The first Somerville Arts Space Risk Assessment meeting covered issues of interest to local artists and interested residents of the city.

By Ryan DiLello

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) released a recording of the first Somerville Arts Space Risk Assessment meeting, which was open to the public. MAPC’s Claudia Zarazua hosted the Zoom meeting with help from Gregory Jenkins, Director of the Somerville Arts Council (SAC).

Jenkins began by thanking MAPC, the Somerville Cultural Space Task Force, the City of Somerville, and all the attendees, then introduced Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne.

“I know the arts are the core part of Somerville’s identity,” Mayor Ballantyne began. “It also fuels our local economy.” In her first few days in office, the mayor attended meetings, initiating relevant data tracking, and consulted with city departments and other mayors to seek guidance for how to protect and support the city’s arts communities. “I want to note that this is only the beginning,” the mayor said. “I look forward to continuing this conversation and to working with you.”

Next, Marc Draisen, Executive Director of the MAPC, greeted the audience. “The needs of artists, the constraints on their space for both housing and studio work, has been an extreme issue that we’ve been focused on, and dealing with in greater Boston. Every great region in the world can only aspire to be a great region if arts and culture are strongly represented in their work. And often it is said that the primary reason for that is a strong economy – and that is true. But you also need it for a good life, and for people to have joy and opportunities for expression and appreciation… which is an extremely important thing in these difficult and challenging times.”

Claudia Zarazua followed with a slide deck, outlining the key findings and recommendations of the report. For more information on the report, you can read the draft (executive summary inside) at: https://somervilleartscouncil.org/sacfiles/imce/editor/Somerville-Arts-Space-Risk-Assessment-Report_DRAFTJan2022.pdf or refer to The Somerville Times’ preliminary summary at: https://www.thesomervilletimes.com/archives/114218.

Following a brief overview of the report’s findings and policy recommendations, the meeting shifted into a brief Q+A portion. Mike Gintz, a resident of Somerville, asked the first question: Did the research in the report recognize the different accommodations for space and resources that each artistic practice needs?

Gregory Jenkins explained that much of the work in the next few months would revolve around just that. “The point of this is to get ahead of [the development] and make matches based on the needs around the development.” Jenkins clarified.

Somerville resident and community activist Wig Zamore was concerned that creative garage startups might get swept up in efforts to curb the innovation development in the city. “I’m concerned about garage startups, who may not be artists, but are creative and may be starting up on chump change. Somerville has had a huge number of those as well. I think of them as part and parcel of the small creative economy as well.” he said.

“We want to support these startups,” Jenkins said, noting the success of iRobot and Artisan’s Asylum. “There’s a need to call it what is,” he said, explaining that there is more work left to be done in identifying space usage and clarifying the relation between planning, zoning, and community needs.

Julia Cseko, a Somerville artist, asked about the possibility of an artist representative to advocate for the community directly with developers. “Will [these negotiations] be through the Somerville Arts Council?” she asked.

“It will be through the city. So we need to determine how that’s going to happen,” Jenkins answered. Annis Sengupta added that the report included many internal recommendations to help guide the SAC to collaborate with the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development (OSPCD). Sengupta noted that the evening’s meeting would focus more on big picture concerns for the community at large.

And on that note, the meeting shifted to allow attendees to discuss their concerns in small breakout rooms. Following group discussions, all attendees returned to debrief. Below, are a few of the key concerns brought up by the groups.

Collectivize

“The overarching idea from our team is that collective action is key. Whether that’s forming a collective action committee, working with city planners or the City of Somerville to help enforce these new policies in districts. Or even looking at who can we put in the conversation – folks who are in the know about these upcoming developments. How many voices can we get in the room? How can we empower people to be advocates for our community?” said Greg Jukes, a founding member of The Fourth Wall arts ensemble. Rachel Strutt, a member of SAC, echoed Jukes’ call for collectivization, demanding that artists receive sufficient notice before a building sells. Strutt explained that with time, some artists might be able to band together and buy the property. Local artist Emiliano Calvo suggested that attendees start or join Facebook pages to network with other artists and strengthen ties on a hyper-local level. “If we’re not going to stand up for ourselves, no one else will,” Calvo said.

