To the editor:
In her front-page article (“Artists scramble to relocate as developer takes over mill,” Aug. 28), Natalie Myers describes what has become a pervasive trend in the industrial parts of Providence and many other Rhode Island communities. As the need for housing booms, and the development incentives proliferate, the age of Rhode Island as a natural choice for affordable artists’ space is quickly becoming a thing of the past.
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At no time in prior memory have artists of all stripes, from professional to craftsmen to fine artists, been so crunched for space. As Nick Hollibaugh maintains, many artists are moving to Fall River and New Haven. This space crunch has squeezed out many artists from Rhode Island communities, with the Olneyville neighborhood of Providence among the hardest hit.
It is critical for the municipal agencies in Rhode Island to band together to craft policy that subsidizes access to these types of spaces and requires large developers to provide relocation assistance.
The Sustainable Artist Space Initiative was begun as an attempt to examine and address the challenges facing Rhode Island artists in their search for live/work, studio, venue and exhibit space. SASI comprises the R.I. State Council on the Arts, The Housing Network of RI and R.I. Citizens for the Arts, as well as other community representatives.
We plan to hold workshops in October at AS220 in Providence for artists interested in learning more about leasing and buying space. Additionally, we soon will launch an outreach Web site, which will offer a database of spaces plus information for artists interested in acquiring suitable space.
Artists contribute significantly to the quality of life in places like Providence and Pawtucket and Warren. In addition to the vibrancy they lend to these communities, they provide a direct impact on local economies. They are small businesses, and the state needs them in order to grow.
Affordable space is imperative to the continued existence of artist-filled communities in Rhode Island.
Laura Mullen
Providence
Sustainable Artist Space Initiative coordinator
