Western Avenue Studios

ORIGIN

Western Avenue Studios (WAS) is a complex of artists' studios in an historic mill building located at 122 Western Avenue in Lowell, Massachusetts. It is the largest complex of working artists under one roof in the Greater Merrimack Valley.

The concept of WAS originated with Karl Frey of Vespera Investments, LLC. Frey, a Connecticut developer, provided capital to renovate a long underutilized structure in an underperforming industrial area of Lowell. Frey began his artistic venture by converting large open areas on the fifth floor of the building into modestly sized units. He achieved this by drywalling ceilingless partitioned rooms, most with exterior windows. Each room, or studio, is connected to a central walkway, and community spaces or common areas, “mud sinks” (i.e. sinks where artists clean up after using messy materials) and fully furnished bathrooms completed the space.

Aside from installing the drywall and adding locking doors to each unit, Frey and his associates left the units themselves essentially untouched, presumably as a cost-saving measure. Thus, flooring and exterior walls original to the mill remained as they had been before the construction project, typically rough and unvarnished.

In Spring of 2005, Frey introduced Lowell artists to the complex. Unlike other artistic ventures in the city of Lowell, such as the Ayer Lofts, WAS space was never designed as live-in “artists lofts,” but more as work spaces for artists who require, for various reasons, separate quarters unrelated to living space to pursue a multiplicity of art forms.

The 45 artists who moved into the initially offered studio units on the 5th floor were invited to renovate their interior spaces, within minimal and reasonable constraints. Many did the work themselves, resurfacing the unit floors and painting the walls to suit their preferences. A number of artists treated their spaces as aesthetically attractive gallery and exhibit areas either to foster their “muse” or to attract the public. Others kept their spaces as is, and used their areas to delve into media that require a large (and often untidy) locale. Some developed dual spaces, with a work area and a gallery-like space combined. The results are as varied and unique as the artists themselves, and this rugged individualism has continued with each successive expansion of the complex.

The 5th floor artists made their public debut in September 2005 as part of “Lowell Open Studios,” a citywide artists' open-house. It’s estimated that close to 1,800 visitors attended. During that time, Vespera continued to expand the space and took applications for lease of the forth floor units, then under construction. The fourth floor units opened in January 2006, bringing the total number of artists up to roughly 75.

Originally, the plan Frey and Vespera had in mind was for first floor occupant Collins & Aikman Corporation, a long-term tenant of the building, to carry a significant portion of the operating expenses of the complex. This would enable Frey to make improvements to the building over time. However, in 2005, Collins & Aikman declared bankruptcy, necessitating a different plan of action. Frey responded by immediately installing a new, efficient heating system to replace the original costly steam system. He ultimately decided to build out the majority of the second and third floor for artists, while renting some space to commercial entities. The third floor of the main building opened to occupancy in August 2006, the 3rd floor of the A-Mill opened in August 2007 and the 2nd floor of the A-Mill opened in November 2007.

Because of this expansion, as of this writing, WAS is currently occupied by more than 160 artists, making it the largest artist complex in the Greater Merrimack Valley. WAS has been home to many activities and events, including the Lowell Quilt Festival, Lowell Open Studios, and more. The Western Avenue Studios Artist Association, formed in 2006 functions to promote the artists and activities at WAS. In December 2007 50 members of the Artist Association formed a gallery coop and The Loading Dock Gallery opened on the 2nd floor of the A-Mill in March 2008. Creation of the Loading Dock Gallery was made possible in part by a grant from the Lowell Cultural Council to Vespera to help facilitate the build-out of the Gallery. The Loading Dock Gallery, manned by artist members is open Wednesday through Friday from 11 to 4:30. Information about The Loading Dock Gallery is at www.theloadingdockgallery.com [http://www.theloadingdockgallery.com] .

In September, 2007, Frey and Vespera announced that they would be preparing and offering artist live/work spaces in part of the Western Avenue Studios buildings. The units, starting at 400 square feet and ranging up to four or five times that size, are designed and priced to meet the needs of the arts community without any income restrictions. Frey's intention is that artists never be priced out of their own community even when the neighborhood improves.

Information about the live/work spaces is at www.liveatwas.com [http://www.liveatwas.com] .

INFORMATION

With such a large number of artists, it’s not surprising that Western Avenue Studios encompasses a wide variety of artistic media. WAS is populated by practitioners of many traditional art forms, such as painting, sculpture and photography, but it also is home to violin makers, jewelers, video producers, digital painters, fabric artists, musicians, web designers, metalworkers, and artists of almost every specialty.

Western Avenue Studios opens its doors to the public on “First Saturday,” i.e. the first Saturday of every month, from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM. Visitors can tour all of the open floors to visit with artists working in their studios as well as to purchase artworks directly from their creators.

For a full list of current artists and further information go to westernavenuestudios.com [http://www.westernavenuestudios.com] .