Are Tampa Bay artists getting priced out of the neighborhoods they’re helping rejuvenate? A preliminary study by Artspace, the nation’s leading nonprofit developer of arts facilities, suggests this may be the case.
“I’ve been hearing for years from artists about how the lack of studio space was affecting them,” said Neil Gobioff during Artspace Tampa’s Market Study Survey Launch on Thursday, March 25. “And of course affordable housing is always a huge issue.”
A group of local activists in Tampa Bay is hard at work trying to create more affordable living and working spaces for the Tampa Bay artists who beautify our community on the daily.
“Artists are wonderful neighbors,” said Artspace Chairman Peter Lefferts, “not only for the cultural benefits they bring and the living examples of diversity that the arts community represents, but it also makes Tampa a much more desirable place to live and work.”
Artspace has brought affordable arts properties to creative communities throughout the U.S. since 1979. It now has 53 properties and is scoping out locations in Tampa’s Ybor City, Heights, and West Tampa neighborhoods.
The group met with over 200 Tampa residents last fall to get to know our city and its creative community better. In the process, it got an earful of Tampa’s problems, from rising real estate costs to underfunding of the arts scene, racial inequities and under-representation. But it also heard a lot about Tampa’s potential and what the city’s growing arts community is hoping to achieve with their work.
“And artists need affordable space,” said Artspace’s Wendy Holmes. “That came out loud and clear. The displacement factor has already happened in several neighborhoods. And when we begin to see that, we know that affordable space is dire.”
Right now, Artspace is trying to quantify that need via a survey.
“While we heard from focus groups and folks in the community about needs, what we really want to do is quantify them,” said Artspace’s Teri Deaver. “We want to know exactly how many spaces and what types of spaces would be appropriate for a future Artspace project.”
To bring these new affordable art spaces to Tampa, Artspace needs the type of data that attract investors to a project, which is why they’ve just launched the online survey at artspacetampasurvey.org
The survey closes May 6, so if you’re sick of living with your parents, don’t sit on this one for too long. Artspace is pretty loose in how it defines artists and is happy to hear from writers, makers, and really, anyone working along the spectrum of creativity who is committed to their craft.
If you’re a creative person seeking an affordable living or working space in Tampa, let yourself be heard, because how can Artspace possibly create the perfect live/work spaces in Tampa without your input?
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This article appears in Apr 1-7, 2021.