Arts revival in Easthampton
By Christopher Boucher, Staff Writer Wednesday, August19, 1998 -- The morning light is pouring through the windows of photographer Mark Rea's new Eastworks' studio, illuminating the shiny hardwood floor, his backdrops and equipment, and his 2,240 square feet of studio space. Dressed in shorts and a T-shirt, Rea stands by the window and looks out at Mount Tom, softly lit and panoramic in his windows. Behind Rea is a full kitchen, and above that a bedroom loft. On the other side of the space is a desk and reading nook for Rea's wife, Patty Gambarini, but the bulk of the studio is still wide open. Rea's next plan, he says, is to hang a swing from one of the rafters, so he can sit on the swing and look out at the view. Something is happening in Easthampton, a city traditionally known for its factories and mills. The trend of artists working and living in town is growing stronger, led by the prospect of reasonably priced studios, and in some cases, the possibility of living and working in the same space. With an abundance of new spaces being built, some say that the arrival of more artists will have an effect on the attitude and appearance of Easthampton. Leading the charge is Eastworks, the former Stanhome factory at 116 Pleasant Street. Eastworks is the first building in Easthampton to have mixed zoning, including select studios zoned for both work and residence. This allows Rea to rent space for both his living and his photography business for the price of $990 a month. "This is what I consider a hybridization of the artist's studio," Rea said. "It's more than just an artist's loft, it's a professional artist's studio." Rea said he is eager to have other artists and craftsmen as neighbors. "Just imagine 40 working artists with one address," Rea said. "This particular building is going to be an important arts community in itself." Ten miles away, in the Arts & Industry Building (formerly the Pro Brush factory) in Florence, artist Nancy Goodpastor is brimming with excitement as she packs up her brushes and paints. Goodpastor is moving to another of the new studios in Eastworks, lured by the prospect of living and working in one space. Though the single rent at Eastworks will be more than the combined rent which she pays for her Leeds apartment and her Florence studio, Goodpastor is excited about the town which she will soon call her home. "Mark my words," Goodpastor said. "In less than three to five years, (Easthampton) is going to reap the benefits from the artists and creative people in this valley." Twenty years ago, Northampton was an inexpensive, bohemian town to which artists moved in search of a creative community and a place to work. While it has retained a similar attitude, a surge of commerce and population has stripped Northampton of its accessibility, the very quality which attracted many of its artists and artisans in the first place. "Northampton is strangling itself with its own success," Rea said. In 1994, Rea moved to Northampton from Boston, hoping to live and establish a separate studio. He soon found that the city was saturated, and that he couldn't afford both a space to live and a space to work. After three years of working from his home, Rea began to consider moving to a more affordable area. "You have to be showing in a gallery in New York to afford a studio in Northampton," Rea said.
Factory to studio In some ways, Easthampton has been an address for the arts for years.
Since the opening of One Cottage Street, which began offering studio space to artisans in the late 1970s, Easthampton has been known as a town where artists could find inexpensive studio space to work. A former J.P. Stevens factory, the building was donated in 1976 to Riverside Industries, Inc., a program that works with adults with developmental disabilities. Riverside Industries began converting its extra space into studios of various size almost immediately, and currently it houses more than 70 artisans or manufacturers. Unlike some of the spaces in Eastworks, One Cottage Street is not zoned for residence. But since 1992, all of the studio spaces at One Cottage Street have been occupied. "People call up every day, looking for space in that building, and it's just not there," said Riverside Industries Board Member Kathy Hall. Traditionally, there has not been much interaction between the One Cottage Street artists and the town. One Cottage Street houses some of the most reputable craftsman and artists in the valley. But save a holiday sale in the winter and an open house in the spring, the building and the artisans within remain rather isolated from the community. "My impression is that the (artists) are not dependent on the town," said artist Yohah Ralph, who lives in Northampton, and has had her studio in One Cottage Street for about 8 years. Many are quick to point out the strong internal community between the tenants of the building, and between the artisans and Riverside Industries. "Within the building there's a fabulous community," said Lynn Latimer, the owner of Latimer Glass Studio, located in One Cottage Street. "(But) mostly, we just come to work."
Town image Where One Cottage Street began, Eastworks is continuing, by carrying the arts a few steps further into the community, and by making its artists a more visible entity. As Easthampton Mayor Michael A. Tautznik pointed out, artists working in Easthampton is not a new phenomenon. But the possibility that Easthampton might become better known for its association with the arts would do a lot for the town, he said. "We've had a pretty longstanding tradition of artists in the community, at One Cottage Street," Tautznik said. "(And) having Easthampton as an address for some of these highly talented, highly skilled artists really improves the image of the community." Listening to Chuck Stern, the Director of Organizational Development for Eastworks (he's also dubbed the "mayor" of Eastworks), discuss plans for the building, it seems clear that Eastworks will ask the residents of Easthampton to do something that One Cottage Street doesn't: to take an interest in the building, and to offer some support to the building's industries, businesses, and artists. In his office in the Eastworks building, Stern explained some of the ideas that the buildings' administration have discussed. Forty-five liveable studios will be built on the fourth floor, three of which are rented, 15 of which will be ready for occupancy in the next few weeks, and 14 to 18 more of which will be completed after the new year. On lower floors, additional studio units zoned only for work, and not for residence, will be constructed. Though nothing is set in stone, Stern said he also hopes to include a communal kiln area for potters and sculptors, and a writers' room where writers can come and work inexpensively. In addition to offering spaces for artists and craftsmen to work, Eastworks is also offering space for offices, businesses, and industries; Stern said it is the hope of the administration that the businesses and artisans will work together, and feed off of each other to a degree. Plans for the lower floors pertain more to the public. They include such community-friendly possibilities as a cafe, a full-service restaurant, a performance space, art galleries, or even a six theater movie cinema. "It's going to be a place where people live and work, and know each other, and share," Stern said. "(And) I hope there's a give and take with the community."
Neighboring city What remains to be seen is what effect, if any, the presence of more artists in the community will have on the town. Artists and administrators agree that the setting for artists to sell their work in Easthampton will never be as commercial as it is in Northampton. But the two communities can feed off each other, Tautznik said. "(Northampton and Easthampton) fit well together because of what each community does or doesn't have," Tautznik said. "Together we can be much more attractive." It is conceivable to envision a downtown where people park their cars and browse through a few stores, said Mai Stoddard, owner of the Nashawannuck Gallery on Cottage Street and Wing Travel on Northampton Street. Certain landmarks already in place, such as the Majestic movie theater, the ponds, and Mount Tom, could all be used to the town's favor. "For a while there it was a sad picture, but now there's like a new wave coming," Stoddard said. "All these factories are filling up with new ideas." Goodpastor sees the town's rejuvenation as a more lively one, that the arrival of artists is going to force the town to change. "It can't go any other direction," Goodpastor said. The extent to which the arts will develop and influence Easthampton depends on a number of variables, including the continued interest of developers, businessmen, and artists. But the sense of enthusiasm and vision needed to bring more artists and commercial activity in the arts to the town is present, and many believe that the surge of artistic interest in Easthampton is just starting. "It's a dream come true," said Goodpastor, of her new studio. "(And) we're just getting in on the very beginning."
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