Space Chase: Artist Workspace Evaluation

Established in 2011 by the Bloomberg administration and the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Spaceworks is a hybrid not-for-profit artist service and community development organization dedicated to expanding the supply of long-term, affordable workspace for artists living in New York City. My partner Nick Rabkin and I were engaged to design and implement a research and organizational learning strategy that could directly inform Spaceworks’ development and orientation toward the field moving forward.

Working in collaboration with Nick and organizational leadership, I am conducting a comprehensive assessment of the supply of, and demand for, affordable artist workspace in the region by synthesizing a wide range of existing research and data. This work investigates ways mixed-use development strategies could be re-imagined to serve the needs of not only artists, but a broader cross-section of the region’s diverse populations, more equitably. In parallel, I am working with Spaceworks’ leadership to better understand its unique strengths, organizational development goals, and opportunities to shift its practices in ways that enhance its relevancy and long-term resilience. Our approach has been designed to promote organizational learning, inform adaptive strategy, and support the development of new organizational capacities—particularly those required by entities operating at the intersection of the arts, creative placemaking, and comprehensive community development.