For Bay Area artists, the biggest challenge often isn't making the work — it's being able to afford to stay here while doing it. A new nonprofit called Artist Space Trust is trying to change that.
Artist Space Trust, a Bay Area nonprofit, is working to build a portfolio of permanently affordable homes and live-work spaces for local artists and culture bearers.
The organization was born out of the 2016 Ghost Ship Fire in Oakland, which killed 36 members of the creative community and sparked a long-term conversation about artist housing stability. A first duplex in San Francisco's Mission District is expected to be available for application in the coming months. For Bay Area artists, the biggest challenge often isn't making the work — it's being able to afford to stay here while doing it.
A new nonprofit called Artist Space Trust is trying to change that. The organization, now three years old, was launched by Vital Arts — a group founded by parents of some of the victims of the 2016 Ghost Ship Fire in Oakland, which killed 36 members of the creative community — in partnership with Northern California Land Trust, an established affordable housing provider.
Meg Shiffler, executive director of Artist Space Trust, says the goal is to house 300 artist households within the next 10 years.
"The nonprofit Artist Space Trust will own the land forever and then rent or sell the home or the units on top of it to qualified low-income artists generation after generation after generation," Schiffler said. "This is permanent affordability, allowing artists to stay in the Bay Area where they have the most impact and the most opportunities.
" The portfolio, called the AST Commons, will include individual homes, rental units, and live-work spaces for artists and culture bearers across the Bay Area. Shiffler says keeping artists rooted locally has benefits that extend well beyond the creative community.
"There are proven health and wellness education outcomes for individuals and entire communities when you have artists and arts and culture present," she said. "There's also cultural preservation for our diverse communities throughout the Bay. ""The arts and culture sector contributes 8% of the revenue of our Bay Area economy," Shiffler said. "It's a labor sector that is incredibly powerful but primarily low-income.
And so they don't have the same kind of opportunities to have housing security that workers in other sectors.
""Have you been to a movie lately, or read a book, or listened to music? Every neighborhood has a coffee shop with music playing and with art on the walls. We engage with art every day," she said. Rather than taking on debt by purchasing large buildings upfront, Artist Space Trust is growing through mutual aid.
Elder artists and arts supporters are donating and bequeathing their homes to the organization.
"Oftentimes they're low-income themselves, and this is what's enabled them to be rooted and be able to stay in the Bay Area, and they want that for future generations," Shiffler said. Artists interested in the program can get started now by enrolling in free education programs to prepare for homeownership or below-market-rate rentals. The organization's first duplex in the Mission District is expected to open for applications in the coming months.
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