Artist Workspace Prototype Rolls Down Market Street
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Meet Studio 1, San Francisco’s 2nd Living Innovation Zone and mobile art studio. Studio 1 is a 65 square foot “off the grid” solar powered studio, public art project, and micro-residency center designed and constructed by David Szlasa. Studio 1 brings artists to the streets to interact with the public – allowing the community to be part of the design and exhibition process. “It was the most exposure I’ve ever gotten as far as my artwork.” said Andrea Bergen, the first artist taking residency in Studio 1.
“In the past few years, the City has worked with the community to revitalize Market Street by attracting new jobs to the area, building more housing for our City’s families, keeping our community-oriented arts organizations in the neighborhood and activating the street with initiatives like Living Innovation Zones,” said Mayor Edwin M. Lee. “This Living Innovation Zone is a forward-thinking prototype that creates affordable space for artists to engage directly with the public on one of our City’s busiest thoroughfares and ensures our local art community and everyone in our City prospers from our successful City.”
Built on the back of a flatbed trailer, the Studio is made primarily of reclaimed and salvage materials with features including an integrated video projection screen and motion activated undercarriage LED lights.
The Studio is a mobile LIZ, sited at NEMA and Mechanics Plaza during the summer of 2015. The project is one of several structures Szlasa has built for artists and creative people in response to the need for alternative models for artist work space in growing economies like the Bay Area.
According to the creator, David Szlasa “Studio 1 is a prototype for a scalable, sustainable solution for art spaces in under-resourced areas.”
Read the Studio 1 story: Studio 1 photos by Robbie Sweeny.
For a week at a time from June 17th to July 25th, artists curated by Szlasa and the San Francisco Arts Commission are occupying the Studio. Each artist-in-residence represents a mix of disciplines and will develop programming schedules to complement the natural traffic patterns of the location, scheduling open studio hours and exhibitions on a regular basis. More information on the day-to-day programming can be found here.
The project was celebrated on June 25th at an event that brought together all of the champions who made this project possible, including, David Szlasa, San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Civic Innovation, the Planning Department, San Francisco Arts Commission, Rainin Foundation, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and of course, all the artists who are bringing the Studio to life week by week.
Read the Studio 1 story: Studio 1 photos by Robbie Sweeny.
San Francisco’s Living Innovation Zone Program
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