Law Looks to Subsidize Housing for Artists
Governor Spitzer signed a bill yesterday aimed at helping artists pay for housing, a measure meant to shore up the city’s cultural capital. The bill, which was sponsored by Assemblywoman Joan Millman, will give artists two-year grants of up to $12,000 for live-work spaces. “When people want to make it in the arts they come…
Governor Spitzer signed a bill yesterday aimed at helping artists pay for housing, a measure meant to shore up the city’s cultural capital. The bill, which was sponsored by Assemblywoman Joan Millman, will give artists two-year grants of up to $12,000 for live-work spaces. “When people want to make it in the arts they come to New York,” said Millman. “Artists come into communities that are rundown and sleazy and bring a life and vibrancy to that community—they are an economic engine and they shouldn’t be overlooked.” Though funding for the program has yet to be hammered out, it will likely provide grants for between 40 and 50 units, and Dumbo is being eyed as a possible location for the housing. As New York continues to hemorrhage artists to cheaper cities like Philly, you gotta wonder whether a bill like this is too little too late. And does it make sense to import artists back into nabes, like Dumbo, that they had a big hand in gentrifying?
Housing Help Slated for Artists [AM New York]
Photo by Escapefromnewyork
12:34:
Yes I would support artists because I am tired of Brooklyn becoming like a mall.
This is the cycle:
artists
clubs
galleries, bars
cool cafes
neat boutiques
a starbucks
*people like you move in*
more starbucks, then a commerce bank, etc.
downfall of nabe, crap corporate stores
I agree-
“Artists come into communities that are rundown and sleazy and bring a life and vibrancy to that community—they are an economic engine and they shouldn’t be overlooked.”
But how does giving money to artists to live in Dumbo do that? I don’t get it.
Your point isn’t a point- your tax dollars should go to artists because they go to a big war in Iraq? I think you mean you don’t like the war and since your tax dollars are used for that other people’s tax dollars should be used for things that they don’t like. This is still a flawed position. Have you considered that “right for lifers” don’t want their tax dollars going to abortion because they feel as passionately that unnecessary killing is taking place as you feel about the senselessness of Iraq. So the real point is- wouldn’t it be nice to choose your causes- to only have your money go to things that you want to spend your hard earned dollars on? Isn’t that a great way to really find out what is important to people? If you didn’t pay taxes where would you put your money? Would you support artists? Do you give some money to an organization to help house artists? BTW having control over the spending of your own money is called Libertarianism and is pretty darn right-wing.
As I skim down the blog postings, one caught my eye that included the wonderful right-wing logic of ‘WHY SHOULD MY TAX DOLLARS PAY FOR ARTISTS, blah blah blah.’
Hey, your tax dollars pay for all sorts of things: A BIG WAR IN IRAQ.
What’s a few thousand bucks for some artists when you are paying a much larger proportion of your blessed and precious tax dollars to kill people?
And I’m with this one:
11:15 C’mon- the artists lay the groundwork for the yuppies by setting up camp in an uninhabited areas. Yuppies will not move directly onto piss covered streets filled with junkies and homeless people- with no amenities. Artists will.
Silk boxers? Ewww.
Way to go, 11:01 and 8:57! You are so right. Unfortunately for many on this site, they seem to think that all artists are people doing some kind of large, strange “art” in a primo Dumbo or Wmsburg loft. I’m sure there are a few, they are certainly not the majority of struggling and creative artists out there.
We enjoy the benefits of art and creativity every day. This same spiteful spirit of jealousy and envy that crops up here regularly is the same, from the same people, I’m sure, no matter if we are speaking of artists’ space, rent controlled apts, or people winning a housing lottery. Always complaining “I didn’t get any, why should you?”
Most of these people are also doing quite well, anyway, benefitting from the accident of birth that gave them the right backgrounds, blissfull childhoods, middle class or better upbringings, the opportunity to get the right education, the chance to go into lucrative fields. With all of those blessings, and granted, hard work, why deny someone who may not have had those advantages, or someone who chooses not to go that route, opportunities to be able to make their own ways?
Creative people make this society vibrant. Even art that most people may not recognise as such can inspire more traditionalists to go another way, and see things differently. Without art, our daily lives and the things in them would look like the generic aisle in the supermarket – plain and boring. Even those who would deny an artist anything benefit from that art in their lives. From the design on their beer cans to the jingles and animation in their favorite commercials, we all are exposed to, and respond to art everyday.
Let’s not begrudge a few people an opportunity to be creative. As people stated above, there is much, much more corporate and governmental support of every other industry in this planet. The arts get less and less everyday. We need the arts in our lives.
I agree with 8:57.
I’m also a successful enough artist that I’m able to afford a brownstone in a good part of Brooklyn, so I echo the big “fuck you” above.
And yes, art IS a business, just like anything else.
Does your company have marketing, sales, accounting, production, shipping and advertising departments? So does mine: they all consist of ME.
EVERY industry benefits from some sort of legislation in its’ favor: why do you think it’s legal for insurance companies to weasel out of paying claims? Because they have a strong lobby which helps them influence legislation in their favor.
And why do you think banks make money? Because of laws in their favor. Anyone who questions this, just go to Zurich and tell me how a country the size of a postage stamp accumulates as much wealth as Switzerland has – from their “favorable” banking laws.
Why are companies as mismanaged as the major US airlines still IN business despite losses even after cutting service, cutting benefits to their employees and cutting even the in-flight meals while other small airlines offer superior service AND make a profit? Because they just keep getting bailed out.
And why is there ANY steel industry left in the US? Because we implement legislation in our favor in the form of immense tarrifs on foreign steel. Never mind that we simply can’t compete with them – our steel industry simply is NOT a profitable business but we keep in afloat.
Why do we do this? Because it keeps our economy going, our transportation industry moving, our cars chugging away millions of gallons of oil and generally helps us stay afloat as a country.
So you see, a lot of industries get kickbacks and you’re just annoyed because it’s not yours. You want to benefit from this? Pick up a paintbrush or a camera or a chisel or an instrument and get a half-ounce of talent.
If you still think this is just a “hobby”, next time you fly anywhere or put money into the bank or renew your insurance policy, be sure to ask the pilot, bank manager and insurance agent how they like their “hobbies” too, OK?
Reading the comments posted here in reaction to this new law to provide housing subsidies to artists, you realize the hostility and lack of appreciation or respect Americans have toward artists and the work they do for a living, or to survive. I am glad the grants program was introduced to help the City to retain its artistic community. This grant program, if administered properly can assist at best, artists who really need the subsidy to stay in NYC and continue contributing to the city’s creativity and cultural life.but at its worse the grant program would fund those elites who are not really artists, much the way the Carnegie Tower and Westbeth have allowed mainstream but questionable people who claimed to be artists to take advantage of these previous artist housing programs.
should say “Then they create billions in economic value for which they are not paid.