In Hyperallergic: How Can a Small Bohemian Town Help Artists Stay Afloat?

The daring bohemian downtown Manhattan of decades past is long gone — the inimitable traces of Arshile Gorky, Elaine de Kooning, and Jean-Michel Basquiat scrubbed off.  In their wake, a pricier and more prosaic world emerged. It’s a tale that has been long lamented, its conclusion foregone. But this story of creative loss is not confined to cities. It’s also happening in places like Provincetown, one of the nation’s oldest and most esteemed artist communities. Having long nurtured artists and writers like Blanche Lazzell, Edward Hopper, and Eugene O’Neill, there is an increasingly urgent concern that the town’s popularity as a seasonal tourist hotspot could choke off access to its creative lifeblood.

The seasonal nature of the economy exacerbates these challenges, as artists and writers strive to maintain a steady income throughout the year. With the near-total lack of availability of affordable year-round housing and workspace options and soaring short-term rental costs during peak seasons, many creatives have been forced out of opportunities to live, work, or study in Provincetown. Some have even confided in me they have left the artistic field itself due to the lack of space, time, and income to create.

But what do historic arts enclaves like Provincetown, Key West, and Taos, and our culture at large, lose when they fail to invest in artists and writers? 

Continue reading the article here in Hyperallergic.