Downtown San Diego artists create studio spaces and build an artist community.
On October 12th, the MALI group arrived at Space 4 Art in San Diego's East Village. There we toured an impressive group of warehouse art spaces that had been recently created by a group of artists led by Cheryl Nickel and Bob Leathers. Overall, many aspects about this space were impressive - from the layout of the studios to the communal spaces that the artists incorporated into their design - there was much evidence of the hard work and care with which the artists approached the making of this place.
The feel of the space was definitely one of a community center with a receiving area and a business office off the main entrance. Simple and orderly, the artistic energy can be felt all through the artwork in the entryway gallery, the small kitchen, and into the conference room that is also used as an exhibition space. Works by Space 4 Art resident artists as well as area artists are shown in the gallery spaces such as Tijuana based artist, Griselda Rosas.
Before our tour of the warehouses, Space 4 Art founder Cheryl Nickel gave us some background information about the center. How the center came into existence through online surveys to artists, followed by community meetings, to actually leasing and designing a space in such a short amount of time and with a good deal of volunteer support and leveraging of community resources, is remarkable. Work began on New Year's Day 2010 and after a series of "community builds" tailoring each studio for the prospective artist tenant, over 700 volunteer hours later, the studios opened for business.
Cheryl described how the downtown location was determined with statements and terms such as - we wanted an urban setting, edgy, not suburban, frontier, walking distance to city transit, bringing vitalization but avoiding gentrification. The downturn in the economy left many warehouse spaces vacant in the downtown area and ultimately this helped Cheryl and Bob to take on the responsibility of such a big facility. The studio rents pay for the lease which is secured for the next five years.
After our orientation, the group began to tour the facility. I love being let into artists studios - looking into such personal spaces with the materials of an artist's practice and evidence of their thinking and process - it's irresistible. Walking through the studios I sensed the productivity of the artists and the synergy that is obviously taking place by artists being in close proximity to one another.
Another thing that contributes to the tone of community at Space 4 Art is the way Cheryl and Bob have set-up a collective type of strategy in the rental of the studio spaces. Participating artists must contribute monthly hours to the upkeep of the facility and serve on a committee that determines the priorities for the center. For instance, artists can serve on an education committee that currently is determining ways that the center and its artists should engage with the surrounding neighborhood community.
The idea of a collective is also reinforced by facility perks such as the communal use of an outdoor patio space for social gatherings or access to a wood shop that is included in the studio rental. Artists are encouraged to help one another with their individual areas of expertise. An artist's monthly volunteer hours contributes to their ownership of the space and helps to keep costs down (such as for facility upkeep such as janitorial services).
Currently, there are a total of 60 artists working in Space 4 Art with a waiting list of 35 people. Cheryl identified only eight Latino artists and two African-American artists working in the studios making artists of color under 20%.
The following day the MALI group returned to Space 4 Art with Felicia Shaw of the San Diego Foundation to help facilitate a meeting with San Diego arts community members. Despite some of the limitations of the space set-up, the meeting with about 35 San Diego artists, educators and administrators went very well. Participants were fed, were asked specific questions regarding their needs, hopes and dreams about the future of the arts in San Diego, and were given the opportunity to speak to the group of their particular concerns. Many of the participants were visiting Space 4 Art for the first time and several commented on how impressed they were with the space.
Cheryl Nickel, founder of Space 4 Art, discusses what individual artists need to thrive in San Diego.
