Ybor Art Asylum Startup Fund
Donation protected
Well I suppose an introduction of some sort is in order first....I am Shannon Adams, owner of Studio77 Photography based in Ybor City. My business partner and partner in crime is Deidra Leigh, owner of Relic Imagery. We are both published working photographers in the Tampa Bay area and have been wanting to build an amazing work space/art gallery/art show venue for all of our friends, clients and fellow artists. For everyone. For YOU!
For those of you who follow our work, you guys know that we shoot almost all on location. We seek out the grittiest alley ways, abandoned warehouses and buildings and the occasional creepy haunted house. We love seeing our fellow artists go into places like this and create as well.
These are the times that we all need some sort of studio space to work out of. We've worked in, rented, and researched a lot of places around the Tampa Bay area, and while some places, are really nice, nothing has been quite the right fit. We have encountered places that are really amazing, but are more geared towards commercial photography. Some places have outright denied us because they don't consider photography to be a legit form of art. (Talk about pissed!) A couple places are cool, but very unorganized when it comes to reserving studio time, or are severly cluttered with outdated props and overrun by people who don't care about the condition of the place, just that they're getting paid.
For us it's about ART. The creation of it. The LOVE of it.
OK, so here's the deal...
We want to raise money to open a place for everyone to be able to come and create. We have been doing some research on local commercial properties and have found a few that would fit just right. We want to keep it local to the Ybor City area, because we love the idea of keeping this very much on a community level. We want a space for photograpers to shoot, hang out and edit, meet and network with other artists. We want to welcome and include other mediums as well!
Ideally we want a place big enough to shoot in, big enough for art shows and events, and big enough to allow for individual work spaces for artists to rent on a monthly basis if they need something a little more than just a few hours a months. We are aiming to keep the pricing very low for hourly and monthly rentals, because we want everyone to be able to be involved and enjoy this space!
Along with art showings, we will also be hosting workshops for everyone from the beginner all the way to professional. Lighting and posing. Editing. You pick it! Also in the works is a series of classes for children to get some great art exposure....we will be doing classes where you can bring your children infor some painting lessons, photography lessons and maybe even some pottery!
Ybor needs a community space like this!
I know we typed a lot here, but we want you guys to understand how much we love this area, this community, and ART. There's so much culture here and we want a place to bring it together and make it an even bigger part of Ybor! There are too many amazing people out there creating beautiful things and they need a space to show it off and we want everyone involved!
Now let me get serious for a second...
The money we are trying to raise is for startup. A commercial lease can be a little expensive. So far the places we have found range in price from 1500-2500 per month just for rent. Most of the properties require first, last and security, so that's a pretty big chunk of change. We also will need to get some furniture...which we will be getting from local thrift/vintage stores, and we will gladly accept furniture donations as well!
Also included in this is the initial deposits for electric and we would also like to provide free wifi in the facility. We also are probably going to need to do a little building and painting to make everything just right, so we want to make sure we can have a cool little spot for everyone.
Anything left over will be used to hold out grand opening art showing/party and any incidentals and upcoming bills. NONE of thismoney will be going to personal bills. This is trictly for startup costs for the Art Asylum.
If you have any questions, please email me at the link provided!
Thank you guys so much! I know that if this gets going, we can all make it the most badass place for artists Ybor has ever seen!
For those of you who follow our work, you guys know that we shoot almost all on location. We seek out the grittiest alley ways, abandoned warehouses and buildings and the occasional creepy haunted house. We love seeing our fellow artists go into places like this and create as well.
These are the times that we all need some sort of studio space to work out of. We've worked in, rented, and researched a lot of places around the Tampa Bay area, and while some places, are really nice, nothing has been quite the right fit. We have encountered places that are really amazing, but are more geared towards commercial photography. Some places have outright denied us because they don't consider photography to be a legit form of art. (Talk about pissed!) A couple places are cool, but very unorganized when it comes to reserving studio time, or are severly cluttered with outdated props and overrun by people who don't care about the condition of the place, just that they're getting paid.
For us it's about ART. The creation of it. The LOVE of it.
OK, so here's the deal...
We want to raise money to open a place for everyone to be able to come and create. We have been doing some research on local commercial properties and have found a few that would fit just right. We want to keep it local to the Ybor City area, because we love the idea of keeping this very much on a community level. We want a space for photograpers to shoot, hang out and edit, meet and network with other artists. We want to welcome and include other mediums as well!
Ideally we want a place big enough to shoot in, big enough for art shows and events, and big enough to allow for individual work spaces for artists to rent on a monthly basis if they need something a little more than just a few hours a months. We are aiming to keep the pricing very low for hourly and monthly rentals, because we want everyone to be able to be involved and enjoy this space!
Along with art showings, we will also be hosting workshops for everyone from the beginner all the way to professional. Lighting and posing. Editing. You pick it! Also in the works is a series of classes for children to get some great art exposure....we will be doing classes where you can bring your children infor some painting lessons, photography lessons and maybe even some pottery!
Ybor needs a community space like this!
I know we typed a lot here, but we want you guys to understand how much we love this area, this community, and ART. There's so much culture here and we want a place to bring it together and make it an even bigger part of Ybor! There are too many amazing people out there creating beautiful things and they need a space to show it off and we want everyone involved!
Now let me get serious for a second...
The money we are trying to raise is for startup. A commercial lease can be a little expensive. So far the places we have found range in price from 1500-2500 per month just for rent. Most of the properties require first, last and security, so that's a pretty big chunk of change. We also will need to get some furniture...which we will be getting from local thrift/vintage stores, and we will gladly accept furniture donations as well!
Also included in this is the initial deposits for electric and we would also like to provide free wifi in the facility. We also are probably going to need to do a little building and painting to make everything just right, so we want to make sure we can have a cool little spot for everyone.
Anything left over will be used to hold out grand opening art showing/party and any incidentals and upcoming bills. NONE of thismoney will be going to personal bills. This is trictly for startup costs for the Art Asylum.
If you have any questions, please email me at the link provided!
Thank you guys so much! I know that if this gets going, we can all make it the most badass place for artists Ybor has ever seen!
Organizer
Shannon Adams
Organizer
Tampa, FL
