ASU Relocates Step Gallery to Grant Street Studios

Adriene Jenik, outgoing director for ASU’s School of Art, says the university is in the process of expanding the number of School of Art programs based at the university. ASU is able to expand its programs since the university has purchased Grant Street Studios from developer Michael Levine.

In 2004, Levine purchased the nearly century-old building that was originally home to a cotton company as well as a machine works company. Renovations on the building were completed by Levine in 2007.

Grant Street Studios is just one of many buildings that Levine Machine, Michael Levine’s company, has purchased and renovated. Levine has also purchased and renovated buildings that are now used by the Duce and Bentley Projects. He is also in the process of renovating Beth Hebrew Synagogue in Roosevelt Row.


Several of Grant Street Studios’ spaces were leased out before Levine sold the building to ASU. In the fall of 2013, ASU leased a space in the two-story building. The university relocated Step Gallery to Grant Street Studios after it began its lease. Step Gallery was originally located at the Tempe campus of ASU.

Step Gallery features exhibitions of both solo and group work by masters of fine arts candidates at ASU. Many of these candidates have showcased their works at other galleries located in the Phoenix-metro area such as monOrchid and (9) The Gallery.

“It creates a healthy dialogue across disciplines,” says Adriene Jenik, referring to the university’s move to Grant Street Studios. Before the relocation to Grant Street, students at the Tempe campus could go three years before they met one another. Resources and skills can now be easily shared.

ASU is also using Grant Street to create studio spaces for students in the MFA program. Shared production spaces that feature equipment such as 3D printers will also be located at Grant Street.