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
nice to foster up-and-coming artists… but you know what really fosters up-and-coming artists? Established artists. More and more established artists (ex. sean scully) are leaving their studios in NYC because of it’s police state atmosphere.
The photo above is truly telling… artist’s got kicked out of dumbo so luxury lofts could be built… why don’t we find these communities ; the ones that have already established themselves, and let them live and work.
It’s lame to think of some board deciding what artist is good enough to live here.
To me the debate is how to administer this program, not whether it should exist or not. Nobody should be saying artists should not be helped in some way. Look at every single European country, they do so much more for artists than the U.S. does. Art improves society for everyone, whether you are directly interested in art or not. And I’m not just talking about improving real estate values! Art makes society more humane. More thoughtful and reflective. Look at any place that suppresses art and literature (the Nazis, or any fascist state) and you’ll see a pretty damn horrific place to live.
Firefighters and policemen are PAID to to their jobs. Why should they then be subsidized? I am not suggesting that they are not deserving of their pay and more, but that’s not the place for grant money.
Grants for artists are intended to help foster them until they can establish themselves, create and market a body of work. These are two-year grants – not life-long subsidies.
Plus, this is a drop in the bucket. And, arts funding has been cut dramtically in recent years.
This is a great idea, and it should have been done eons ago. However it’s absurd they’d give this opportunity to Dumbo! Dumbo is already gentrified. The city sells this program to taxpayers telling them borderline neighborhoods will improve if artists move there, but then they send the artists to a neighborhood that doesn’t need improvement because it’s already happened there. Guess the city thought we wouldn’t notice the multi-million dollar condos in Dumbo. It’s like Bloomberg and his developer cronies don’t even recognize there is a Brooklyn that exists beyond downtown Brooklyn and AY where they are pouring their money. This artist program is just something to improve their already existing investment in Dumbo. I’m pretty disgusted.
Don’t we already do that? A bit off topic but my friend is an immigrant, illegally, and her children go to school and get assistance and medical and foodstamps. SHe can do everything here but work, legally.
BTW, Immigrants can be artists too. And many are.
Artists are the group that consistently take the risks and move into questionable neighborhoods. Instead of keeping artists in already reestablished places, I would like to see the money used instead to direct artists to new places, like Bed-Stuy.
Although I don’t think 40-50 units is going to do anything to stem the tide of artists running to Philly. That’s a great town, lots of culture, and lots of cheap space.
Er, we do subsidize immigrants’ housing…Section 8, etc., for refugees. Or should they live in the shelters?
I’m surprised to see all the uber-capitalists here squawking about handouts to artists. If the artist housing does end up in DUMBO it’ll enhance property values there by making DUMBO a more “interesting,” “vibrant” neighborhood where at least a few people think about something besides the value of the portfolio they manage.
Is that any different than what the city did by fixing up that little traffic island in DUMBO and putting benches there? It’s about investing in neighborhood assets the marketplace doesn’t provide. And if you object to that idea, imagine a city with no subways, dirt roads, bands of mercenary police, and millions of people who never went to school.
i think they forget a bigger contributer to making a area nice it is immigrants!!
should we now subsidize immigrants housing too?