A Vancouver creative hub that’s home to an art gallery and several artists’ studios is in danger of shutting down due to a large rent increase.
In a snazzy video posted on a GoFundMe page, the Beaumont Studios states that its rent and taxes have risen by 20 percent since 2019. It now must pay $42,000 per month for its space at 316 West 5th Avenue.
In addition, the video notes that the city has already lost more than 150 buildings with artists’ space in the past decade.
“This equates to about 400,000 square feet of creativity and imagination gone,” Beaumont founder Jude Kusnierz says in the video. “This has resulted in artists leaving the city in droves.”
Founded in 2004, the Beaumont has 25,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space and is home to more than 100 professional artists.
“It’s a place where growing creators can flourish, incubate their creativity, and connect with other like-minded artists exploring their craftsmanship to its fullest,” Kusnierz states.
In addition, the Beaumont houses a community radio station and thrift store, as well as the gallery and recording studios.
Kussnierz is asking the public to donate to the GoFundMe page. If people are unable to provide a monetary gift, she says that the Beaumont would be honoured if people would share their pitch for help.
“While the Beaumont Studios has always operated with a firm resolve of energetic positivity, the risk is very real that we could bear witness to the fall of another of Vancouver’s cultural cornerstones.”
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