Racial Equity, Housing, and Affordability

“Some people are concerned about making sure resources and engagement truly consider the needs of communities of color, and that those needs are truly identified by them,” Claudia Zarazua said, adding that the city must maintain transparency around this issue. Later on, Emiliano Calvo suggested that the city and local organizations should do a better job advertising arts funding opportunities to BIPOC artists. Many attendees noted the demand for affordable housing and told stories about fellow artists relocating outside of Somerville, occasionally outside of greater Boston as a whole. In light of this discussion, a few attendees emphasized the need for Live/Work spaces. “People need to stay in place to have that arts community thrive,” Emma Boast of the MAPC concluded.

Sharpen Definitions in Planning and Zoning

“What does art space mean? Can it be broken down more in terms of genre?” asked SAC member Rachel Strutt, who was concerned about meeting the various needs of each artist. Lauren, another resident (who did not provide a last name), shared Strutt’s sentiment and added that many current spaces do not have the amenities that people need, from lack of bathrooms to insufficient creative resources. Salvatore Mancini, a resident and artist, said that the city needs to be precise in classifying innovation developments. “While it’s important to not have so many Greentown Labs,” Mancini said, “you don’t want to exclude places like Artisans Asylum. It’s a low financial commitment, where people can get started, experiment, and learn a lot.”

Maintain Current Space, Use Underused Space

“Make sure that the city is committing to spaces that are already in place,” said Emily Beattie. Heather Balchunas, also a member of the SAC, added to Beattie’s point. “We need to look at strengthening the relationships with landlords of existing studios,” Balchunas said, suggesting tax incentives and Right of First Refusal for tenants as ways to keep both sides happy. Balchunas also said her group had discussed compiling a guide or package for restaurants endeavoring to host live music events. “There are a lot of successful restaurants doing great music series like Sally O’Brien’s,” Balchunas said. “Are there hurdles we don’t know about keeping other restaurants from doing that?” she asked. Many attendees emphasized the potential for the city to repurpose abandoned buildings.  Emiliano Calvo suggested that the vacant Star Market building on Broadway would make an excellent performance space for musicians. Calvo also suggested more arts outreach programs, particularly for students in the new Somerville high school. “Get them involved in local artwork,” he said.

Don’t Simply Check the Box

“Two or three studios to satisfy a requirement does not make a community,” one attendee stated. Peter Belford, a member of a local arts organization, agreed. “There should be other entities that really ensure this is a vital art space that continues to grow,” he said. Other attendees offered thoughts for how to extend the project beyond its policy recommendations on paper. Abby James, a former resident of Somerville, suggested that artists come together to form ideal plans for their communities. “You know, if the stars align, identifying what we need or want and bringing that to the developers,” James said, is better than “starting with a pool of money and seeing what can be made.” Many attendees agreed that while set-aside spaces and linkage funds might be promising in the short term, their success depends upon long term reinforcements.

Data, Data, Data

Many attendees echoed a call for strengthening the city’s database of existing arts spaces as well as vacant buildings, which might hold potential for ACE-usage. A comprehensive database could create a more refined geographic and need-based understanding of arts spaces across the city, allowing planners and developers to move forward with an educated eye on equity and design.

SAC’s Gregory Jenkins gave closing remarks, thanking all attendees and the MAPC for hosting. “There’s definitely a lot of things that came up that were addressed by the task force and addressed in the report,” he said. “I would like us to try to reconvene after we go back to OSPCD and the Mayor’s Office and start to explain a little bit more back to the community what we envision are going to be our next steps.” Jenkins encouraged attendees to reach out personally via email: “Let’s continue this conversation. We’re not going anywhere, we’re going to keep pushing on this.”

Interested in learning more? Watch the recorded meeting at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8lxIWciiu. Read the report at: https://somervilleartscouncil.org/sacfiles/imce/editor/Somerville-Arts-Space-Risk-Assessment-Report_DRAFTJan2022.pdf. Read a transcript of the meeting chat log at: https://www.mapc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Art-Spaces-Risk-Assessment-Public-Forum_Chat-Transcipt.pdf.