Artspace Projects

If I could give negative stars about ArtSpace, I would. I can't say this to enough people. I was a tenant at ArtSpace for many years, specifically at the Northrup King Building in NE Minneapolis, and the way my tenancy ended completely shattered any respect I had for the organization and its managers. I have had some experiences with bad managers in housing and jobs, but these guys are number one, as far as the worst I have ever encountered. I lived in NYC for a while and at least there, people were honest with you, even when it hurt. But, this wasn’t just a lease ending—it was a cold, impersonal process marked by silence, avoidance, and a complete lack of basic decency. I contacted them months in advance of my lease running out, trying to understand my options and plan responsibly, and was met with cold silence until they finally told me to leave. My emails were ignored or met with vague, unhelpful responses. There was no real commitment or communication, no effort to engage, and certainly no willingness to treat me like a human being who had been part of their community for years. At Northrup King specifically, the management experience was especially frustrating. The building manager was consistently unresponsive and dismissive, making an already stressful situation far worse. Instead of providing guidance or even basic clarity, interactions felt curt and indifferent, as though tenant concerns were an inconvenience rather than something worth addressing. In talking with other tenants about their experiences at Northrup King, I found that many had encountered the same cold treatment from the building manager, and it was not uncommon to hear people describe the manager as having personal vendettas against certain tenants. When I asked for additional time to move, I was immediately met with threats of eviction rather than any attempt to work with me. It later became clear why: they had already lined up a new tenant. Instead of being upfront, they chose to stonewall me, leaving me scrambling while they quietly moved on. The lack of transparency was not just frustrating—it felt deliberately deceptive and personal. And not to mention how painfully obvious it had become that they had rented out my space BEFORE telling me my lease was up. Smooth. I wasn’t asking for special treatment. I was asking for basic respect: clear communication, reasonable notice, and a conversation about possible solutions, including relocation within the building. None of that was offered. Instead, I was met with indifference and silence until I was forced out. Artspace markets itself as an organization that supports artists and fosters community. In my experience, that image is deeply misleading. When it came down to it, I was treated as disposable—someone to be pushed out as efficiently as possible once I was no longer convenient. Organizations reveal their true colors by how they treat people when there's no financial incentive to do otherwise. My experience with Artspace suggested that administrative efficiency mattered far more than treating a longtime artist with honesty and respect. If you’re considering renting from ArtSpace, be aware: the supportive, community-focused image they promote does not reflect how they may treat you when your lease is up. When it mattered most, I wasn’t treated like a valued member of a creative community—I was treated like a problem to be ignored... until I was gone.

DO NOT RENT FROM ARTSPACE – They spent 2 months having me wait for them to send me the lease only to try and raise the price just before signing. I reached out to them in October about touring a rental at their Loveland CO lofts, with no response. I also followed up with them in November, with no response. In December I then tracked down the onsite building manager to have them give me a tour of the place (property managers are based elsewhere). I was surprised to see less than half of the residential units were filled, now I know why. Building manager told me he was quitting because of issues with Artspace. During our tour a tenant was moving out (breaking their lease) because of issues with Artspace. One half of the building were stuck with a broken A/C for the whole summer. The unit next to the one I saw had a pipe burst, flooding the entire apartment. I guess the all that money form their donors don't go to proper renovation. I should've seen the signs, but I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt. I finally got ahold of the property manager, and told them I was ready to sign the lease... we agreed to the rate, where they told me I would get the lease in two days, then nothing. From Dec 8th - Jan 8th despite numerous follow ups no lease was sent. Waiting for the lease to come through from this place I was forced to renew my current lease. It wasn't until I reached out to the property manager's boss, that I got a response. First he apologized profusely for the delay, and told me he would get me the keys and lease by end of day, which never came. Two days later I received an email telling me I had to agree to pay a higher rate before he would send me the lease. I then emailed the directors of Artspace to give them the opportunity to make good on this situation, with not even a reply. From reading the other reviews it's apparent that they don't care about providing affordable housing for artists, rather just lie and take their donors' money so that they can become yet another luxury apartment slumlord. Don't be like me – AVOID Artspace at all costs!!

Artspace Projects Inc. Raises money by making promises to have affordable housing for artists and arts organizations. They promise this will be in perpetuity and they guarantee it by claiming they maintain ownership of all of their properties. They take donors' money because this is an important issue and too many artists lose their places when the neighborhood they live in and love becomes better off due to what the artists have done pricing them out. This is a great cause and many millions a year are donated to it. The problem is when Artspace secretly sells off one of its buildings to a company that then skyrockets the rent prices and changes the community from Affordable artist housing to the most expensive lofts in their part of town. We understand why remaining quiet about the sale is so important and that is because it's directly opposed to what the donors were donating money for Artspace to do. Mission fail to say the least. The importance is not lost on Artspace or their management companies who use intimidation, threats, and evictions to keep people silent but there are voices out there with the truth just listen for them. Oh, and Artspace Everett Station Lofts' donors would probably want their donations back, especially the ones in Portland did you give them that option?

They've over-reached and have become a condescending godfather rather than a colleague and partner to residents of their Maryland building - constructed with a huge infusion of local arts funding, county funds and - initially - community support. Non-responsive to resident concerns in the mid-Atlantic "project" which is run like a public housing project despite being touted by their construction partners as "luxury" and by Artspace as "artist family live/work space." Obfuscation, inattention - most recently, a threat to withhold access to the amenities for which residents contracted with Artspace - and which are included in the rent - because of "behavior" that the organization has humored and enabled. After a recent incident that involved threats of violence residents tried to get attention from superiors in organization: radio silence. They used prime residential land to put up a pretty, flimsy building with little attention to the functionality of the design, no sound mitigation, and a majority of residents who are not active artists and whose behavioral standards are obstacles to creating community. Promises made to the community to have arts activity available to the neighborhood have not been delivered and there is no expectation that they will be delivered soon. The very young "assets manager" responsible for the glitchy design and shabby management speaks to accomplished adults twice her age in condescending tone and gaslighting mis-information. When I lived in Minnesota I was proud that we had an organization like Artspace. Living in their "project" is too much work, too expensive, and hugely disappointing.

I don’t live in an Artspace building, and, I believe in their mission and action to provide housing. However, I have two vital complaints and/or concerns regarding some if not more of their properties to date (1/2021), First, I noticed that many of their properties are labeled “affordable”, but at 60% area median income. That means for example if the area median income is high, the rent which is calculated at 30% of that median income will also be high. And while the owner does not have to charge the renters the maximum rent allowable, they usually do. Second, many of the apartments do not have their own individual washer/dryers. In this day and age, it is outrageous that these common place household appliances are not included every individual apartment unit for all new and renovated construction projects.

The premier artist housing and studio developers in the nation. Can’t say enough good things. Out this organization and it’s dedication to insuring affordable housing and studio space is available for America’s creatives. Honestly the world needs more orgs like artspace!

Great building for artists to create