Allston Artist Community
Allston (“Rock City”) was once known as an affordable and desirable place for artists to live and was home to a robust artist community. There were ample small performance venues, rehearsal spaces and studio spaces in old lofts and industrial buildings. Most importantly, housing was affordable. In recent years, that has changed dramatically as artists of every discipline are feeling the pressures of the increased cost of living and rapidly rising housing costs. Our neighborhood artists have also lost access to many of the affordable art studios and rehearsal spaces, as industrial buildings are redeveloped and replaced by high-end (and high-priced) developments.
Liz is your advocate to protect and promote our important artist community in the face of development and displacement. As your City Councilor representing Allston-Brighton, Liz works with members of the artist community and City of Boston agencies to identify innovative ways to support and build a thriving local arts scene that can be a cultural and economic driver for the neighborhood. The COVID-19 pandemic has made these initiatives even more important.
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Liz is an advocate for Allston to be established as one of the three Arts Innovation Districts which are part of the The Imagine Boston 2030 plan.
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Liz supports grants and other financial support for our artist community in order to fuel our arts economic engine, raise the standard of living for artists, enliven our main streets, and support our locally owned small businesses, all while making Allston an arts destination in our vibrant and growing city.
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Liz continues to advocate for the construction of more housing that is affordable with live-work spaces that will accommodate working artists and musicians.
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Allston Village has several beautiful murals that enliven the streetscape and create a sense of place. Liz is working with Allston-Brighton Main Streets and the city to create a graffiti wall to expand the range of street art and murals. She supports creating more artist-friendly green spaces, “pocket parks” which can accommodate small open-air performances (buskers, mimes, and puppetry artists, for example) and enhance the experience and enjoyment of our urban neighborhood.