Artists' Quake Aid Final Report 

 

This report was published in September 2001.

Table of Contents

  • Forward
  • Executive Summary
  • Section II: Summary of the Artists' Quake Aid (AQUA) Report
  • Section III: Artist and Gallery Case Studies
  • Section IV: General Conclusions
  • Section V: Key Concerns for Artists
  • Section VI: Short Term Set of Recommendations
  • Section VII: Long Term Recommendations/Issues Raised by the Earthquake
  • Section VIII: Artists' Quake Aid Statistics
  • Section X: Studio Preparedness Earthquake Tip Sheet
  • Earthquake Preparedness Resources 
  • Section VIII. ARTISTS' QUAKE AID STATISTICS

    Total Applications: 62
    Eligible Applicants: 58
    Awards Made: 48

    Amount of Awards:

      $1,500 - 16 Awards
      $1,000 - 3 Awards
      $750 - 9 Awards
      $500 - 5 Awards
      $250 - 15 Awards
    Applicant Pool Breakdown:

    County:
      King County - 53 applicants
      Pierce County - 4 applicants
      Mason County - 1 applicant
      Island County - 1 applicant
      Snohomish - 1 applicant
      Kitsap County - 2 applicants
    Discipline:
      Visual Arts - 48 applicants
      Performing Arts - 9 applicants
      Interdisciplinary Arts - 4 applicants
      Media Arts - 1 applicant
    50% or More of Time Producing Artwork: 61 applicants

    Primary Income for the Last 3 years from artwork: 39 applicants

    Practicing Artist for How Many Years:
      1-5 yrs: 4 applicants
      6-10 yrs: 19 applicants
      11-15 yrs: 14 applicants
      16-20 yrs: 11 applicants
      21-25 yrs: 8 applicants
      26-30 yrs: 5 applicants
      31+ yrs: 1 applicant

    Impacted Workspace: 36 applicants

    Permanent Loss: 18 applicants

    Unsure about Permanence: 8 applicants

    Temporary Loss: 10 applicants

    Artists in Live/work spaces: 5 applicants

    Live/work artists in red-tagged buildings: 4 applicants

    Artists living in illegal live/work spaces: 2 applicants

    Artists with spaces in unreinforced masonry buildings that were condemned: 7 applicants

    Artists in unreinforced masonry buildings that were evacuated for repairs: 10 applicants

    Most Pressing Need at the time of Application due date:
      31 Funds for materials & time to recreate damaged artwork
      25 Funds reimbursement for lost work time
      15 Funds for operating costs
      15 Funds for moving expenses
      12 Funds for lost sales of work
      11 Finding new work space
      10 Funds for rent difference
      10 Funds to replace or repair equipment
      9 Get new workspace built & operating
      6 Funds for repairing damage to work space
      3 Belongings, artwork, equipment or files trapped in condemned building
      2 Living illegally/afraid to apply for other funding
      1 Funds for childcare
    How Award Money Was Spent:
      16 Materials & supplies
      10 Rental temporary or new work space
      9 Build out new space
      8 Reimbursement lost work time
      7 Rent difference
      6 Moving or storage expenses
      5 Replace or repair equipment
      5 Work time to recreate damaged artwork or work on new space
      4 Operating Costs
      3 Repair or clean up work space
      2 Childcare costs
      1 Earthquake preparedness supplies
    Applicant Identifies Personal Impact from Earthquake:
      25 Damaged artwork
      25 Loss of work time
      20 Loss of work space
      18 Building red-tagged by DCLU
      16 Damaged equipment & materials
      5 Loss of living space
    Total Losses (from all applicants) for RELOCATION COSTS: $64,621
    Workspace Questionnaires Received: 34 (See Below)
    Inventory Losses: 33 applicants

