A new exhibit of Easthampton artists includes work that originated in studios many of them can no longer afford.
About 40 artists expressed a mix of defiance and heartbreak on the opening night of their group exhibit, called “Cottage Street Studios, Past and Present.”
It had been almost a year since their community had scattered due to rising studio rents.
Fiber artist Andrea Zax, who now works out of her home, organized the event at Easthampton City Arts on Main Street.
“I wanted to have a joyous occasion and bring the community together because we were so tight,” Zax said.
For half a century, the building at One Cottage Street in downtown Easthampton housed a mix of artists, including painters, potters, and woodworkers.
The former factory is owned by Riverside Industries, a nonprofit that works with disabled people. The organization was given the building in the 1970s for a dollar, and many say its relationship with artists had always been cooperative.
But last spring, Riverside’s new management announced rent would be going up – in some cases dramatically.
“I got an email saying that my rent was going to be doubled in 60 days,” said metal and glass artist Piper Foreso.
She said her monthly rent jumped from about $500 dollars to $1,000.
“So I decided to move out,” she said, “which is hard because I was 76 years old and now looking for another studio.”
According to several tenants, about half of the approximately 80 artists moved out because of the rent hike.
“Our artistic community was blown to bits,” said Matthew Simons, a fine arts printmaker who moved from Texas four years ago, in large part because of the Easthampton arts community.
Simons is among those who decided to stay at his Cottage Street studio despite the rent increase, but he said the halls now feel empty.
“The most painful part is we're not able to interact with each other on the same level,” he said, “because on a daily basis, we would go into each other's studios, show work, share ideas.”
Simons said rents have gone up across the Pioneer Valley, threatening the overall creative economy.
“For some artists, it takes years to develop their craft, to get to a level where they can make a sustainable living,” he said. “So having affordable workspaces is really a key ingredient to all this.”
Riverside Industries spokesperson Markus Jones said the rent increase was meant to equalize costs among tenants, who were not all paying the same rate. It was also necessary for building upkeep and the organization’s finances.
"Riverside, as a nonprofit, has an obligation to our donors, to our contracted state agencies, to our program participants,” Jones said, “to use the funds that are intended for our mission for that purpose.”
Jones said they are still trying to recruit new tenants for the empty studio space.
He said he sympathizes with the people who had to leave.
“We acknowledge all that tenants in our building, the artists, have done to contribute to the culture of Easthampton,” he said, “to cultivate this community of artists locally.”
But he said Riverside Industries cannot afford to support the arts on its own, especially when service organizations like theirs also face an uncertain future.
The Easthampton city council passed a resolution supporting affordable artist workspaces. But it didn’t come with any new funding.
Piper Foreso said she’s worried the next generation simply won’t be able to afford a career in the arts. When she retires, she’s planning to donate the materials in her studio to someone willing to try.
“I want to just give all that I have to somebody else to give them a leg up so they can get going,” Foreso said.
Matthew Simons said he’d like to see private and public investment create an Easthampton arts district where factories used to be, and he hasn’t given up on One Cottage Street attracting more artists again.
For now, former and current tenants of the building hope to continue with group exhibits, no matter where the art is created.
The current exhibit closes July 26th.
