Rent is prohibitively expensive for the middle class in Sydney, let alone those struggling to make a creative career pay for more than public transport. This trend shows no signs of slowing, and — as history has shown time and time again, — when affordable housing disappears, so too does a city’s creative hub.
Since 2013, the City of Sydney’s excellent Live/Work program has attempted to bridge this widening gap, by offering people working in a creative field the opportunity to take up a heavily subsidised 12-month inner city apartment lease. It’s an important program, and can provide a respite for struggling artists willing to work hard.
Marni Jackson is Cultural Projects Manager for the City of Sydney. She brings unique experience to the Sydney market, having spent some years as the general manager of Renew Newcastle. The innovative program came in the wake of both Newcastle’s lock out laws, and the rapid commercial move away from the city centre towards the new Honeysuckle development on the foreshore. These twin changes resulted in many storefronts in Hunter Street becoming neglected, which in turn led to the general delinquency of the area.
Renew Newcastle offered spaces to creatives at wildly reduced rental rates, which saw a flood of clothing stores, venues, bookstores and other hubs springing up along the main street, breathing life into the city centre. The area continues to flourish to this day, and has helped to foster a nurturing, inclusive art scene. It was a huge success.
The City of Sydney’s Live/Space program adopts a similar policy.”I guess what we’ve done here is take advantage of existing assets that the City has”, Jackson explains. “The City does have a big property portfolio, but not very many residential spaces. Using them strategically like this has been seen as valuable, but I guess that’s a challenge: we’re looking at the existing stock that the City has, and there are limits with that.
“There are limits to the amount of residential property that we own, and that we can make available.”
Spaces in the program open at various times throughout the year, and although there is a lot of competition, it is not a prohibitive amount with approximately forty to fifty applications per property. “We want to see from those artists they will benefit from the opportunity to live and work in the city centre, close to the heart of the city”, Jackson explains, “and to see that having subsidised rent for a period of time will benefit them in their practice – and at this stage of their career.”
Musician and multi-disciplinary artist Ange Garrick has benefitted from the program, citing the breathing space such a financial hand can provide.
“Being able to have a space that was mine meant I could do things like rehearse in my studio apartment and leave all my instruments set up, or spend a week sewing three-metre-long canvas sheets together to make screens for our Underbelly project. I could not do those kind of things in a share house, so it was very beneficial in that regard.
“Having the space to work and live on my own gave me time to think and plan and conjure up many ideas for music and artworks, which was also invaluable. I was also able to host some artists travelling from overseas, and musicians, which was another opportunity afforded to me by the independent living of the spaces.”
While this opportunity might seem like a big break, it is still up to the artist to make the most of such an opportunity. You’ll work with a creative tenancy management service provider to develop an agreement, and on milestones to work towards in regards to a larger artistic goal – but the onus is on you.
“It is something you need to manage daily and make a commitment to”, Garrick explains. “And most artists I know do work – at the moment I work full time, and I was for most of the residency. That’s the reality of living in an expensive city like Sydney.”
Good luck.
Find out more about the program here.