    Total Losses (from all applicants) of Inventory Losses: $889,911

    Lost Equipment or Materials: 34 applicants

    Total Losses (from all applicants) of Equip. or Mater.: $60,726

    Lost Work Time: 47 applicants

    Total Losses (from all applicants) of Lost Work Time: $155,595

    Total Other Expenses Occurred: $115, 946
    OVERALL TOTAL LOSSES FROM ALL APPLICANTS: $1,286,799

    WORK SPACE QUESTIONNAIRES STATISTICS
    Conducted at Application Time

    # of Surveys: 34

    Square Footage:
      12 0-999 sq. ft.
      10 1,000-1,500 sq. ft.
      1 1,600-2,000 sq. ft
      1 2,100-2,500 sq. ft
      6 2,600-3,000 sq. ft
      1 3,100-4,000 sq. ft
      1 4,100-5,000 sq. ft.
      0 Over 5,000 sq. ft
    Living Space Square Footage:
      1 0-100 sq. ft.
      1 201-500 sq. ft.
      6 501-1,000 sq. ft.
      2 1,000-3,000 sq. ft.
    Type of Impact on Workspace:
      10 Building Condemned
      11 Evacuation for Repairs
      10 Need for Future Repair
    Age of Structure:
      32 Pre-1920's
      12 1920âs to 1970's
      1 Post -1970's
      2 Don't Know
    Structure Description:
      20 Unreinforced Masonry
      10 Wood
      3 Concrete
      0 Steel Frame
      5 Combination
      1 Don't Know
    Found Temporary Workspace:
      11 Yes
      10 No
    Amount Rent Increase New Space:
      5 0-$50
      5 $200-$300
      5 $301-1,000
      4 $1,000-$2,000
      6 No Increase
    Concerns/Issues Breakdown:
      13 Building Unsafe
      7 Finding New Space
      5 Buildings' Future Unclear
      3 Prevention Future Damage to Artwork
      3 Finding Landlord Sympathetic to Artists' Needs
      3 Elevator Problems
      3 Problems Getting Equip/Artwork, out of red-tagged buildings
      3 No Concerns
      2 Long Term Rental Stability
      2 Need Special Working Conditions
      2 Emergency Exits Clear
      1 Emotionally Traumatized
      1 Parking Problems New Space
    FOLLOW-UP SURVEY STATISTICS

