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31 01 2008

Seattle’s arts orgs going the way of Boston’s, and Minneapolis’, and New York’s… (Does it have to be this way?)

Posted by: admin in Americans pretty much hate artists, Struggling small art organizations, Ah Seattle..., Exploiting artists, Decline of human culture, The struggles of artists, Commerce and the failure of art, Artistic failure in America

A guest column by Roger Valdez in the Friday, January 25, edition of the Seattle Times tells a story familiar to artists (and to CAFA readers). Arts organizations there are getting squeezed out by a callous market and an uncaring local community.

Over the past decade, several local arts organizations, … have folded because of space issues. Today, tenants of the Odd Fellows Hall on Capitol Hill are struggling with the possibility of rent increases that will make it impossible for them to do business.

The crisis faced by small- and medium-sized arts organizations in Seattle comes down to two words: real estate. How to acquire, renovate and maintain one’s own home isn’t something taught in art school. Arts organizations produce art, not facilities plans.

The story follows a familiar path. A local arts organization without much money finds space in an older building where the rent is reasonable. The owner is willing to allow the group to knock out a couple of walls, make as much noise as it wants, and start doing what it does: art.

The owner isn’t interested at that time in selling the underutilized property for high rise-condos or other development, and the arts organizations, taking heart, sign or extend leases.

But, the day comes when the economic lure becomes too great, or family dynamics change, and the owner decides to sell. Faced with a changing use of the property, the arts tenants put out a call for help, but it’s too late.

Does it have to be this way?

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 31st, 2008 at 1:59 pm and is filed under Americans pretty much hate artists, Struggling small art organizations, Ah Seattle..., Exploiting artists, Decline of human culture, The struggles of artists, Commerce and the failure of art, Artistic failure in America. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

3 Responses to “Seattle’s arts orgs going the way of Boston’s, and Minneapolis’, and New York’s… (Does it have to be this way?)”

  1. Eric Hundin says:
    January 31st, 2008 at 2:00 pm

    I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you.

    Eric Hundin

  2. sharon says:
    January 31st, 2008 at 5:16 pm

    Thanks for spreading the word– I don’t know what the future holds for the building, displaced organisations on their way out, or future arts organisations; but I hope more people start paying attention and doing what they can to help slow down the extinction.

  3. admin says:
    February 1st, 2008 at 11:35 am

    Thanks for posting, Eric and Sharon.
    I wish there were something immediate that could be done (for the Oddfellows Hall in Seattle). Unfortunately, as I’ve seen played over and over in cities across the country, there’s rarely a white knight for artists and art orgs being forced out by market forces. The only possible solution I’ve come up with is to try to inform people what’s been going on all these years, in the hopes that artists will become smarter, policy-makers will become more aware, and the public will, as you suggest, start paying attention.

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