We envision a Rhode Island where artists of all disciplines and economic means are able to obtain safe, adequate and appropriate live/work and exhibition/performance space in communities throughout Rhode Island

A committee of artists, arts administrators and housing professionals began meeting in the spring of 2004 to discuss affordable artist housing, particularly artist live/work exhibition/performance space. This has been a pressing issue in recent years in our state, with an upswing in the number of artists who have been attracted to Rhode Island and those who study at our colleges and universities and decide to stay. They find a dismal housing market, with a lack of affordable spaces that can accommodate them, their families, and the work that they do as artists.

Many artists, of necessity, find space that is impermanent, often substandard or even dangerous. Recent articles in the paper about the Eagle Square development displacing artists in order to build shopping centers, and artists being evicted from potentially dangerous rental units in Providence are only the tip of the iceberg. The housing field also has its successes, such as the Minnesota-based ArtSpace Projects, Inc., whose mission is to provide affordable space for artists. Rhode Island needs to address this problem directly. This working group has developed a vision statement (shown above) to inform its work.

The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts has made a three-year commitment to this effort, at the end of which we will determine whether real progress has been made toward this goal. A consultant, Laura Mullen, has been hired a consultant to manage this process. The responsibilities of this consultant includes:

• Identifying issues
• Cataloging best practices nationwide
• Identifying practitioners and resources statewide
• Promoting program visibility
• Advocating for effective changes in public policy regarding housing, if necessary
• Provide information and technical assistance for artists and small arts business
• Work with state, local, non-profit developers to develop sustainable affordable models
• Facilitate cooperative efforts for artists and private developers