#ARTSTAYSHERE's Culture Crisis Conversations

Episode 33: Preserving Somerville’s Central Street Studios: It Takes A Village #ARTSTAYSHERE talks with artists & musicians from Somerville’s Central Street Studios about the preservation of their affordable artist workspaces. The Arts & Business Council of Greater Boston, with financial support from the City of Somerville, plans to become the next steward of this special creative communit...

Episode 32: MASSCreative: 2025-26 Legislative Agenda, Art Advocacy Week, Create the Vote, & More #ARTSTAYSHERE talks with team MASSCreative about their 2025-26 legislative agenda, ongoing advocacy to unlock financial resources for the arts sector in MA, the 2025 Create the Vote initiative, the upcoming Arts Advocacy Week & more. Recorded at The Record Co. by Dan Moffat. Edited by Nicholas...

Over the recent years, much work has moved forward regarding Rafi Property's Somernova development in Union Square, Somerville. The joint committee of Somerville's planning board & City Council's land use committee will hold a public hearing on Thursday, March 20 at 6:30pm on 3 zoning text amendments (ZTA) impacting this project: revised ACE (arts & creative enterprise) definitions, a new...

Episode 31: Mass Cultural Council’s Michael Bobbitt & Jay Pagett on the Cultural Facilities Fund #ARTSTAYSHERE talks with MCC’s Executive Director Michael Bobbitt & Cultural Facilities Fund Program Director Jay Pagett about arts advocacy, various cultural space efforts state-wide & more. Recorded at The Record Co. by Dan Moffat. Edited by Nicholas Zampiello at New Alliance East in Some...

Episode 30: Charlestown Rehearsal Studios Part 2: 95 Music Rehearsal Studios Here to Stay! #ARTSTAYSHERE talks with Jesse Vengrove, Daniel Sussman & Emily Doran, the Steering Committee of the Charlestown Rehearsal Studios Tenants Association about their 2-year advocacy campaign resulting in preserving the 95 music rehearsal studios in Boston. They discuss the nuance and challenge of organizing...

Episode 29: Post-Preservation Growing Pains at Humphreys Street Studios #ARTSTAYSHERE talks with Cristina Todesco, Franklin Marval & Josh Rosewood from Humphreys Street Studios about post-preservation growing pains once becoming majority artist owned/operated, including group dynamics, whether to keep the tenants association, property management, neighbor disputes, tenant evictions & more....

Episode 28: 50 Year Anniversary of Somerville’s Vernon Street Studios’ Open Studios #ARTSTAYSHERE talks with Vernon Street Studios artist Heather Balchunas & documentary filmmaker Anne Continelli about the upcoming 50th Anniversary of Vernon Street Open Studios, its origin story, the value of community spaces, and synchrony.

#ARTSTAYSHERE talks with the MassCreative team about their Advocacy & Organizing Fellowship, recent arts & culture Legislative Package, upcoming plans for Advocacy Week, their Advocacy Institute & ways to speak up for the arts & creative sector across Massachusetts.

Episode 26: The Record Co.'s New Executive Director, Boston Waves & Extension to Monthly Music Rehearsal #ARTSTAYSHERE talks with The Record Co.’s new executive director, Bobby Boyd, who talks about what The Record Co. (TRC) has accomplished & goals for the future. Boyd also announces their upcoming BOSON WAVES free, live music concert on 9/20 and a two-year extension to their monthly musi...

Episode 25: Artist Displacement Can Cause Trauma #ARTSTAYSHERE talks with different creatives about how multiple displacements have impacted their work, creative practice, livelihoods, and their mental health. This “roundtable” interview features JJ Gonson (ONCE Somerville), Wayne Strattman (119 Braintree Street, Allston), Nicholas Zampiello (New Alliance East), and Ethan Dussault (New Alliance Au...

#ARTSTAYSHERE talks with Jim Healey (Alreckque/Blood Lightening) and Matt Harrington (Cortez) about the underrated value of music rehearsal studios, the displacement from the former Sound Museum, and the interim move to 55 Morrissey Blvd in Dorchester. Recorded by Dan Moffat at The Record Co. Edited by Nicholas Zampiallo/New Alliance East, Somerville.

In this episode, guest interviewer Greg Jenkins, Executive Director of Somerville Arts Council, talks with some of the original founders of Brickbottom Artist Building. At the time of their founding, BAB was one of the largest artist live/workspace communities in the United States. This is Part one of this telling. Recorded at New Alliance Audio; edited by Nicholas Zampiello/New Alliance East, Som...

