BERWYN, IL - Rachel Lechocki knew early on that making a living as an artist wouldn't be easy. The 24-year-old painter from Berwyn teaches art courses for several area park districts, but wonders if she will ever make enough money to move out of her parents' home. "Being just a few months out of school, I learned it won't be an easy task," said Lechocki, who has a bachelor's degree in art history from Columbia College Chicago. "I've been working random jobs, meeting a lot of nice people, but I would like to have a stable life, a place of my own."
On Monday, Lechocki, along with about 25 other Berwyn artists and residents, attended a meeting hosted by Minneapolis-based Artspace Projects Inc., a non-profit organization that builds affordable housing for artists. Artspace is on a two-day tour of the western suburb to decide if it is the right place to start another project.
Artspace has 21 buildings across the United States, including a loft property in Chicago's Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side. An additional 11 properties are under construction throughout the country. Earlier in the year, Berwyn officials decided to fund a $10,000 study for Artspace. City officials said they have seen an influx of artists moving to the community, citing its affordable housing stock and nearness to downtown Chicago.
Ald. Michele Skryd, who spearheaded the study, took Artspace officials on a bus tour Tuesday to visit the city's four main corridors: Roosevelt Road, Ogden Avenue, Cermak Road and the Depot District. The tour also stopped at the suburb's famed 16th Street Theater and Cicero's Olympic Theatre.
Skryd said the tour is to give Artspace officials a sense of the community and added that they have not visited or discussed the sale of any properties at this time. "I think we have a good chance," Skryd said. "This is a way to bring young people to the community. If we build it, they will come."
Artspace officials will draft up a report based on the meeting and tour and send the findings to city officials in the coming weeks. If the organization feels that Berwyn is the right place, a site must be found and the project will take about three years to complete.
At the meeting, Wendy Holmes, vice president of consulting and resource development for Artspace, and Stacey Mickelson, director of government relations, told the audience any type of artist, from a drummer to a sculptor, can apply to live at the building. "We typically have hundreds of people on the waiting list," Holmes said. "There is a huge need for affordable housing for artists. This gives artists the opportunity to continue their art instead of leaving it for something else." To qualify, the applicant must make between 30 to 60 percent of the area's median income. Berwyn's median income is $54,377, according to 2000 U.S. census data.
Holmes asked the audience about the community and the types of artists who live there. Some said they were musicians, dancers and painters. She was surprised that almost half of those in the audience made a living from their art. "That's the most I've ever seen," Holmes said.
The organization looks for buildings that are aesthetically pleasing for artists, like the Switching Station Artist Lofts, which opened on Chicago's West Side in 2003, Holmes said. The building, once a telephone switching station, has large windows, high ceilings and a central courtyard. Berwyn has many large apartment buildings that can be converted into affordable housing for artists, city officials said.
Lechocki said she would be first to sign up for the housing. "It would be wonderful to live and work with other artists. I've lived in Berwyn my entire life and always thought about moving away, but I just might stay here
Source: ChicagoTribune.com