Staten Island Culture Lounge
For more information visit: Staten Island Culture Lounge, Facebook
Photos and Story By: Alicea Ulmer
Like a nomad moving about seasonally to find necessities to live, Staten Island arts constantly changed homes for many years. Dating back to 1992, Staten Island arts has been on a mission to serve all of Staten Island. With no home space, they attended community events to meet artists and attract an audience. In 2010, they were renting basements to settle into and promote their art.
Melanie Cohn, the former Executive Director for Staten Island Arts, along with the Staten Island Borough President worked together to make today’s location possible. Currently located inside the Staten Island Ferry terminal, The Staten Island Culture Lounge has been revamped. It is currently the only culture lounge in a commuter area in the country. When finding a home, Staten Island Arts took into account accessibility and convenience for their visitors and residents commuting daily on the ferry. They studied the area and decided it would be the best fit. “What is the role of art in the community is the question we asked ourselves,” said Deputy Director of Staten Island Arts, Monica Valenzuela. The goal of the experiment was to open up and build awareness to ferry goers. “I think the concept of the culture lounge is dope, however I don’t feel like the system is strong enough to fulfill that idea,” said Marcus Jefferson Jr. a visitor at the exhibit.
The Culture Lounge operates from 11a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, with around 200 visitors per day. “Attendance comes in bursts. Prior to moving here, we would get around 16,000 visits per year. We’ve exceeded that our first six months at this location,” said Valenzuela. To increase attendance, advertising is key. With a small budget, the Staten Island Culture lounge must look to cheaper options to advertise. “We use Facebook and Instagram. Mostly Facebook. Social media is free. We also send out Email blasts.” said Valenzuela. While it may attract visitors to poke their head in and see what the space is about, sometimes holding the visitors’ attention can be tough. “ When I went, it was very empty,” said Jefferson. Although he is into the arts, what brought him in on this day was his dad a local artist, looking to promote his work at the culture lounge. “The exhibits can be stronger, I think it will attract a larger audience,” he said.
Since it is a non-profit, the Staten Island Culture Lounge receives city and state funding. They rely heavily on grants and donations. However, they also receive commissions from artist who pay to set up a table of their products to be displayed. “Artist can pay for a table to set up stuff like handmade objects. They pay for one or two days; but they get to keep whatever money they earn selling their product.” explained Valenzuela. Artists are also encouraged to sell their original pieces to the culture lounge. In return, the culture lounge fully supports the artists, working to get them resources. They also hold fundraisers to try and get artists paid.
Staten Island Arts has a huge community presence. “We evaluate the areas to understand audiences. We work in schools and communities; we work with traditional artists like folk artists, we also accept proposals for our gallery,” said Valenzuela. Community outreach is important. The mission of Staten Island Arts is to serve all of Staten Island. The culture lounge prides themselves on their work with the community and trying to serve all of Staten Island, but sometimes it may fall short. “I don’t necessarily blame them, their budget doesn’t allow for certain things,” says Jefferson. But he does feel they can have a stronger presence in the community then they do now. He thinks they should look beyond schools. “Look into those artists who are struggling, working two jobs to survive, but still perfecting their craft and passion,” he said.
While still growing, Valenzuela said that there’s not much capacity to open more spaces. But the hope is that, not in the near future, but maybe long-term, they will be able to open another location deeper in Staten Island to better serve the borough.
I like how this business revolves around the awareness of art, and it also ties in with the community in which the art is based around. Alphabet City and the East Village always had art backgrounds, especially during the ’80s, and New Yorkers always associate art with neighborhoods such as those. I think that businesses like this, especially non-profits, will have an impact in the cultural aspect of a community and raise not only foot traffic, but interest in which the art is located.
Great pictures to showcase the art at the culture lounge. I like how you added in how they try to help their artists as well as the community through the appreciation of art.