A deluge, and some new spaces available this fall
Some time in the wee hours of Sunday, August 25, a water filter in a third-floor darkroom broke a seal and flooded our building, the Good Arts Building, all the way down to the basement. Miraculously, no art was harmed. Several studios were rendered temporarily unusable, but the majority of the damage occurred on the lower floors. (Our downstairs neighbors, H.Bailey Boutique and Sew Generously Bespoke have reopened, and Bad Bishop Bar will be open soon after extensive repairs to their kitchen.) The artists of ’57 Biscayne have been plugging along with dehumidifiers buzzing, and every day it seems they cut a new hole in a wall or floor to dry things out. The silver lining is that we will get a bit of a decorative refresh once the insurance kicks in and we can replace the walls, carpet, and flooring which were removed.
In the meantime, a few artists are moving on (for unrelated reasons), and we will have some space available in November. Studios 212 and 312 are both interior spaces; 312 has natural light in the form of a gigantic, gorgeous skylight. Each studio has an occupant looking for a studiomate. Both spaces had been in the path of the flood; they are awaiting some restoration work which should be completed by November if not sooner; both available for occupancy November 1.
312 is occupied by a tidy painter who is looking for one studio mate to take the half of the space with the skylight. The entire room is 735 square feet; the share for rent is approximately half, or 367 square feet, for $800/month. The studio has decent heat/AC. If you wanted to install ventilation, the infrastructure is there, but non-toxic or low-tox media are preferred. Contact Anastasia (mailtogres@gmail.com) to see the space and have a chat to see if it’s right for you both.
212 has been occupied by only two tenants since ’57 Biscayne started in 2011. It was in the path of the recent deluge, causing the current tenant to pile his many belongings in a heap, consequently there are no decent photos of it. It’s 405 square feet, and an artist who works in water-based media is looking to share it with another like-minded and low-toxicity person. The share for rent is approximately 200 square feet for $355. The space has a big window facing the hall and high ceilings. A drop ceiling was removed in 2011, so there’s exposed ducting and a sort of industrial vibe. It is awaiting minor restoration and some lighting upgrades; it too will be available November 1. Contact Clare if you are interested. (clare_e_johnson@yahoo.com)
Note: ’57 Biscayne is dog-friendly in general, but the two people looking to share 212 and 312 require their spaces to be pet-free.
But wait, there’s more! Another space, in its entirety, will be available December 1. The lovely 313 makes an excellent photo studio, but it could also be a fantastic print shop, painting studio, wood shop, or perhaps a share of some sort since it has two rooms plus an L-shaped nook. It’s another skylit studio, plus an interior room with a door and plumbing. It also venting to the outside and a 220-volt plug. And incredibly high ceilings. It is 635 square feet and rents for $1400/month. You can contact the proprietrix directly about this one.

All rents include utilities. Leases are usually one year with a month-to-month default option after that. The shared common areas include a kitchenette and break areas; modern clean bathrooms; and spacious hallways which are available for tenant use for hanging art, events, installations, etc. We have cooperatively-organized open houses twice a year. Spontaneous collaboration has been known to occur.
The members of this community are both serious about their art and supportive of other artists. We welcome all peoples and genders, and naturally expect anyone who joins us to do likewise.