Subsidized Artist Studio Application

Arts Gowanus worked tirelessly to secure subsidized artist studios as part of the Gowanus Rezoning, ensuring an affordable and sustainable local arts community.

The Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) provides over 100 subsidized artist studios at 11 development sites, with a negotiated cost below the existing median artist studio prices in the area.

How many studios are there, and when will they be available?
Arts Gowanus expects that between 100 and 140 subsidized artist studios will be made available (dependent on size and layout of studios at each site). They will be available as the owners complete construction of their buildings. The studios will range between approximately 130 to 350 square feet.

How much do these studios cost?
The initial rent for an artist studio will be $20 per square foot per year ($1.66 per square foot per month). After the second year the rent may increase by no more than 2% per year. For example, a 200 square foot studio will cost $332 per month.

Rent will include the cost of heating, cooling, ventilation, electricity and access to shared WiFi.  Studios will not be equipped with the capacity for special electrical requirements, natural gas or special ventilation systems.  A shared slop sink, kitchenette, bathrooms and the cleaning of shared spaces will be provided. Cleaning of the interior of individual studios will be the responsibility of the artist-tenant.

Eligibility: 
These studios are for “fine artists,”
Usually that means you create work in the following mediums: art books, ceramics, comic art, conceptual art, digital art, drawing, fashion, fiber, furniture, glass, installation, jewelry, mixed media, multi-media, new media, painting, performance, photography, pottery, printmaking, sculpture, or video.

Process:

• Complete this online application. 
• Your application will be entered into a lottery (the lottery algorithm prioritizes displaced Gowanus artists and artists that declare they are a member of an underserved/underrepresented community)
• Applicants selected by the lottery will be interviewed by members of the Arts Gowanus staff and/or artist advisory board and the candidates will be reviewed by an anonymous local artist committee.
• If selected, you’ll be introduced to the property owners and assisted through the lease process by Arts Gowanus. Your lease will be with the property owner – not with Arts Gowanus.

How the lottery works:
Artists who have certified that they were previously displaced from the neighborhood will be weighted most heavily in the randomization algorithm of approved applicants. Applicants that have self-certified that they are a member of an underserved/underrepresented community will also be prioritized in the weighted random algorithm.

Interviews:
Based on the top list of candidates provided by the randomized lottery, members of the Arts Gowanus staff and/or artist advisory board will conduct brief interviews, to be held remotely, with potential artist-tenants. Interviews will not exceed 15 minutes, and will focus on applicants’ commitment to their art practice and willingness to engage with and foster an inclusive and equitable arts community in the neighborhood.

IMPORTANT:

• Once you have applied for a subsidized studio, you DO NOT need to reapply as new studios come online. Those who are in the lottery system will be automatically added to each new lottery.

• If you get selected by the lottery system, you will be paired with what is currently available. Those selected by the lottery will to select from the available studios in the order in which they are selected.

• If the studio size/location/layout available to you is not compatible to your practice you can decline the studio and opt to be placed back into the lottery. This does not increase your chances of receiving a future studio.

*NOTE: To apply as a ‘displaced artist’  you will need to specify the reason and provide documentation that after January 1, 2013 you were displaced from your artist studio in Gowanus by either:

• building changing uses from artist studios into something else
• a significant rent increase
• construction/building demolition
• other (you will need to specify and provide documentation during interview proccess)

If you check "Yes" and you are selected by the lottery, you will be required to provide:

• a brief description of what happened or forced you to vacate your studio.
• the dates that you previously occupied a studio in Gowanus and documentation supporting your claim. Documentation may include your former lease, a letter from your former landlord or other verifiable documentation.

If you check “Yes” to this question and cannot adequately prove the circumstances your application will not be approved. Artists who have certified that they were previously displaced from the neighborhood based on the criteria outlined above will be weighted more heavily in the randomization selection algorithm of approved applicants. 

What you'll need to submit: 

The artist applicant must be currently engaged in and demonstrate a serious, consistent commitment to their form or art occupation.  In order to make studios available to artists at all stages of their career, there are multiple ways to validate the aforementioned commitment to the arts. This must be validated by submitting a combination of the following;

A curriculum vitae or resume outlining your artistic activity (educational background, professional training, public exhibitions and/or performances, critical reviews, grants, awards, residencies or fellowships) showing no less than 3-years of active work in your creative field and indicates current activity (publications, exhibitions, reviews, etc.) within the past 12- months.
                        OR

A letter from an established individual in the arts, such as a curator, gallerist, art critic or art historian stating that you are a working artist.
                        OR

A statement and biography (of no fewer than 100 words) about your current studio practice, including what kind of work you make and from where you currently work on your art.

You must also submit samples (not exceed 8 images) of your current work created within the past 12- months. These samples must be submitted in digital form on this website.  Arts Gowanus will NOT be making a value judgment on artwork submitted. The work submitted will only be used to validate the existence of an active studio practice of potential artist-tenants.

Prospective artist-tenants selected through this process may be asked by the Landlord (the property owner or their agent) to provide additional information that will demonstrate, to the Landlord’s reasonable satisfaction, that the selected artist has the capacity to satisfy its obligations under their Lease.