by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
The subject of First Wednesday Art Walk just about always comes up at Downtown Vision Inc. board meetings, said the organization’s Executive Director Terry Lorince. One comment consistently recorded goes along the lines of: “It’s a great event and brings thousands of people Downtown, but it’s only one day a month. What can we do the other 29 days?”
Listening to that lament led to a discussion between DVI, Downtown development advocates and painter Jim Draper and results should soon be seen. The discussions have led to a plan to create a “creative community” environment that can benefit artists, Downtown property owners and anyone who would appreciate an enhanced Downtown entertainment experience.
“Think St. Augustine or San Francisco or New Orleans or Savannah,” said landscape architect and DVI board member Chris Flagg, who is chairing the project committee. “There’s no reason we can’t support our artists’ community like that here in Jacksonville. The idea is to activate vacant spaces Downtown by creating an initial core along Art Walk corridors.”
Jim Draper has established a gallery for his work on Laura Street on the ground floor of the Greenleaf Building. He doesn’t paint there, but said artists would jump at the chance to have a proper studio space Downtown. An artist’s requirements in terms of amenities aren’t grand, either. In fact, build-out is not only not needed, it would be inappropriate.
“A floor and a door is all you need. Artists look for the least expensive, most basic spaces,” he said, adding that the “creative community” concept is an opportunity “for artists and property owners to collaborate for development.”
Similar to real estate, banking and the automobile industry, the market for artists’ work is currently at a low point. Artists can’t afford to pay high rents for studio space and property owners can’t lease space they have listed.
“Having studio space is the key,” said Flagg. “It’s a working space where people can embrace the art and interact with the artist.”
He also said DVI’s role of identifying available locations through the organization’s relationships with property owners could facilitate the process and bring more creative types of people Downtown.
“Most artists aren’t business people. The first step is to market the concept to property owners,” said Flagg.
Lorince said that while the project is still in early stages, it’s based on Art Walk, something that has proved to be a success when it comes to bringing people Downtown and having them gain a positive impression of its entertainment value.
“This would follow the energy that’s already happening,” she said. “Making the process easier for creative people to work Downtown will make the storefronts and streets more active. You have to give people something to do to bring them Downtown.”
And in Downtown’s case, the proof can be seen the first Wednesday of every month and inside the locations of many businesses.
“It’s been proven art works based on the success of the Art Center Cooperative that now has two locations on Adams and Bay streets, Leigh Fogle’s gallery at the LRK Building on East Bay Street and Paul Ladnier’s Gallery L on the second floor at Independent Square,” said Lorince.
Flagg, Lorince and Draper agreed it’s not a situation where the “wheel is being reinvented,” but simply a matter of implementing a concept that has worked in other places.
“Look at what started in New York City in the 1950s, said Draper. “Artists started moving into Greenwich Village and property values started going up. Then they moved to SoHo and Chelsea and Brooklyn and Tribeca.”
Artists and their art, he added, were a sign of things to come.
“You can chart the evolution,” said Draper. “It was led by artists, not real estate developers.”
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