Over the past many years we have watched developers come into America’s finest City and turn it into Condo Heaven for everyone but the locals. I know this sounds like sour grapes. So what. I like sour grapes when it hurts me and those I care about, Talented people who deserve to be able to continue making art.
We have been lucky enough to have a few hold outs in the Gaslamp and Barrio Logan to offer art studios to Artists at reasonable prices.
Now that is soon to come to an abrupt halt. These buildings have caught the eyes of developers and entrepreneurs who have big money backing and plan to maximize profit on a rent by square foot basis changing from the current $1.25 per square foot to $5.00 or whatever the market will bear.New restaurants are cropping up in place of Art Galleries and studios.This brings to mind the situation that happened in New York not so long ago where Artists in Greenwich Village and later in Soho who made a cool art gallery area out of a slum were forced to move out due to restaurants moving in causing rents to go sky high!
Now that so many artists are needing studios even other artists are taking advantage of them. Artist Cooperatives have begun “Interviewing” artists and charging $450 per month for an 8 X 10 work space, That is about half my current monthly income.
We are planning to move all our work out of our garage and both our art studios into storage and converting the garage into a studio that we can share. However storage is now at an all time high in San Diego as well. See how this system works? Do I sound paranoid? Our combined storage will be around $400- $500 per month. I know what you are thinking ,why don’t you share a studio! Then where would all our work go? Into storage. Seems to be no way other that driving about 80 miles a day to somewhere in East County. We have an old pickup and gas prices are over $3 per gallon so where is the saving? We both have a lot of work and many are over 10 feet.Our combined studio rents with gallery space was $265 per month. It’s not like we object to capitalism, we practice it, but this just doesn’t seem right. Okay it is right for those who have the bucks. There are a small group of artists who are wealthy due to family fortunes or retirement funds.
Wishing you all good luck in your search. 