A new mixed-use project in the East Village neighborhood of Little Rock will allow artists and their families to gather, live and work together in one creative space.
Minneapolis-based Artspace Projects is partnering with the Windgate Foundation on the Artspace Windgate Campus, according to a press release. Artspace, with its partners Little Rock and North Little Rock, has been planning to undertake such a project since 2018.
Located at 1102 E. 8th St., the campus will be near the Clinton Presidential Center, the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, and the Stella Boyle Smith Music Center planned by the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.
Officials say work on the mixed-use project is expected to begin in the summer of 2023 and expect it to be completed in the fall of 2024.
In the plans are a four story building with 60 units of ‘living [and] work style accommodation,” the statement read. The units would be designed to be affordable for residents who earn 30-60% of the region’s median income.
The campus will also include artist-in-residence studios, event space and a gallery, an outdoor courtyard along College Street and about 16,000 square feet of retail space for local arts and culture organizations, officials said.
Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. in the statement called the project “an anchor for Little Rock’s growing arts and culture scene.
“When we look at what makes cities great, it’s a combination of affordable housing, economic opportunity and an exciting quality of life,” he said. “The Artspace Windgate Campus offers all three.”
Robyn Horn, chair of the board of the Windgate Foundation, said local artists have expressed excitement about the new campus, which solidified “it would be a welcome addition to Little Rock.”
Victoria Ramirez, executive director of the Museum of Fine Arts of Arkansas, said she was thrilled that the location offered new opportunities for the artistic community in a purpose-built space to create.
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