Seattlest Pix 09Nov22
Manifold Motion's Miscellenea II Wraps Up Tonight
Around The -Ists This Week
Seattlest Pix 09Nov23
Can't Miss It: Monday
It's not that development in itself sucks; it's that our county and city government doesn't believe in development for art's sake, despite all those studies about the half billion the arts return to the community. When we look around, we don't see a lot of public investment in the single most expensive thing that artists and smaller arts organizations have to face: a place to work, rehearse, show, perform.
We did see this notice that the city has recently allocated $150,000 to complete the purchase of Town Hall, and $150,000 to support facility upgrades and complete the purchase of ArtsWest theater. Meanwhile, here's the money quote from the Seattle Times article on the sale of Odd Fellows Hall (where, full disclosure, we're posting from):
"We are well aware there's a crisis of affordable space for artists, particularly for small and midsize organizations -- that is at the heart of what the Odd Fellows building provides to our community," said Michael Killoren, executive director of the city of Seattle's Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs.He added that the city has always valued the role of arts and culture and has commissioned studies on finding art space, starting with areas such as South Lake Union, and looking at solutions like renovating parks and former schools into art spaces.
So the city plans to start by looking at spaces where artists currently aren't. They might be able to snap up some great spaces where artists don't live or work, and haven't built an audience on the back of an existing nightlife and nearby residential density. In short, they might be able to find a great spot for arts to be inexpensively ignored. In 1996, the latest owner of Odd Fellows Hall bought the building for $900,000. About the same time, the county dropped $5 million into the bucket for Benaroya Hall, a move it would repeat for McCaw Hall.
You'd think Historic Seattle, with their mission of "thoughtful and meaningful preservation and rehabilitation of historic buildings," would have been well-positioned to lead the charge in this area. Capitol Hill itself could have used three more Odd Fellow Halls, not one less. But that would mean we all agreed that it was worth it, to make space for art, the way we make space for parks.
In the meantime, art has until April to find a new home.
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you know you're paying too many taxes when the art community takes 500 billion from the government. Downsize DC!
"despite all those studies about the half billion the arts return to the community"
I missed that one; please provide the link to an unbiased source of that figure (err, linkS and sourceS, since there have been, apparently, multiple studies on this).
i would also love to see your research on sports teams and stadiums.
and, while you are still busy pulling shit out of your ass, could you prove the smoking gun that proves that the spd is corrupt, and that there's a conspiracy regarding 11SEP?
LCS: the arts *return* money to the community.
mmbb: Here's the latest economic impact survey I've seen. It conservatively reports $330 million in generated economic activity annually, without considering ripple effects like the effect a thriving arts scene has on property values in hip neighborhoods. I didn't reference sports teams and stadiums, so I'm not sure what your point there is. Unless you were just trying to sound like an asshole.
TRYING to sound like an asshole?
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! sez aye!
This study has been floated in the local press, arts advocacy groups, et al, for well over a year now, guys. Just because you - what's that phrase the LiveJournal folks are always using? - ICGATM - doesn't mean the study doesn't exist, it just means you're too lazy to look it up on your own.
Frickin' Kantian moonbats.