Transformations
All seven studios are finished and spoken for, and artists are moving in! We’re all very pleased with the studios and excited to have them up and running, but we think the biggest transformation is yet to come! Our space was once a dry cleaning facility, and what was a dilapidated garage and boiler room are about to be a tool shop and gallery. Both of these spaces will serve our wider community. In fact, we’re looking for folks who are interested in joining our Shop Access Program for a participation fee of $75/month. If this sounds like you or someone you know, please reach out!
We’ve put together an Amazon wish list to bring in some necessary shop and gallery supplies and we’re grateful for any items you’d like to donate through it. If you already have a similar/same item that you’d like to donate, let’s talk! We’ll also be looking for volunteers to help install storage solutions, work surfaces, tools, and (yet again!) some walls! If you’re looking to volunteer, sign up via this link.
The DL on the costs of our mission
Our artists (and co-founders) are currently paying a fee of $350/month to participate in the Studio Access Program, which includes shop access. These program fees cover most of our lease – not including utilities and miscellaneous operational costs. By the end of the year, we want to decrease the Studio program fee by 50% through grants and repeat donations. This will enable our artists to focus on making art and to contribute to Easyside through other valuable means, like volunteering with upcoming food distribution, helping with educational programs, maintaining the facility, and generally being the heart and soul of our organization.
Part of our founding impetus for Easyside was the lived understanding that many artists are socially conscious and eager to engage our communities, yet worn thin by the fact that low-paying gigs barely cover the cost of living, supplies, and studio space, let alone afford extra time and energy to give back to the community.
By providing affordable studios, a well-equipped environment, and a supportive audience, we’re hoping to relieve some of the stress associated with sustaining a professional art practice – and our vision is for this to contribute to the creative, intellectual, and nutritional sustenance of our neighborhood, too.
The Shifting Fort Worth Art Scene
Last week, Jessica Fuentes, news editor of Glasstire and executive director of Kinfolk House, published an article thoughtfully laying out the roles and contributions of museums, nonprofits, and commercial galleries here in Fort Worth. She also identifies the city’s shortage of affordable studio space, the familiar issue of first-wave gentrification fueled by working class artists, and our lack of mid-sized nonprofits, which in other cities form a crucial core of support for those very artists. We really appreciate the time Jessica took to talk with us about some of these issues, and the way that she connected the dots between our space and the rest of Fort Worth’s art scene. If you haven’t already, check out her article here!
We want to thank everyone for generously giving to our build-out fundraising campaign. We’re thrilled that the campaign is 75% complete, and that is entirely due to all of you. We’re almost there!