Chuck Hinman talked with artists Anastasia Azure, a sculptor with a studio in the Hope Artiste Village, Lindsey Lerner, founder of music production studio Level Exchange, and Herb Weiss, Economic and Cultural Affairs Officer for Pawtucket since 1999, when Pawtucket created its Arts and Entertainment District.
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Chuck Hinman – Herb Weiss, welcome to The Public’s Radio and congratulations on your job longevity. 20 years is a good run.
Herb Weiss – Boy, it’s gone by pretty fast.
CH – Now in reading about Pawtucket’s effort to build an arts economy, I’ve noticed that over the years other cities have begun using Pawtucket as a model for what they might be able to do, in Baltimore and Fall River, to name just two. When you started this 20 years ago, what was your model? How did you begin?
HW – We actually had no model. What happened was, my first day at work our arts district kicked in, where people who lived and worked in our 307-acre Arts District could enroll to get the tax benefits from our arts district. That’s all I had to do, sign people up. I started doing more. I started taking artists around, I called it my dog and pony show. I realized that artists should have an advocate in the city, and artists should have access to city government, and word got out. I got people into the city, found them buildings to buy or lease. I can tell you since 1999, that 11 mills throughout our city were developed, creating over 837 loft apartments. Developers spent over $95 million in developing these mills. The renovation of these mills increased the taxes on these buildings, brought in an extra million dollars in tax revenue. That’s quite a lot of money to support our city. Currently we have 5 mills that are in the process of being re-developed into lofts, and the project costs are estimated to be over $73 million. That’s economic development.
CH – Well let’s talk to some artists now living and working this economic model in Pawtucket. Anastasia Azure, can you tell us a bit of your story? What your art is and how you came to be doing it in Pawtucket?
Anastasia Azure– Absolutely Chuck. I came to Rhode Island to attend RISD. I have a Masters in textiles, graduating in 2011. I stayed in the area and had the great fortune of finding an affordable artist studio space at the Hope Artiste Village, in what we fondly call the garden courtyard units, which is also known as the basement. And after 4 years of dedication and devotion, my handwoven sculptures and jewelry have been gaining momentum and sales and I was able to move upstairs to a thousand square feet with southern exposed windows, skylights and a sink, which as an artist, windows and a sink, that’s big time. And now I have a flourishing business in the mill where I am hiring independent contractors and having other artists coming in and helping to assist the beautiful geometric hand-woven interior wall hangings that transmit tranquility. So I feel like I really bring a sense of peace and centering expansion to the mill.
CH – Now you are selling these. Are you selling these in Pawtucket? Or where do you actually make the sale?
AA – You know I would love to have my work in Pawtucket. I actually am more international at the moment. So I have sculptures in Abu Dhabi, I shipped to Mozambique last week. I’m working on a project for India. I’m very grateful for all of the work, laying the foundation for artists to just come into Pawtucket, and really find a welcoming, thriving arts scene.
HW – Well it all starts at the top. And former mayor James E Doyle started off the Arts District in 1999, and when Mayor Donald R Grebien came in he picked up the torch and even brought it up a couple of levels.
CH – Lindsey Lerner, we’ve been going over a lot of history here, but you are relatively new to Pawtucket, right? Your company, Level Exchange, moved about a year ago is it? What do you do and how did you get to Pawtucket?
Lindsey Lerner– Sure. Level Exchange is a co-working and production space, geared toward working with innovative musicians and creatives in the Rhode Island and New England area. I’m a born and bred RI’er and very passionate about sticking around and bringing more to the state. We found ourselves in Pawtucket, like you said, about a year ago. We opened up our physical space in September. We are connected to the Isle Brewers Guild, which is another big economic development scene, I think, in the city. We’re looking to assist musicians and other local creatives in growing their art into a business, just like Herb had mentioned before. Looking at artists as small businesses is definitely, I think, the biggest difference between being a non-profit and being in this poor starving artist mentality, versus really looking at your art as a business.
CH – So all this week we’ve been examining Pawtucket, especially the challenges facing the city, and looking at that, regardless of the success of this arts economy and what’s going on, is it enough to propel the city into a successful future?
HW – I think it is. We combine art as an economic engine with traditional economic development activities. We have money to give out, and we have actually revised our loan programs to include one program for creative sector companies. We’re trying to bring the traditional commercial companies and manufacturers into our mills, but we work with artists. They go hand in hand, both sectors, manufacturing and art.
CH – Lindsey Lerner, is there something you wanted to say?
LL – Sure thing. I think that art definitely, obviously is already having a huge economic impact, and art is inspiring to people and it’s something that a lot of people can relate to, and I think that being able to provide those resources, whether it’s access to capital or access to mentoring and advising, to be able to get the tools and resources they need, to be able to run their creative endeavors as businesses, is going to be really crucial moving forward.
CH – Anastasia?
AA – I am a visionary artist and I am optimistic. So my belief is that the transformative power of art can heal and save and propel a city to thriving greatness.
HW – A lot of things are happening that will impact the economy of our city. You take steps forward, you chip away at it, and that’s what we’re doing. Pawtucket is persevering, and we are tenacious.
CH – Herb Weiss, Economic and Cultural Affairs Officer for Pawtucket, Anastasia Azure, runs an art and design company making hand-woven sculptures for interiors, Lindsey Lerner of Level Exchange, a recording studio and music business accelerator. Thanks all of your for coming in and talking to The Public’s Radio.
