Survey Says: Creative Spaces Needed

Maybe you recall a survey about creative space needs in Austin conducted last fall by Minneapolis-based nonprofit developer Artspace Projects. Well, the results are in and will be shared with the public at the MACC at 6pm Monday.

Stacey Mickelson, Artspace's VP of government affairs, will break down the data her organization gleaned from the more than 900 responses gathered online between Oct. 30 of last year and Jan. 10. The point of the survey – which was developed jointly by Artspace, the City of Austin, and Austin Playhouse through a National Endowment for the Arts grant – was to pinpoint what our creative community feels is needed in terms of spaces where visual artists, actors, musicians, designers, filmmakers, architects, and other creatives can live and create work. Affordability is a major factor is this rapidly-growing city where few things are as cheap as they used to be, and the survey responses will provide crucial information about the economic challenges facing individual creatives, nonprofit cultural organizations, and creative businesses in the current climate. The data will help Austin Playhouse specifically in determining the most useful kinds of live-work spaces to add on top of its planned new facility in the Mueller development, but it will also help the city more generally in knowing what kinds of creative spaces to encourage the development of, and help developers gauge the demand for creative space and know what particular elements to include in their projects that will serve creatives. Likewise for Artspace, which is considering the development of a live/work space for creatives in Austin.

Mickelson's presentation will begin at 6pm in the Mexican American Cultural Center, 600 River. It will be followed by a community discussion of the results and the implications for the creative sector.

To RSVP for the event, visit here.