By Jennifer Walker
Bob Grant, owner of Fine Art Studios on Bank Street, fears he will soon be kicked out of his studio to make room for the expansion of Pizza Pizza next door.
Grant has owned and operated the art studio for nine years.
“It’s really hard to be an artist in Ottawa,” he says. “You can’t make a living on your art alone, and there is very little low-cost property available to rent to practice your art. Ottawa is a city of tremendous talent, and the city does very little to support it.”
The City of Ottawa and the Council for the Arts in Ottawa are addressing the concern about lack of space and funding for artists by working together to establish an arts and culture precinct from existing infrastructure within the city.
“We decided that Ottawa needs an arts and culture plan,” says Peter Honeywell, executive director of the Council for the Arts in Ottawa. “Arts and culture is important in making a city liveable, and it is important in Ottawa’s growth. Right now, we are working together with the City of Ottawa and local artists to determine what the best possible plan would be.”
The City of Ottawa is looking at three possible areas to develop into an arts precinct, including Rideau Street, Wellington Street West (New Hintonburg) or Bank Street (south of Somerset).
Although in the early stages, the Council for the Arts in Ottawa sees the need for a neighbourhood where artists can establish themselves and their work, and develop the area for tourists, visitors, and other artists.
Grant says he is excited about the idea of an arts precinct in Ottawa.
“I think that it’s a wonderful idea,” he says. “Ottawa has a lot of artists that aren’t practicing their art because they can’t afford to, they don’t have a place to, or they just need the support and encouragement from other artists. The whole city suffers without the contribution of these artists.”
Cities such as Providence, Tacoma, Minneapolis, San Diego and Berkeley have successfully established arts neighbourhoods, similar to the one proposed for Ottawa, and are examples of how city councils can work with artists and art associations to establish arts and culture precincts.
The Boston Globe stated in a May 20, 2001 article “The arts and entertainment district is not a new idea; more than 90 have sprouted up around the (United States) in the last decade, as legislators and city officials recognize the economic development potential in the arts.
“Artists looking for affordable rents are often the first to move into the depressed neighbourhoods; their presence can turn what used to be a void into a hot spot for cultural events.”
Each of the neighbourhoods under consideration were chosen for their interesting and unique architecture, proximity to the downtown core, and existing arts establishments.
The proposal addresses the problems which artists face when trying to find space. According to Honeywell, artists move into spaces where they can get cheap rent. He says that the artists then build up the area into something wonderful, the land values go up and the artists are forced out onto the streets. The Byward Market is a product of this cycle.
Grant says Greenwich Village in New York City is another famous example of this trend.
“Joan Baez and Bob Dylan played there in the sixties, until land values pushed them out. Look at what we would have lost if there was nowhere for them to go?”
The Council for the Arts in Ottawa suggests that the city adjusts zoning, offer development grants, and eliminates improvement levies to provide more affordable space for artists. In the end, Honeywell hopes to see that the city takes the initiative to provide space where the arts can flourish.
Honeywell reports that there has been a lot of positive feedback from the community about the plan.
“A lot of community groups are getting together and discussing what the arts precinct would mean to them, and developing into committees to address city council,” Honeywell says.
“The public seems to be as excited as we are about the project, and even though we are still in the preliminary stages, we believe that this project will continue to evolve and develop.”
Grant looks forward to the day when he can support his family by painting.
“I hope that this arts precinct will become a reality in the near future. Society is only as great as its dreams, and it is the artists that dream those dreams.What’s more important, another Pizza Pizza, or a school of fine art?”