    Surveys Received: 28

    Lost Work space:
      12 Yes
      16 No
    Found New Work space:
      7 Yes
      3 No
      2 Long-term
      1 Temporary
      1 Back in old space
    Process of Finding New Work space:
      8 Word of mouth
      5 Newspaper
      5 Web email list
      3 Rented local studios for rehearsals
      3 Artist Trust Information Services to find space
      2 Worked temporarily at home
      2 Borrowed work space from friends
      2 Unable to find space at an affordable price
      1 Building out new space at home or on land
      1 Frustrated with rent increase
      1 Frustrated with space availability
      1 Spaces for rent with cracks in wall for earthquake? No way.
    Increase/Decrease in Rent/Square Footage of New Work space:
      4 Rent Increase over $100
      3 Rent Increase over $300
      1 Rent Increase over $100
      2 Rent Decrease (with space decrease)
      3 Space Increase (with rent increase)
      3 Space Decrease 0-500 sq. ft.
      1 Space Decrease 500-1,500 sq. ft.
      1 Space Decrease over 1,500 sq. ft.
    Narrative on Building Out New Work space:
      4 Did Own Labor: Sheet rocking, Painting, Floor Refinishing, Tearing Down Walls, Carpentry
      3 Hired Contractors for Carpentry or Electric
      3 Special Skills include those mentioned above
      2 Family & Friends helped to do work
    Applicants Were Unable to Practice Art After the Earthquake For:
      10 1 to 2 months
      5 More than 2 months
      4 1 to 2 weeks
      2 Still working at a reduced level
      1 2 to 4 weeks
      1 Still unable to work without work space
    Resources That Helped After the Earthquake:
      15 AQUA (Artists' Quake Aid)
      8 Family & Friends
      3 Credit Card
      4 FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)
      4 DUA (Disaster Unemployment for Self Employed Artists thru FEMA)
      3 Personal funds/loans
      2 SBA (Small Business Administration)
      2 Working temp jobs
      1 CERF (Craft Emergency Relief)
      1 Pollock-Krasner
      1 WSAC (Washington State Arts Commission)
      1 Arts Community
      1 Arts Organization
      1 Selling off equipment
      1 Large trash container
      1 Gallery
      1 Personal handyman skills and time
      1 Prayer
    Types of Training Applicants Want:
      18 How to store artwork to prevent damage
      14 Work space safety
      11 General precautions on what to do during and after an earthquake
      3 How to secure equipment
      1 Advice on how to store or secure original slides of artwork
      1 Artists access to affordable safe buildings
    Non-Tangible Issues or Concerns After the Earthquake:
      11 Ability to make income from art
      11 General stress
      9 Emotional trauma
      4 Ability to find new space
      6 Loss of community
      2 Financial burden of rent increase
      2 Stress from living on the edge
      2 Stress from losing so much artwork
      1 Shock
      1 Inability to make decisions
      1 Earthquake one more blow to Pioneer Square
      1 Overwhelmed
    Biggest Concern for Future Earthquakes:
      6 Loss of inventory
      4 Earthquake preparedness
      5 Building unsafe
      4 Health and safety for people
      3 Do not want studio in vulnerable building
      2 Loss of equipment
      2 Insuring artwork
      2 Loss of income
      2 Concerned about how most affordable spaces are in unsafe buildings
      1 Safety of galleries
      1 Having to move again
      1 Spending more money on work space causing artists to have to be more commercial not by choice
    Comments or Suggestions by Artists:
      7 Thankful for AQUA for financial and morale benefit
      3 Artists will be gone in Seattle unless affordable space is more available
      2 Government programs did not address artists needs
      2 Artists are overlooked as a workforce by society
      2 Unsafe building is the problem
      2 More affordable art designated buildings
      1 $40,000 will only help with a fraction of artists losses
      1 More government emergency assistance programs for artists specifically with studio space and financial aid
      1 Want to be better informed about resources
      1 Gallery not informed in the beginning, then helped to get the word out
      1 Want affordable earthquake insurance for artwork
      1 Everything is temporary ö Nature is a powerful force
      1 Don't use tall shelving to store artwork
      1 Be sure to have a second set of original slides in a safe, secure space
      1 Be sure to backup hard drive regularly
      1 Wanting of equity for certain artists to buy buildings and then rent to other artists
    COMPARATIVE STATISTICS

    Seattle Foundation

    Program: Disaster Assistance for non-profit organizations who owned their buildings that suffered damage
      # of Requests: 35
      Funded Requests: 29
      Total Amount Requested: Over $5 million
      Total Amount Awarded: $541,000
      Non-profit Arts Entities Funded: Wing Luke Asian Art Museum & NW Railway Museum
    City of Seattle

    Reported Damage Estimates As Follows:
      Non-profit Organizations who have responded: $27,477,144
      (many organizations are still waiting for damage estimates)
      Buildings that were permanently condemned/red-tagged by DCLU: 2
      Buildings that were yellow tagged by DCLU: 4
    Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

    # of Registrations with FEMA by County:
      King: 15,087
      Kitsap: 2,521
      Mason: 757
      Pierce: 7,696
      Snohomish: 1,407
      Thurston: 5,092
    Approved Temporary Housing Assistance:
      King: $17,432,894
      Kitsap: $2,991,100
      Mason: $1,026,936
      Pierce: $10,145,676
      Snohomish: $1,068,461
      Thurston: $5,253,941
    SBA Approved Disaster Loans:
      King: $31,665,200
      Kitsap: $3,772,400
      Mason: $987,100
      Pierce: $9,121,500
      Snohomish: $1,454,700
      Thurston: $10,845,400