A new mixed-use project in Little Rock’s East Village neighborhood will allow artists and their families to gather, live, and work together in a creative space.
Minneapolis-based Artspace Projects is partnering with the Windgate Foundation on the Artspace Windgate Campus, according to a news release. Artspace, along with partners Little Rock and North Little Rock, have been exploring undertaking such a project since 2018.
Located at 1102 E. 8th St., the campus will be close to the Clinton Presidential Center, Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, and the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra’s planned Stella Boyle Smith Music Center.
Officials say work on the mixed-use project is anticipated to start in summer 2023, and they hope it will be completed in fall 2024.
In the plans are a four-story building with 60 units of “live [and] work style housing,” the release states. The units are reportedly designed to be affordable for residents who earn 30-60% of the Area Median Income.
The campus will also include working artist-in-residence studios, event and gallery space, an outdoor courtyard along College Street, and about 16,000 square feet of commercial space for local arts and cultural organizations, officials said.
Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr., in the release, called the project an “anchor for Little Rock’s expanding arts and culture scene.
"When we look at what makes cities great, it is a combination of affordable housing, economic opportunity, and exciting quality of life,” he said. “The Artspace Windgate Campus provides all three.”
Robyn Horn, board chair at the Windgate Foundation, said artists in the area have expressed enthusiasm about the new campus, which solidified “it would be a welcomed addition to Little Rock."
Victoria Ramirez, executive director for the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, said she’s excited about the location giving the artistic community new opportunities in a space that's specifically designed for them to create.