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  • The ARTS at Marks Garage - Application Now Accepted for New Artist Lofts in Chinatown!

Application Now Accepted for New Artist Lofts in Chinatown!

Applications are now being accepted for 9 new live/work artist lofts in Chinatown. Sizes and prices range between 400 to 700 square feet at $1,000 - $1,600 per month, plus utilities with one-year leases.

The lofts are located at the century-old Mendonca Building on Hotel Street, between Smith and Maunakea, overlooking a peaceful tropical courtyard. The lofts provide affordable housing and creative studios within an artistic community downtown, encouraging artists to function as self-sufficient small businesses.

Public tours of the lofts take place every First Friday of the month between 5 and 10PM. Loft residents also participate in Second Saturday Discover Art from 10AM to 4PM and the professional creation of an Open Studio program on Saturday afternoons between noon and 3PM is currently being negotiated.

"We are currently seeking community-minded artists eager to participate in First Fridays, Open Studio programs and other opportunities to interact with the public and sell their goods and services," says studio coordinator and Executive Director of The ARTS at Marks Garage, Rich Richardson. "We believe this approach will promote economic prosperity for artists and provide the critical mass required to create an arts destination for locals and visitors alike."

Applicants are selected largely based upon creative merit or potential. "Artist" is broadly defined to include community-oriented creative professionals in performing, visual, literary, as well as cultural practitioners with the goal of a residency reflecting Honolulu's unique multi-cultural dynamic.

Hawaii Academy of Performing Arts (the 501c3 non-profit who operate The ARTS at Marks Garage) selects the artist residents and building owners Springwood Vista Inc. are responsible for the day-to-day management. Together they received extensive consultation from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Artspace under the auspices of the Ford Foundation. Turnover rate is at approximately 10% per year, indicating favorable conditions.

Richardson says: "together, we are building an arts scene. We believe the arts transform people and places. The Lofts cultivate an eco-system of local cultural production and bring a substantial number of new residents and visitors into Chinatown, making it safer, livelier, and more appealing. Chinatown Artists Lofts stimulates economic vitality and empowers the community to reach its creative potential."

For more information, images, or an application e-mail rich@artsatmarks.com.

The ARTS at Marks Garage is supported in part by Kumu Kahua Theatre - presenting world-class theatre by and about Hawai‘i's people in the heart of downtown Honolulu, Spire Hawai‘i, Kaiser Permanente, Hawai‘i State Foundation on Culture and Arts, Colliers International, Hawai‘i Community Foundation, O‘io Fund, Kona Brewing Company and 1001 Friends.

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  • The ARTS At Marks Garage
    The ARTS at Marks Garage is a community arts center with a 1,000 sq. ft. gallery, a 1,000 sq. ft. theater, and a 1,000 sq. ft. office space founded in 2001. Marks is home to 13 performing and visual arts businesses including Youth Speaks Hawaii and Hawaii Shakespeare Festival. 45,000 visitors attend 13 exhibits and 150 performances each year.
    1159 Nuuanu Ave., Honolulu, HI (View Map)
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