This project was generated through an active collaboration among national, state, and local organization and foundation demonstrating their commitment to creation of affordable space for aritsts to live and work. This group,known as the Boston LINC Working Group, is an outgrowth of the national Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LINC).

Fractured Atlas
Fall 2005 Newsletter: The Space Issue

By Adele Fleet Bacow

Are you trying to focus on your art but worrying instead about getting evicted from your studio? Are you looking for affordable space to work or perhaps create your own live/work digs but don't know where to turn? Do you spend more time worrying about zoning codes, financing, and development than on your own creative process…but feel you have no choice? LINC is working to help you find the answers you need.

LINC - short for Leveraging Investments in Creativity - was established as a ten-year initiative to support individual artists around the country. We recognize that in many communities, artists are being forced to become "developers by default," particularly in markets with high housing costs, limited supply of space, and/or areas where the space does not meet their unique needs. LINC is working to help artists find accessible information and support, to answer complex questions related to the development of affordable space.

Judilee, here's where you can distribute the main Space questions by topic. I've put 5 categories in the navigation tree for you, but you can add more or take away any you aren't going to use.

This section presents some of our favorite links and resources that are useful to artists, community developers, public officials, planners, and neighborhood activists.

• Arts Resource Network: Artist Housing and Workspace Issues (Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs, Seattle)
• Chicago Artists Resource Square Feet and Space section- intended to assist artists with their creative and professional practice and to strengthen the community of artists in Chicago www.chicagoartistsresource.org
  

Artists often have unique requirements for design and development of space that best meets their needs. The following resources offer a range of information related to artist space and zoning requirements, opportunities for “green” building, artist certification requirements, and ways to market to artists. Unique Requirements

• ArtistLink: Artist Space Basics
• Square Feet Chicago: Rehabilitating your Artist Space
  

Resources listed in this section offer convincing examples and evidence of the impact of art space development and ways they benefit neighborhoods, a range of opportunities and funding programs to make space affordable, and a large section on building creative communities and creative economy research. The later is augmented with examples of and information about successful arts and cultural districts as a mechanism for community revitalization. An overview of ways to create artist space with links to more detailed information and great examples can be viewed in the following link: Creating Artist Space

Leveraging Investments in Creativity (LINC) is a ten-year national initiative to improve the conditions for artists working in all disciplines.

As a vital and immeasurable component of our cultural and collective identity, artists help us interpret our past, define our present and imagine our future. Working artists make resonant contributions to the daily lives of our communities, not only as creators, but also as entrepreneurs, educators and involved citizens.

Barbara Burnham, Director of Federal Policy
Local Initiatives Support Corporation
Washington, DC
Bert Crenca, Founder and Artistic Director
AS220
Providence, RI
Jonathan Denham, Principal
Denham Wolf Real Estate Services, Inc.
New York, NY
Tim Jones, CEO
Artscape
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Brad Lander, Director