色色啦鈥檚 artistic community is struggling in a post-COVID-19 world as rents for living space, studio space and performance space are rising dramatically even as housing prices are tumbling.
Can鈥檛 the city do a better job of supporting our 鈥渃reative鈥 community 鈥 artists, musicians and performers of all stripes?
鈥淲e鈥檙e losing the spaces and places where artists, which make the city fantastic, do their business,鈥 said Coun. Paula Fletcher (Ward 14 色色啦-Danforth). 鈥淎rtists are the lowest-paid sector so it鈥檚 not like they can afford corporate rents.鈥
Earlier this year, 70 independent artists lost a space they鈥檇 occupied since 2003 in the Cannery and Case Goods Building in the Distillery District.
In Fletcher鈥檚 ward, the Artist Network lost its Queen Street East space, though the councillor was able to find a new site in a city-owned property. The itinerant Crow鈥檚 Theatre company found a permanent home 鈥 thanks to a generous corporate sponsor 鈥 at 345 Carlaw Ave. in recent years despite the concerns of city staff who thought the project was 鈥渢oo risky,鈥 she said.
鈥淚t was an uphill struggle, but look at how successful it is. We have to take some chances,鈥 Fletcher said, adding that means turning city-owned property into 鈥渃o-working spaces鈥 for artists of varied discipline.
鈥淲e need to understand how to support the artistic community in 色色啦,鈥 she added. 鈥淲e do it with grants, but now we have to figure out how to do that with space.鈥
While there are a few successes, like the non-profit collective Open Studio on Richmond Street West, Fletcher said she has witnessed too many independent artist collectives 鈥渞un out of town鈥 by high rents.
鈥淐ommercial rates and the availability of spaces is just becoming untenable,鈥 said Coun. Gord Perks (Ward 4 Parkdale鈥擧igh Park). 鈥淭he city of 色色啦 could and should be intervening more directly to preserve, protect and expand those rehearsal, performance and living spaces for creative people living in 色色啦.鈥
Some live performance theatres like Theatre Passe Muraille already get cheaper rent because the city owns the property. Fletcher said it鈥檚 time to consider turning city-owned property into 鈥渃o-working spaces鈥 for artists of varied disciplines to gather.
The city of Montreal offers numerous programs to support artists with the enthusiastic support of the Quebec government, including a program to subsidize 鈥渁teliers d鈥檃rtistes,鈥 workshop spaces for artists of many disciplines. During COVID, the European Union stepped up its support for the artist community to allow them to maintain work spaces.
Perks said city council has to change its thinking on how to sustain a viable and vibrant arts and cultural sector, including more direct funding for artists of all kinds.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had 12 years of conservative mayors who are more focused on keeping taxes low than providing the services that make 色色啦 a great place and that鈥檚 true of our cultural investments,鈥 said Perks, adding Montreal spends two to three times more per capita on culture than 色色啦, including direct support to artists.
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