Saturday, March 8, 2014

Pushing artists out of urban settings

We know, we know: New York City (and other urban environments) are becoming harder and harder to live in and create in as an artist.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/09/arts/design/rising-rents-leave-new-york-artists-out-in-the-cold.html?_r=1

http://observer.com/2014/03/the-last-frontier-artists-worry-theyve-run-of-neighborhoods-to-be-priced-out-of/

http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/11/arts/report-says-artists-arrival-can-push-out-neighbors.html

It begs the question: what does a city which prides itself on art and culture become when it more or less forces every artist who is "based" in Manhattan to live outside of Manhattan and commute in? Is it truly even a city of art and culture anymore? Or just a space for artists to collect and disperse from? A commodity that is bought and viewed here and doesn't truly exist here?

Which is even sadder because it is such a huge part of our GDP: http://arts.gov/news/2013/us-bureau-economic-analysis-and-national-endowment-arts-release-preliminary-report-impact

But that's a post for another day.

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