UPDATE – Owner Claims Studio 17 Will Remain For Artists

Thanks to Daniel Hirsch at www.missionlocal.org for this update!

This week we received information from the historic art collective Studio 17 in the mission.  It explained how Studio 17’s owner Rick Holman was not going to renew their lease.  Holman was not responding to any of the tenants’ emails and they took this as a threat to the 73 artist living there.

Given the housing climate in the city, who can blame them?  But Holman finally broke his silence and it appears he simply wants to change the master tenant (Robert Donald) and continue to rent to artists using his own terms, on a new lease.

We are going to DIRECTLY lease the space ONLY to artists (not entrepreneurs, tech companies and other business as Robert Donald has been doing) at a substantial discount to the market.

Holman bought the building in 2013, and he claims that Robert Donald has not been renting the 20,000 square ft space not to just artists, but to a mixture of entrepreneurs, tech start-ups, and other businesses.  Donald it seems has been acting as a building manager, collecting rent and filling spaces and making a profit.  Holman said:

“’Studio 17 Artists’ is a 100% owned business of Robert Donald; basically a dba. It is not an artist cooperative.”

So if we believe the owner, it looks like he’s making a change in management, not forcing out artists.  He claims he’s “committed to continuing to provide space to artists at below market rates”.

Meanwhile it’s Open Studios this weekend all over the mission! So go out and visit some artists!

More about Holman and Studio 17:  www.missionlocal.org