Artist Towns - Nationally and in your Neck of the Woods! (lofts, chapel)

[ontheroad]

Some of us hijacked a thread on where we'd like to live, so I thought we could all move over to our own thread and share some of our ideas, notions of where to live and find our nirvana!

[ontheroad]

Here's some really good information about New Mexico for artists.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/new-m...ht=artist+town


And, here's the hijacked thread with some new info! - thanks to Figment07.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/gener...tml#post499117

[Figment 07]

Good idea, OTR!

More ideas, albeit smallish towns with an emphasis on the arts, try a search for John Villani's books (getting mixed reviews, though!).

Just perusing the comments at Amazon.com for the paperback version of The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America, I see these mentioned:

Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Northport, Alabama
Boone, North Carolina
Asheville, North Carolina

The inclusion of Northport, Alabama surprised me, but it is a river town just a stone's throw from Tuscaloosa, home to the University of Alabama. Probably revitalized now and affordable. Interesting.

[Cosmic]

Originally Posted by Figment 07

Good idea, OTR!

More ideas, albeit smallish towns with an emphasis on the arts, try a search for John Villani's books (getting mixed reviews, though!).

Just perusing the comments at Amazon.com for the paperback version of The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America, I see these mentioned:

Eureka Springs, Arkansas
Hot Springs, Arkansas
Northport, Alabama
Boone, North Carolina
Asheville, North Carolina

The inclusion of Northport, Alabama surprised me, but it is a river town just a stone's throw from Tuscaloosa, home to the University of Alabama. Probably revitalized now and affordable. Interesting.

So is Lake Placid, FL in that 100 Best Small Art Towns? What about Athens, OH, Missoula, MT?

[Figment 07]

I don't have the book, Cosmic. I just gleaned what I could from the online reviews.

However, this might prove useful -- the national rankings of "art destinations" from American Style (http://www.americanstyle.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publicatio ns%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F7 91&tier=4&id=2EA20B6E76ED47C1A39A5E17F588B91C - broken link) magazine:

Category 1: Big Cities
(Populations of 500,000 and over)
1. New York, N.Y.
2. Chicago, Ill.
3. Washington, D.C.
4. San Francisco, Calif.
5. Boston, Mass.
6. Seattle, Wash.
7. Baltimore, Md.
8. Philadelphia, Pa.
9. Columbus, Ohio
10. Portland, Ore.
11. Austin, Texas
12. Los Angeles, Calif.
13. Milwaukee, Wis.
14. Denver, Colo.
15. Phoenix, Ariz.
16. San Diego, Calif.
17. Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
18. San Antonio, Texas
19. Houston, Texas
20. Nashville, Tenn.
21. Indianapolis, Ind.
22. Detroit, Mich.
23. Memphis, Tenn.
24. Jacksonville, Fla.
25. San Jose, Calif.

Category 2: Mid-Sized Cities
(Populations of 100,000 to 499,000)
1. Buffalo, N.Y.
2. Albuquerque, N.M.
3. Pittsburgh, Pa.
4. Scottsdale, Ariz.
5. New Orleans, La.
6. Savannah, Ga.
7. Athens, Ga.
8. Atlanta, Ga.
9. Minneapolis, Minn.
10. Cleveland, Ohio
11. Miami, Fla.
12. Alexandria, Va.
13. Ann Arbor, Mich.
14. Salt Lake City, Utah
15. Charlotte, N.C.
16. Kansas City, Mo.
17. Cincinnati, Ohio
18. Las Vegas, Nev.
19. Providence, R.I.
20. St. Petersburg, Fla.
21. Colorado Springs, Colo.
22. St. Louis, Mo.
23. Tacoma, Wash.
24. Tampa, Fla.
25. Salem, Ore.

Category 3: Small Cities and Towns
(Populations under 100,000)
1. Santa Fe, N.M.
2. Asheville, N.C.
3. Corning, N.Y.
4. Charleston, S.C.
5. Sedona, Ariz.
6. Berkeley Springs, W.Va.
7. Taos, N.M.
8. Key West, Fla.
9. Burlington, Vt.
10. Boulder, Colo.
11. Carmel, Calif.
12. Laguna Beach, Calif.
13. Eureka Springs, Ark.
14. Aspen, Colo.
15. Cumberland, Md.
16. Sarasota, Fla.
17. Chapel Hill, N.C.
18. Saugatuck, Mich.
19. Naples, Fla.
20. New Hope/Lahaska, Pa.
21. Annapolis, Md.
22. Brattleboro, Vt.
23. Portsmouth, N.H.
24. Benicia, Calif.
25. Tubac, Ariz.

[ontheroad]

Figment07, many thanks for those lists. I can see already I am not going to buy into what it said, but rather have to see for myself.

Take Taos because I couldn't! It has no, and I mean no art community, just a bunch of art galleries and beautiful vistas. I just lived there for one 12-month cycle so it is my biased but on-site opinion.

Of the 3 categories, I think I've been to many of the named cities/towns. Several are very accurate. In category 3, NYC, where I lived for the last 10 years before moving to Taos, I'd say art exists even on the subway platform. It was far more invigorating than I realized.

I'm presently in Pittsburgh, Category 2. In the next few weeks, I'll send a report, but on first blush I'd say it is worth exploring.

I wonder should we buy the book or keep peeking into it on Amazon?

[Sgoldie]

Interesting list. This is one of my big things, I want to attract more artists here.

I've been to almost every place on that list and I'm wondering how many of them are affordable right now for artists, especially those places that are water venues?

If you took a place that looked a bit like Annapolis harbor and had available houses for $40,000, and a downtown with potential waterview lofts currently undeveloped, and miles of waterfront walkways like Portland, that would be a good place for artists, no? I want to see filmmakers, writers, photographers, musicians, and all other creative types move here.

We already have a base with theatre groups, opera, bookstores, festivals, a college and more. We're a few hours to a day's drive to nearly every major city in the NE and Canada to market your work, and in the middle of some of the most interesting and varied scenic venues in the country. Finger Lakes, Adirondack Mtns, 1000 Islands, Niagara Falls, Lake Ontario. Easy living and small city environment.

Calling all artists - Move to Oswego, NY

[ontheroad]

Great post, Sgoldie. I am a former New Yorker and may stop by as I move more North and closer to the coast. I am literally ontheroad.

[Sgoldie]

Let me know when you're when you're in the neighborhood and I'll show you around. I'm a Gramercy Park neighbor myself.

[Dancingearth]

Thanks ontheroad for starting this thread! I did something better than buy the book --I reserved it from the library. Will pick it up soon. One question I assume the book addresses is - what makes a town, an art town? What makes a place nirvana? I was just in the ceramic studio talking to another student about her vision of nirvana. Right now mine is a place to do ceramics not in my kitchen or living room :-)

I think Olympia WA is an art town but I have yet to really explore it thoroughly other than when The Procession of the Species has its annual open studio and parade. I meet many artists and know there are a few artist groups, galleries, and studios downtown. It has a sense of community that I never found in Santa Fe. Art seems more accessible to everyone here (although I liked the free art studio in Santa Fe and the giant puppet making workshops run by Wise Fools.) I'm not sure I can live here long term though--the winter rain can be a little much but you won't find more perfect summers. And the housing is expensive.

Wow - Oswego sounds great! I liked the picture on the official website. Water! Lofts! I lived in a loft in NYC in '76-77 and loved the space. If I can't live in an old barn or church, give me a loft.

go and tell us about it ontheroad!