Photos
Mt. Airy Art Garage officials and nearby neighbors have come to an agreement that will allow it to expand in a way that pleases both sides.
At a West Mt. Airy Neighbors Zoning Committee meeting last month, garage officials said they are looking to install seven new artist studios inside that would allow people to come by and work there. They also hope the space would allow the artists to set up what garage representatives are calling "art markets," which would permit them to sell their work from inside.
Committee members said at the meeting that the property is currently zoned for commercial use, but artist studios of that sort are not considered to be commercial in nature. A variance would allow it to house the studios inside its property.
People who live near the space at 9-11 W. Mt. Airy Ave., however, said at the meeting they were concerned that glass blowers or other noisy artists could set up shop inside a studio and create a noise problem. They also worried that exhaust could be blown through a chimney adjacent to private homes and properties.
Zoning Committee members said a proviso that would attempt to restrict activities like glass blowing from happening on the site could potentially be inserted into any variance.
After the committee voted to support a variance in this particular situation—it makes recommendations to the city Zoning Board of Adjustment, which then makes its final call on the matter—the neighbors and the art garage officials went to work to try to work out an agreement that would be amenable to everyone.
Neighbor Ben Monette said he was pleased with what the two sides settled upon. Essentially, they said there would be no glassblowing or any such activities that could cause disruption to the neighbors' well-being.
Monette said he wants to support activities like the art garage near Mt. Airy's main thoroughfare.
"Germantown Avenue is still trying to find out what it wants to be," he said. "This potentially is a good step forward for that as it kind of grows up.
"We're definitely positive about it," Monette added.
Art Garage President Linda Slodki said she was similarly pleased.
"The neighbors want an art center, and we want to be responsive to our community’s concerns—after all, we all live in the Northwest, as do our MAAG member artists," Slodki wrote in an email. "We talked it out, we refined our issues, and we are just really pleased at the outcome."
The Zoning Board of Adjustment hearing is March 15.
Karen Rile
6:52 pm on Tuesday, March 8, 2011
I'm glad to hear about the proposed Art Garage in Mt. Airy. But as the parent of a young woman who is glassblowing major in college, I'm also amused to read that glassblowers have been singled out as noisy, disruptive menaces to society. I can happily report that my daughter is a calm and quiet citizen whose art-making does not pose a threat to neighbors here or in Cleveland, where she is pursuing her BFA. As for me, I'd rather live next door to a glassblower than to a garage band.
Linda Slodki, President and Cofounder of MAAG
9:12 am on Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Hi Karen, thanks for making me smile this morning. Just a clarification. The community discussion addressed concerns for neighboring residents including fire hazards, ventilation, etc. It wasn't that we didn't appreciate glassblowers or single them out for being noisy. :) It was just to ensure we wouldn't pose excessive risk to the community. So, as we build out our artists' studios we would not be able to rent to a glass blower, for example. as we could not accomodate a major firing glass furnace. Although we are proud to welcome them as a MAAG member--show their work in our gallery, teach workshops, and participate in our juried shows. Our vision is to create a Center for the Arts in the northwest that will house a permanent juried member gallery, an ongoing juried Fine Art and Handcraft Market, classes and workshops, and resource center for both artists and art lovers.
Ken Weinstein
9:13 am on Wednesday, March 9, 2011
The Art Garage will be a great addition to the Germantown Avenue Business Corridor in Mt. Airy. We like the energy they will bring and look forward to working with them to bring more visitors to this part of northwest Philly.
Angela Rapalyea
1:28 pm on Wednesday, March 9, 2011
I'm really interested in having a booth at Mt. Airy day but have been unable to solicit a response to numerous phone and email messages...can you help?
tiwa.speaker@verizon.net
Karen Rile
4:23 pm on Wednesday, March 9, 2011
@ Linda. Thanks for your reply-- and MAAG sounds like a terrific addition to the community.
Ava
9:16 pm on Wednesday, March 9, 2011
A great addition to the community! Kudos to MAAG and the neighbors for coming to an agreement on what is an appropriate land use at the interface of residential and commercial land. If I had a bedroom window less than 20 feet from a possible ventilation outlet, I would pose similar concerns, especially for small children. Although it is a beautiful art, glass blowing does pose some health risks.
http://www.ci.tucson.az.us/arthazards/
http://www.eastfallsglass.com/safety.php
Rebecca SUbar
1:51 am on Thursday, March 10, 2011
Yay for the artists and the neighbors sorting it out!
Betsy Florez
2:51 pm on Thursday, March 10, 2011
Oil paint is extremely toxic, containing the very same heavy metals that are used to color glass. Inhaling sawdust, wax dust, and paper dust is equally dangerous to respiratory systems. There are tons of toxins in glues, and resins, often used by many non-glass artists. The fumes from welding and soldering are toxic and dangerous, and hammering and a woodshop would be much louder.
Using a glass furnace or an annealing kiln is like using a gas or electric oven, respectively. How often do we hear about fires starting from an oven (vs. the stovetop, deepfryer, ashtray, fireplace, and most of all, candles)?
I guess it's a good thing that glass studios cost tens of thousands of dollars and enormous expertise to build and run, and it seems incredibly unlikely that this was a real concern.
Karen Rile
3:57 pm on Thursday, March 10, 2011
@ Betsy, so true about the glass furnace being incredibly expensive to build and maintain. There are already glass hot shops locally in East Falls and in Chestnut Hill (at the Crefeld School), anyway. It did not occur to me that someone would seriously want to install a hotshop; we were just amused that glassblowing was characterized as noisy. A flame work studio, by contrast, is inexpensive and relatively safe (my daughter has one in our home), and quiet, although ventilation is always a concern, as it is for many other types of arts.
Ben Monette
12:35 pm on Friday, March 11, 2011
I think there is an emphasis on the reference to glass-blowing in the quote that Zach used that has become a bit overstated. The proviso referenced many activities beyond that particular endeavor and it was only used as an example. Our concern is for the health and livability of the entire neighborhood and for the economic and aesthetic development of Germantown Ave. I consult and design on a daily basis with artists who produce large public art pieces. I have many artist friends who work in mediums of all types glass, and have personally worked in machine shops that manufactured art pieces. Perhaps others have had other experiences, but in my experience, it can be difficult to draw the line between an industrial shop and an artist studio.
The building in question is zoned commercial and we wanted to be sure that the activities performed in that building were copasetic with both the adjacent commercial and residential uses. It was evident that this was MAAG’s concern as well and that they too were interested in the three basic tenants of livability: economic health, ecological health (and this includes personal health), and social health--which is why we could agree on the proviso. We think MAAG is not only an appropriate use for this space, but one that will inform that growth of our neighborhood in a positive manner. We heartily welcome MAAG to the neighborhood and when you come to visit them, please remember to wave to the neighbors, we are a friendly group :)