In a tough economy, retail moves out, art moves in

It’s no secret that art and commerce have a tangled, difficult history. When times are good, art becomes an important cultural commodity. For artists, the dark side of a good economy is the fact that studio space and smaller galleries are often pushed out of desirable city centers to make room for lucrative retail spaces. Conversely, when the economy is bad, artists can afford to move back into neighborhoods that were on the upswing. Small, non-commercial, experimental spaces tend to pop up as rents decrease.

Recently, there was an article in the New York Times stating that there are several storefronts all over New York that are either donating or leasing their spaces on the cheap to artists for exhibition purposes. Oftentimes the utilities are even paid in exchange for rotating, organized exhibitions. The benefit to the businesses is obvious. Instead of a darkened storefront where neglect often breeds crime, the lights stay on and the exhibitions bring a new, vibrant life to the street.

This latest urban art venture has also given birth to a new group of artist/curators. Calling themselves No Longer Empty they organize art shows all over New York, from empty warehouses to old factories to forgotten storefronts. Their mission is simple.  From their website, “We see an opportunity here to create something positive from the current climate. Art can thrive in this environment and lead the way towards creative ways of thinking and dealing with these changes.”

Hopefully, this trend will continue and gain footing in other cities with empty storefronts. It appears that this has also been happening in London. About a year ago, in Los Angeles several galleries where given free rent in order to encourage development on skid row. They say that artists always sit on the doorsteps of the rich, but it looks like this time they’ve been invited in.

Sources:

http://nolongerempty.com/

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/nyregion/13galleries.html