AURORA | Aurora City Council members inched closer to adding dedicated studio spaces to the Aurora Cultural Arts District at a Monday, March 21, study session.
By a narrow majority that included Mayor Steve Hogan, council members approved a request for proposal to find a consultant to determine if the area has the ability to blossom into the bohemian hive it has long been advertised to become. Once that consultant has been approved, the city would pay $25,000 for the study.
“We’ve put a lot of money into subsidizing the arts in Ward I. I think there comes a point where we have to say no,” said Ward II Councilwoman Renie Peterson.
Currently, the ACAD boasts just two buildings that rent spaces to visual artists, one of which is owned and operated by the city. Aurora took control of the gallery space at 1400 Dallas St. in December 2013 after the former tenant, The Other Side Arts, defaulted on loan agreements with the city. The former District 1 police station now offers 14 studios, which average about 240 square feet in size and cost roughly $1 per square foot in monthly rent, according to city documents.
The only other rentable studios for artists in the ACAD are controlled by Walt Weinberg, owner of Sunrise Artworks at 1556 Florence St., which have been at capacity and leased by artists for years. ACAD has also told the city they have a waiting list of 11 artists wanting space in its facility.
Ward VI Councilwoman Francoise Bergan questioned why the city was spending money on the study and suggested the group of 11 artists come together in some way to perform the study.
“I think this is more of a free-market situation,” she said. “I think I have an issue with it being prioritized as a city need.”
Other council members said the city needed to continue its longtime mission of making the area an arts district.
“If you’re not going to move forward incrementally, you’ve got to discuss whether you’re going to move forward at all,” said Aurora Mayor Steve Hogan.
The RFP still needs to be approved at a regular city council meeting.
— Aurora Sentinel Staff Writer Quincy Snowdon contributed to this story.