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Friday, October 9, 2009
The uncertain future of c{space
For years, it was a dark, empty commercial space — an old bank branch surrounded by other vacant offices downtown.
Now it hops — full of life, art, activity, music. From the lively graffiti on the walls to the funky assortment of donated furniture to the eclectic, unpredictable assortment of events on the stage, you know when you’re visiting c{space that Dayton hasn’t had anything quite like it.
What you might not know, however, is that its future is anything but certain.
“We need somebody to step up to support us, so that we can say we have a future,” said Tom Thickel, an architect who works with community volunteers Anne Rasmussen and Mary Kathryn Burnside to manage c{space. Their latest mission: To keep it alive.
The space was conceived in early 2008 as a low-cost arts incubator, an outgrowth of the DaytonCREATE movement that has spawned several other grassroots community initiatives. “The initial mission was to go into a space, create activity there that allows it to be seen in a different way and entice somebody to come in and rent it at market rate, then we move on and do it all over again,” Thickel said. Landlord Brian West got the vision and supported it, letting the group rent his property at 20 N. Jefferson for $1 a month.
The thing is, it worked.
Now c{space is so busy that Thickel, Rasmussen and Burnside want to stay put. “There’s such a demand for the space now, and it’s become a successful brand. It’s the perfect location and the perfect size, so we’re veering away from the original mission and hoping to make it permanent.”
Meanwhile, West has gotten some commercial interest and is in the understandable position of needing to make some money on his property. “He’s been extremely supportive,” Thickel said of West, who has negotiated with c{space to let them rent for $400 a month through the end of the year, and to stay on permanently for a fair market rate.
So now, they’re looking for money. Events and fundraisers will help some, but c{space generally charges less than $120 for most users. Thickel and Rasmussen hope to find a major donor who will give them $15,000 to $20,000 in the next year, but they’re also scouting other downtown locations in case it turns out they need to relocate.
“What would be lost without c{space is what we’ve just gotten going,” Rasmussen said. “It’s bringing a level of community inclusion and getting people together who normally don’t see each other — and it’s giving artists and musicians who don’t normally get gigs a place to play, and a chance. We’re not competing with DVAC or the Theatre Guild — they’re the next step up. We’re where the most informal street art is happening.”
“I think we’ll figure it out,” Burnside said, with confidence. “If it closes, we’ll move it. But I think we’ll figure it out.”
To get more information on c{space, e-mail arasmussen@woh.rr.com or mk.burnside@gmail.com.
