Artspace Projects Inc. Raises money by making promises to have affordable housing for artists and arts organizations. They promise this will be in perpetuity and they guarantee it by claiming they maintain ownership of all of their properties. They take donors money because this is an important issue and too many artists lose their places when the neighborhood they live in and love becomes better off due what the artists have done pricing them out. This is a great cause and one many millions years are donated to. The problem is when Artspace secretly sells off one of it's buildings and to a company that then skyrockets the rent prices and changing the community from Affordable artist housing to the most expensive lofts in their part of town. We understand why remaining quiet about the sale is so important and that is because it's directly opposed to what the donors were donating money for Artspace to do. Mission fail to say the least. The importance not lost on Artspace or their management companies who use intimidation, threats and evictions to keep people silent but there are voices out there with the truth just listen for them. Oh and Artspace Everett Station Lofts’ donors would probably want their donations back especially the ones in Portland did you give them that option?
Review from Guidestar
In the 1980s my wife and I were both heavily involved in the arts scene in Saint Paul, MN in several ways. I first learned of Artspace through her job with the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council and discovered an organization that was transforming warehouse space downtown into work and living spaces for visual artists. I became even more aware of this when I started working for the Saint Paul Department of Planning and Economic Development where one of my colleagues was assigned to helping develop artist spaces. Later, I managed the Saint Paul portion of the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Home Tour, and helped place a new artist housing project created by this organization as a unique stop on the tour. All the while, I was acting in the evenings at Park Square Theatre which consulted with Artspace several times as it gradually expanded its performing space to different venues. I'm amazed and very pleased this organization -- which started as simply a way to help artists through the technical maze of rehabilitating spaces into viable studios and homes -- is now working on a national scale to provide infrastructure for the arts and revitalization for many communities.