components. It starts at 7 p.m. June 3 at Confluent.

Napoli said he and Nemo share the same goal — “we want to take the art scene to a new level here.”

Quinn likened Nemo to a whirlwind, saying his return to the Tri-Cities — which coincided with the opening of Confluent — has been a boon for the community.

“It’s like this burst of art coming to the Uptown,” she said.

For Nemo, painting and making art is renewing. And helping bolster the arts community here — that’s meaningful.

When he was growing up in the Tri-Cities, it didn’t feel as welcoming or nurturing to artists, he said.

For many like him, it was a place you left, not a place you stayed to make a life.

But times have changed. The community is filled with creative people, and he has plans — for more Don’t Panic events, for even bigger events to come.

A community’s artistic scene, its artistic heart — it’s so important, he said.

“I think art and culture is how we communicate things that are wrong and things that are right in society. It’s how we get people to wake up a little bit and take notice of what’s going on in the world, and also feel like they can do something about it,” Nemo said. “It’s not just about expressing yourself, but also expressing how you think the world should be and saying, ‘We can do it together.’ ”

This story was originally published May 19, 2016 at 12:29 PM with the headline "Richland man earns raves for bolstering local artistic community."