The Agenda

October 31, 2006

Dear Mayor Cicilline,

Thank you for recognizing Firehouse 13 as vital to Providence’s creative economy in The Providence Journal’s article “The Politics of Art” (Van Siclen 10/22/06). This article only begins to touch on the complexity of issues that artists and art organizations are experiencing in this city. I write to you today to call attention to the crisis of emerging artist-run developments and organizations in Providence.

In this letter I represent myself, Anna Shapiro, Director of Firehouse 13 (FH13); Nick Bauta, founder of Firehouse 13, Art Recreation Center (ARC), and co-founder of The Steelyard; and John J. McGurk, Project Manager for ARC.

The mission of FH13 is to offer affordable exhibition, work, and living space. FH13 and ARC would like to take the lead in adding value in our community and help artists to capture their own profit by creating a local component within our “creative economy.” We have completed historic renovations and expensive fire suppression systems and are now in our final stage, which involves inspections and applications for licenses. This innovative business cannot be part of the creative economy until we have approval from the City of Providence.

The word about FH13 is getting out. As Director, I get many calls each week from musicians, artists, theatre groups and community groups asking about this space. Currently I have artists lined up from December through March, as well as people inquiring for the Spring and Summer. I will have to begin canceling these programs if we continue to experience the strain of hindrances to our project by the City’s Offices, such as certain policies and obstacles to their implementation.

At this point, the project is at a DEAD HALT due to backlogs and inconsistencies within the system. It has been five years since the impact of the Station Fire and four years since an Administration change, it is time that a standard be set and procedures be in place to allow for the very economy that you support and encourage.

Unfortunately, thus far I have not experienced the ease and access mentioned in the ProJo article. In fact, I have experienced just the opposite. Instead of one call to the Office of Arts Culture and Tourism to get the wheels rolling we have made several calls and visits over the past two and a half years to the Fire Department, Department of Inspections and Standards, Office of Licenses and Permits, the Office of and Policy and Legislative Affairs, as well as the Office of Arts Culture and Tourism. We are still unable to get our final inspections or even a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy, so that we can begin the programming that the artists and the public of the city so desperately want.
In addition, there has been no communication between retiring, promoted, and incoming personnel assigned to our project. Much of our frustration stems from the feeling that this project has been passed like a hot potato through multiple shifts in personnel and policy with no continuity. We have had no support from the Departments through these transitions and have had to begin the process each time from the beginning.

As one of Providence’s unique artist owned and run cultural projects, FH13 is addressing the need of affordability and community involvement within the squeezed-out landscape of available artists spaces and venues. Artists are a vital part of the creative economy not because we make or spend a lot of money but because we create community and commerce. Community is a non-commodity; it has an inherent value because it improves quality of life.

We have found that within official procedure, the red tape and fluctuating standards have been monetarily crippling to entrepreneurial businesses in the Arts. A conversation needs to happen between the City and development projects in the Arts. By listening to our stories we hope you will better understand that the leveraging of the artist community against the gauntlet of bureaucracy required to run a legal space is currently out of balance.

Firehouse 13 and other artist-run projects like it need your support.

Respectfully yours,

 

Anna Shapiro