TAMPA - Mayor Pam Iorio often talks about her commitment to making Tampa friendly to artists.
That's great, says a consultant hired by the city to provide recommendations on developing homes and studios for artists.
But making it happen requires action from city officials.
"They have to step up with policy," said Chris Velasco, vice president of Artspace, a Minneapolis nonprofit company that specializes in creating affordable space for artists and arts organizations.
For example, he said, a useful policy might be to create zoning laws that would require a developer who wants to build in downtown Tampa to devote some space to artists.
The city contracted with Artspace for $7,000 to come up with suggestions for the East Village of the Arts, centered around five homes north of Ybor City that the Florida Department of Transportation moved and restored as part of efforts to expand Interstate 4. The homes will eventually be sold to artists. The company will also provide recommendations for other potential art spaces.
Paul Wilborn, Tampa's creative industries manager, led Velasco on a tour Monday that included visits to N Franklin Street in downtown Tampa, Ybor City, West Tampa and the East Village of the Arts. Wilborn also asked Velasco to share his company's success stories at a luncheon with business and city leaders and at a public workshop in the evening.
Artspace has managed projects in Philadelphia, Seattle, Reno, Nev., and Monterrey, Calif.
The daytime presentation was intended to spark the business community's interest in the arts, Wilborn said.
Velasco said that thriving artistic communities launch redevelopment, pointing to Soho in New York City as the classic example. That south Manhattan neighborhood began as a rundown haven for pioneering artists. They ultimately were priced out of their homes and studios when architectural firms, ad agencies and other creative industries - the "second wave" of innovators - came along, followed by The Gap, Banana Republic and other mega retailers.
Developing spaces where artists can continually afford to live and work requires cooperation of government officials and business leaders, Velasco said. The benefits include increased tourism and affordable housing.
It also has a huge economic impact, he said.
A study completed by Americans for the Arts estimated that nonprofit arts organizations have a $134-billion impact on the U.S. economy, Velasco said. For every dollar a local government invests in nonprofit arts, it gets back $8, while every dollar investment in sports organizations brings back just $1, he said.
"There are obstacles on the way to your projects. Some of them will seem insurmountable," Velasco said. But with the right leadership and creativity, he said, "you can move mountains."
