With work beginning to wrap up on the Gravity development’s second phase, a large number of new residential units are set to come onto the market over the course of the next few months in Franklinton. Four of those units, though, will be set aside for artists as part of a recently-announced pilot program.
Two local artists have already been selected for the program – AJ Vanderelli and Hakim Callwood. Kaufman Development (Gravity’s developer), and the Franklinton Arts District (a partner in the pilot project), will be accepting applications for the final two spots through May 15.
The four artists will live rent-free in a four-bedroom, fully-furnished apartment in what is now being called Building D, a five-story building at 440 W. State St. The total cost of the apartment is $3,290 a month.
The building features both standard private apartments and what it calls shared living units that have private bedrooms with lockable doors that open onto shared living space.
The artists will be expected to create one “public-engagement piece” each month of the residency, which could range from a talk or presentation to a performance of some type.
The pilot program runs from June 1 to December 1 of this year. A spokesperson for Kaufman Development said that the program will be evaluated at the end of the six month period, at which point it could potentially be extended or reconfigured in some way.
“Fostering creative expression is one of the key tenants Gravity was built on, and we are thrilled to support artists in a really meaningful way through our Gravity Artist Residency,” said Gravity Founder Brett Kaufman, in a press release. “We firmly believe that the arts amplify quality of life across the broader community, and this program is another way we can elevate living for both the artists and the people who will be moved by their work.”
“I am excited about this opportunity,” Vanderelli said. “I spent time in a live-work arts community in 2007- 2008 at Milo Arts, and that experience had an enormous impact on my work and my trajectory. Making art can be so isolating, and living and working and sharing with other artists helps to keep some of the ego at bay.”
In addition to Building D, the new Gravity phase will also include a 12-story mixed-use building and a six-story office building (both located on the south side of Broad Street, across from the original Gravity building), an 889-space parking garage, and a five-story apartment and townhome building that lines the west side of the garage and faces McDowell Street.
Apartments in the 12-story building are now leasing, and the townhomes are listed on the project website as “arriving late 2023.” Gravity’s third phase, located at the corner of Broad and South May Street and dubbed Greenhouse, is scheduled to open in 2025.
For more information on the Art in Residency Pilot Program, including how to apply, see gravityproject.com.