Final Project Questions to Consider

1. Discussion of the site and the pertinent conditions that will have an impact on your project

- My project is located in East Bushwick. This area has seen little gentrification so far and still is home to a large population of low-income Hispanic residents. Keeping that in mind, our presence is not an immediate necessity, which is why El Sótano is focused on making the space an all-inclusive and easily accessible space that appeals to the public in the area and elsewhere. We want to bring art to this area as a way of communication. Much of the public art in the area has the motif of bringing the community together for positive change. Luckily, our presence and the structure of the project is very far from the capitalist structure that causes more gentrification so we hope to not be placed in the same category as art spaces that are a catalyst for that. 

  2. Discussion of how that project intersect with government structures and regulations;

- I plan to register this project as a non-profit organization, which means there is a dependency on the government for resources. These resources will be met through grants that would be used to finance the production of exhibitions, artist talks, and events. We will have to register the space as a non-profit and learn how to write grants, know who to reach out to for sponsorships, and networking to find funds elsewhere. 

3. Discussion of what you see as a realistic planning, development and execution timeline;

-Currently, we are established as an informal space. We have had our first artist talk and we are in the process of setting up for our first exhibition that was achieved through an international open call. I am hoping that in the next 6-9 months we will have at least 3-4 more exhibitions and plenty more artist talks and community outreach events. We plan to host an exhibition for world pride month in June. Hopefully, in September of 2019, we will apply to be a non-profit. We plan to stay in the current space for as long as possible. 

4. The initial outline of aspects of the project that will have associated costs, make notes about what is required to determine real costs

- The most basic cost is rent but due to our situation, that is already covered within our personal rent for living, meaning that having the space is at no additional cost to us. The other costs include all materials for exhibitions such as flyers, posters, catalogs, installation materials, and shipment of artworks. So far, we are asking artists to provide everything necessary for their individual pieces to be shipped and installed and then reshipped to them. We are paying out of our own pocket for other materials. We wish to, in the near future, be able to have grants for the production of events and exhibitions.