“an unlikely group of artists and activists known as the Art Stays Here Coalition has emerged to help combat displacement. The small, all-volunteer group is part of a broader effort that includes policy makers, developers, advocacy groups, and others to confront a problem that by some estimates has caused more than 2 million square feet of cultural space to vanish over the years, as gentrification emptied studios and other venues across Fort Point, the South End, the Fenway, Cambridge, and beyond.” August 5, 2023

“Advocacy requires specific skills including organizing, public speaking, writing/messaging, marketing/public relations, government relations, project management, event producing and fundraising. Through our experiences, we’ve seen the strongest arts advocacy is when artists come together and join with behind-the-scenes folks to create and execute a campaign. Often, advocating for creative space might be the first time some folks have ever advocated. There’s a lot to learn, a lot of strategy involved, and it takes a village.” July/August Issue 2023

“Boston’s Chief of Arts and Culture Kara Elliot-Ortega said it was the first time her office had worked with a developer to acquire property to use for permanent arts space. “It’s a historic moment,” Elliott-Ortega said. “We’re really excited about it, and ready to move on to the public process to determine how we’re going to build out the space.”” June 16, 2023

“The City of Boston — led by Mayor Michelle Wu and the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture and in collaboration with the Boston Planning & Development Agency, with efforts from local groups like the #ARTSTAYSHERE coalition — has revealed plans to acquire and develop a new multi-use space at 290 North Beacon St. The building would be purchased by IQHQ and then gifted to the city in hopes of creating a secure, long-term practice facility for bands and artists in the area.” May 16, 2023

“The building is HUGE. 35,000 square feet, close to the size of the old Sound Museum. So there will plenty of space for rehearsal space, right where in the neighborhood where rehearsal space should be. All that’s left is for The Boston Planning & Development Agency to put it to a vote. I’ll keep following the story and keep you up-to-date. In the meantime, check out the temporary rehearsal pace that the Art Stays Here Coalition set up for bands in the old ROCK 92.9 studio building in Dorchester right here.” May 12, 2023

“arts displacement is a symptom of an insecure cultural ecosystem — and to solve it, we must address it holistically. Each part of the ecosystem… — all stakeholders in our sector — must come together with one goal: to stop cultural displacement. We must preserve what we have, build more of what we need, and create protections for both. It’s cliche and true: it will take a village.” May/June Issue 2023

“it’s a community pool, but for music,” Pedro said. “If you want to play basketball, you go to a basketball court. If you want to play soccer, you go to a soccer field. If you want to play music, where do you go? And the idea was to kind of build a community space that people could flock to to meet like-minded folk.” March 29, 2023

““This is one important step toward ending arts/music/cultural displacement in Boston,” shares Ethan Dussault of the #ARTSTAYSHERE Coalition. “Through collaboration among artists, advocates, developers, and government, the tide is starting to change.” March 17, 2023

“The arts are a large part of what makes our city special and we must do everything we can to ensure our artists and creatives can afford to stay and thrive in our city,” says Mayor Michelle Wu. “We’re glad all involved were able to provide an interim rehearsal space for so many musicians.” March 16, 2023

“more than two dozen individuals who signed up to speak at the public hearing. The room was filled with artists of various disciplines — from musicians to audio engineers, writers to dancers. The majority said they have been forced to move two or even three times as rehearsal spaces have been turned into housing and condominiums.The hearing lasted several hours and discussed a number of solutions.” March 8, 2023

“Last year, the A&BC acquired one of New England’s gems: Western Avenue Studios in Lowell, so it could stay as an affordable home to hundreds of artists across multiple disciplines. Coined “the creative soul of Lowell,” it hosts one of the biggest artist communities in the country: 250 workspaces, 50 live/workspaces, galleries and performance venues, shops and cafes.” March/April Issue 2023

“Though initial plans for a relocation of the Sound Museum to West Roxbury fell through, IQHQ committed in January to donating a building at 290 North Beacon St. to Boston as a permanent rehearsal space for artists. In the interim, artists will be able to use a “swing space” in Dorchester, according to a press release from the office of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.” February 2, 2023

“Hundreds of musicians about to lose their practice spaces inside the Sound Museum, a massive rehearsal complex in Brighton, may have a temporary new home.” January 11, 2023

“The Sound Museum has been a fixture of the Allston-Brighton music scene for three decades, serving as a practice space for Boston musicians. At the end of January, these artists will be forced to find a new place to meet.” January 10, 2023

“No love for the property owners, who are kicking every single band out in less than two weeks from now, with no where to go.” January 11, 2023

“More than 300 tenants of a music studio and rehearsal space in the Brighton-Allston area will need to vacate before the end of the month to make room for new lab construction. We speak with WBUR reporter Amelia Mason about what that means for the city and local artists.” January 10, 2023

“With the longstanding rehearsal studio’s current location in Brighton due to be vacated by the end of January, the city of Boston has identified a nearby building as a prospective new facility for the hundreds of musicians who have been ordered to move out.” January 5, 2023

“In a statement published a few days after the distribution of the eviction notice, the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture indicated that IQHQ has purchased an unidentified building near 155 N. Beacon with the intention of gifting it to the city for the new rehearsal space.” December 29, 2022

“For many, the shuttering of the Sound Museum seemed likely to hasten an already bleak trend for local independent music entities in recent years, from the closure of the EMF rehearsal complex in Cambridge, to the displacement of Allston’s beloved Great Scott rock club, to the planned redevelopment of the Middle East in Central Square.” January 23, 2022

“Landlords and banks are replacing these historic venues and gathering spaces with more profitable, less community-focused spaces. This allows them to “maintain the feeling of isolation they feel they can create in Allston, because it’s just college students, it’s just frat houses. No, it’s communities – we have neighbors,” Taylor added.” December 19, 2022

“The closing of the Brighton facility is the latest in a blow to working musicians in Boston. The community has experienced several independent venue closings over the past few years, as well as cost of living increases that put a specific squeeze on creatives and creative spaces, fueling a sentiment that Boston as a city claims to love the arts, but not the artists who create it nor the spaces needed to foster it.” December 20, 2022