The Future of Creative and Live-Work Spaces

After introductions, Morson-Matra noted, “Artists and creative communities can revitalize an entire city while turning underinvested neighborhoods into vibrant and desirable cultural hubs. But threats of gentrification, real estate inflation, slow capital investment, and artists' displacement almost always follow.” Boyd and Victor both backed that up, sharing the challenges of finding, building out, and keeping creative space in Boston and Lawrence, respectively. They spoke of the damage to trust when community members striving to invest in creating a more beautiful, welcoming city are forced from their spaces by rising rents and gentrification. Both leaders highlighted trusting relationships with landlords who allowed them to take risks and invest. “It’s important to find those people that, they might not fully understand it, but they can give you enough,” said Victor. “Because we can’t do this without trust, right? Trusted people and trusted space generates ideas, and that’s kind of how we built our space.”

For HousingNOLA’s Morris and others in New Orleans, opportunity grew from tragedy. The devastation of Hurricane Katrina dramatically drove a need for new housing opportunities. Morris talked about one major effort, the revitalization of Bell Middle School in New Orleans’ Sixth Ward, which was renovated into 70 affordable live-work spaces for artists. Morris emphasized the importance of lifting up those who create the city’s unique character. Morris also raised the “starving artist” concept and how it is used to “other” creatives and often results in a “not in my backyard” mindset that spurs communities to oppose proposed housing for artists. One requirement, Morris noted, is ensuring that the right partnerships and public investments are made to protect affordability. Grace agreed, adding that in Massachusetts, he often thinks of designing backward to keep a building affordable, creating thriving spaces that can then generate other supportive investments. He raised the idea of a "cultural land trust" as a mechanism for the permanent preservation of affordable artist live/work spaces. 

For Zeal-Henry, planning for the future of cities like Boston or London, where he worked for a number of years, requires recognizing that in the coming decades of technological disruption, cities will rise and fall based on the health of their creative economy to create healthy communities. That reciprocal thriving calls for a sustained prioritization of arts and culture as core to the city’s identity. He argued that the creative sector is vital for economic growth and employment.  

Bennett expanded upon that. In her work with the nonprofit Art Stays Here, she highlights that the real economic impact of arts on the local economy in Boston stretches far beyond the price of admission to a show or gallery. She gave the example of artists in a rehearsal space. “[They are] buying gas, they’re paying tolls, they’re taking the T, they’re paying for parking. They might be buying beer. They’re definitely buying food. They’re stopping at retail stores…  Never mind all the patrons that go to performances,” she said. “We have to do better at telling those stories.” 

Displacement, panelists noted, doesn’t just disrupt creation; it disrupts entire economies and creates trauma. Making even small investments as a patron of the arts or a funder on a larger scale can provide stability and strengthen community. 

At the root of addressing the challenges, panelists stressed the importance of partnerships, including building owners, funders, city officials, and, of course, artists themselves. Bennett noted the need to earmark more dollars for creative spaces and the need to ensure the conversation touches on not just the development of spaces but their long-term viability. Zeal-Henry and others added to that, noting the vital role of city and state leaders in providing support and creating systems and regulations that can help cultural spaces thrive–in areas such as zoning reform, support for community land trusts, and more. 

Bennett’s question to the audience near the end of the discussion served to underscore the broad-based coalition required. “Whose job is it to preserve, help, buy, manage, operate, and fund creative space?” she asked. A cluster of voices responded, “Everyone’s!” 

“That’s right,” she said. “It’s everyone’s job. Until there’s policy and protection in place, it’s everyone’s job.”