The nonpartisan Urban Institute publishes studies, reports, and books on timely topics worthy of public consideration. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders.
The text below is an introduction to the complete document. Read the full report in PDF format.
Abstract
The development of affordable spaces for artists to live and/or work is certainly an important matter for artists, but it can also be an important issue for people concerned with a range of social issues, including economic development, civic engagement, community collective action, and community quality of life. This report considers how artist space developments have been positioned and the arguments made to garner support for them, the advocacy strategies used, and the impacts claimed or anticipated.
Introduction
In recent years, leaders in the fields of the arts, community development
and urban planning have begun to turn their attention to artists’ space
development projects, including live-work spaces, studios, affordable
housing for artists, and artist-run multipurpose spaces. While many
different kinds of these developments exist around the country, little
research has focused on how artist space projects come to fruition or on
the kinds of impacts they have on artists and communities.
To begin to address this void, the Urban Institute, commissioned by a
national initiative dedicated to providing a range of supports for artists
called Leveraging Investments in Creativity (linc), conducted a
research study that focused on selected artist space projects in seven
cities throughout the United States—Detroit, MI; New Orleans, LA;
Philadelphia, PA; Pittsburgh, PA; Providence, RI; Seattle, WA; and
Tucson, AZ. Rather than an exhaustive examination of all artist space
developments, researchers focused primarily on the most prominent
development projects that could serve as examples of a range of
approaches.
Artists, developers, foundations and corporate sponsors, lenders,
private investors, municipal leaders, advocates become involved in the
development of artists’ spaces for many reasons, including:
- To create spaces suitable for artists’ special needs
- To create or enhance artists’ communities and stimulate the
production of innovative art work
- To catalyze economic investment in disinvested neighborhoods
- To bring more vibrancy to blighted areas, sometimes as a
business venture
- To give places a competitive economic edge as well as an
advantage in terms of quality of life
Our field research within this study involved site visits to 30 emergent
and mature artist space developments, and in-person interviews with
various players involved in these initiatives, including artists, community
developers, lenders, funders, architects, designers, and urban
planners. Developments examined ranged from private ventures by
artists requiring little or no outside resources or partners to midsized
and large-scale efforts requiring resources from investors and philanthropies
as well as public subsidy. Initiatives examined include livework
spaces as well as studio, presentation, and multipurpose spaces in
residential, mixed-use, commercial, and industrial areas.
The primary focus of the Urban Institute research was on the development
process and the systems supporting artist space developments in
various places—the players involved, the strategies for financing these
projects, and the challenges faced in this process. The general development
and financing processes are the topics of another report from
our research.This report is concerned with a particularly important
aspect of the development process for several of the initiatives requiring
outside resources; positioning artist space developments within
the context of other policy priorities, particularly in arts, community
development, and urban revitalization realms and making the case for
artist space projects in these contexts. Positioning of such developments
has important implications for any advocacy strategies required
to bring the projects to fruition and for expectations related to artist
space impacts.
Specifically, this report discusses (a) how the developments, which
have required the infusion of outside resources, have positioned themselves
and the arguments they have made to garner support; (b) the
advocacy strategies they have pursued; and (c) the impacts they claim
and/or anticipate. This report features 23 of the 30 developments in the
study. We focus only on those projects where it was clear that a case for
support of the project had to be made to the public sector, foundations,
or investors. The material presented here is based primarily on the
experiences of projects examined in 2005 but is also informed by previous
research on environments of support for artists around the country.
(End of excerpt. The entire report is available in PDF format.)