SpaceFinder Atlanta, a free online database of rentable spaces for artists and arts organizations, has gone statewide. The next time you need a space for an event, whether a small meeting or a major production, you can peruse the 324 spaces already listed, with more to come as property owners and organizations sign on.
The project is a partnership of C4, Arts Georgia, and Fractured Atlas, the New York-based company that operates SpaceFinders in other cities as well. “There’s a valuable inventory of unique spaces that often sit empty between bookings,” say Lisa Niedermeyer of Fractured Atlas.
In addition to meeting the space needs of creatives, and freeing them from committing to a permanent physical space, the service can be a boon to rentees, as well. According to Fractured Atlanta, Space Finder helped generate over $900,000 in rentals in 2015 for its listed venues, which range from yoga studios and public schools to professional arts venues. Press materials describe the expanded service as “part of a long view strategy to bundle Georgia’s arts resources as economic assets.”
SpaceFinder Atlanta had some users in the beginning, says C4 director Jessyca Holland, but it needed an extra push to really take hold. That’s when Arts Georgia got behind the project and facilitated the effort to increase the number of venues.
Each venue determines its own rental fee. “It’s up to them to do due diligence,” says Holland, who suggests that space managers compare their size and amenities with others on the site.
The database is searchable by schedule, budget, location, capacity and creative needs. For example, “you can search for spaces that are ADA compliant,” says Holland, “or dance companies can search for venues with special floors, and musicians can find spaces where percussion is allowed,” she says.
With public arts funding nearly nonexistent in Georgia, any thoughtful initiative to help arts organizations generate revenue is welcome.