Episode 22: Midway Studios: a Flagship of Fort Point #ARTSTAYSHERE talks with Raber Umphenour, a filmmaker at Midway Studios, an artist live-work community of 89 rental units. He was one of many involved with helping preserve the building in the beloved artist community of Boston’s Fort Point neighborhood. Recorded by Dan Moffat at The Record Co. in Roxbury. Edited by Nicholas Zampiello at New All...

Episode 21: Somerville Arts Space Round Table: The State of Space This conversation brings together representatives from various artist workspace communities across Somerville including Miller Street Studios, ESH Circus Arts, Joy Street Studios, Milk Row Studios and Brickbottom Artists. Folks shared about their individual communities, the concerns regarding incoming development, the challenges of...

In this episode, #ARTSTAYSHERE talks with fine art painter Brendan Killian whose affordable artist workspace was at 128 Brookside Avenue in Jamaica Plain. He shares his building's displacement story, including the advocacy he & other artists did to try to keep their workspaces.

Episode 19: MassCreative’s Creative Space Preservation Act & Creative Sector Legislative Agenda #ARTSTAYSHERE talks with MassCreative’s Executive Director Emily Ruddock & Director of External Relations Kelsey Rode about their current Creative Sector Legislative Agenda, its 4 bills that have moved out of committee & specifically the Creative Space Preservation Act. Recorded at The Recor...

In this episode, #ARTSTAYSHERE talks with Annis Sengupta of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) & Greg Jenkins of Somerville Arts Council about their Somerville Arts Risk Assessment work & report, how Somerville’s arts buildings are at high risk of displacement & potential tools to help prevent it. Recorded & edited by Nick Zampiello at New Alliance East in Somerville, MA...

CBA Summit 101 is NOT a podcast episode. It's a special quick learning about the upcoming Union Square Neighborhood Council's CBA Summits being held in Somerville. Visit www.dontfwithfab.org for summit details. There ARE a handful of podcast episodes regarding Somerville arts spaces, its Fabrication District, ACE Requirements, Somerville Arts Council, MAPC's Art Space Risk Assessment, Union Square...

Episode 17: Union Square Neighborhood Council #ARTSTAYSHERE talks with Union Square Neighborhood Council (Bill Cavelini, Michele Hansen, Emily Doran & Mattias Rudolph) about the purpose of a neighborhood council, the work they do advocating for the residents & workers of Union Square, including negotiating Community Benefit Agreements with developers. Recorded & edited by Nick Zampiell...

#ARTSTAYSHERE talks with artists at Joy Street Studios in Somerville (Dan Coughlin, Jason Pollins, Coleen Palencia) about being at risk, potential displacement, and organizing in advance to prepare for what may come. Recorded at The Record Co. in Roxbury. Edited by Nick Zampiello at New Alliance East in Somerville.

This is part 2 on Somerville's Fabrication District. #ARTSTAYSHERE's Ami Bennitt & Ethan Dussault connect the dots on potential changes to different arts communities in Somerville & outline what it means & how artists & arts supporters must join the Don't F with FAB! movement to keep affordable arts workspaces in Somerville.

#ARTSTAYSHERE unpacks the issues that impact affordable arts workspace in Somerville, including its Fabrication District, MAPC's Art Risk Assessment, Arts & Creative Enterprise uses/set-asides (ACE), current proposed zoning amendments, potential impact, the importance of activating the arts sector to participate in the community process to have their voices heard. Ami Bennitt interviews Ethan...

#ARTSTAYSHERE talks with Annis Sengupta, Director of Arts & Culture at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) about adding the creative sector to planning, both at the municipal level & regionally; as well as research on the area's cultural spaces & how to act as arts ecosystem. Recorded by Dan Moffat at The Record Co.; edited by Nick Zampiello at New Alliance East in Somerville...

#ARTSTAYSHERE talks with Fitchburg Art Museum director Nick Capasso about being a bilingual museum whose mission includes showing New England artists & a deep connection to community & economic development for Downtown Fitchburg, including the incoming Fitchburg Arts Community (FAC) affordable housing development. Just 50 miles northwest of Boston, a once-thriving industrial hotbed turns t...

#ARTSTAYSHERE talks with MassCreative, our statewide arts advocacy organization. With Executive Director Emily Ruddock & Director of External Relations Kelsey Rode, we learn about the history of this important agency, its different areas of work & the importance of advocating consistently, not just during election years.