Whether one is an aspiring musician trying out their first instrument or a painter seeking a space to try new techniques, Rockafairy offers a free space for expression regardless of age or background.

“It’s really just a place for the community where creatives can come and interact and collaborate and make this space their own, and I think that’s very cool,” said Ryan Fogelman, a volunteer and mentor with Rockafairy.

The Rockafairy storefront is located on the ground floor of the Rogue Valley Mall, 1600 N. Riverside Ave., Medford, and it serves a variety of roles such as an education space, music venue, dance studio, art studio or just a spot to hang out.

The location is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The local nonprofit started up during the COVID-19 pandemic as founder Shane Ross was gifted a few instruments, and Ross wasn’t sure what to do with them.

After noticing a Christmas tag gift program at a local business, Ross’ donation of the instruments led him to the idea for Rockafairy.

“It felt good; we couldn’t really see the impact the guitar had, but how cool would it be to see the impact that that instrument made in that kid’s life?” Ross said. “My wife went to me and said ‘That would be a cool nonprofit,’ and I agreed.”

Collaborating with Tom’s Guitars in Medford, Ross started collecting used instruments and donated them to the guitar store to give out to musicians in need.

What started with a couple guitars to donate quickly grew into hundreds, and Ross decided to lease a commercial building in downtown Medford.

Rockafairy eventually moved to its current location at the mall two years ago.

“The thing I really like about Rockafairy is in its culture and model; people come in and see something that attracts them to engage and participate in, then they’re inspired to add and contribute,” Ross said. “What I see when I zoom out is I see a cascade of people developing themselves and developing Rockafairy.”

“I’m a retired fire chief, so I think in terms of safety first, so right now we have a safe place that allows these creatives to work on their craft and then share their gifts,” said Mike Sandoval, vice president of Rockafairy.

The nonprofit not only allows visitors to try out any of the instruments, but volunteer mentors can help with teaching how to play each one, and that extends beyond just music or painting.

“You can be involved in creative work, whether that’s videography, programming, audio engineering, lighting design and stuff like that, we’re looking towards launching programs for that, as well,” Fogelman said. “There’s the art salon every Tuesday afternoon; open mic every Monday night; we have one-on-one music instruction for guitar, bass, piano, drums, and we refer to other people in the valley for orchestra and other specialized instruments.”

Rockafairy collaborates with multiple local nonprofits and organizations often as well.

“We support a lot of nonprofits in the area like the Maslow Project, Hearts with a Mission, halfway houses and others,” Sandoval said.

Rockafairy will also be bringing its talented performers and expertise to multiple festivals and live events in the region this year.

“We’ve been ramping up, too, and we just signed up as a partner at the Ashland Fringe Festival. … We also found out some of our artists were accepted as well as performers at the Fringe Festival,” Sandoval said. “Medford Open Streets — another city-sponsored festival — we’ll be running sound at two different stages and performing, so Ryan (Fogelman) is booking bands right now for that.”

The nonprofit will be involved in organizing or performing at other events in the region, such as the BASE Juneteenth celebration on June 19, pride festivals in Medford and Ashland, and other performances.

There are multiple ways to get involved or help out with Rockafairy, including donating instruments, volunteering to help or donating money. To get in contact with the nonprofit, visit the storefront in the Rogue Valley Mall or call Rockafairy at 541-224-5111.

For more information on Rockafairy, including a schedule of events and programs, visit rockafairy.org.

To donate, go to rockafairy.betterworld.org.

Reach reporter James Sloan at jsloan@rv-times.com