One of the studios involved in Boteringestraat in Groningen. Photo: Google Street View
A petition for the preservation of 62 studios in the center of Groningen has now been signed by more than 850 people.
The petition has been online since Friday. The signatories try to make it clear to the landlords that they support the artists and also believe that the paid studio space should remain.
Housing associations want to get rid of tenants
The artists sounded the alarm in November when they discovered that the Lefier and Patrimonium cooperatives have other plans for the buildings and – some after more than 40 years – want to get rid of the tenants (some of whom also live there).
Artists want more studio space
The Professional Association for Visual Artists, Professional Organization for Artists, Kunstenbond and Platform Visual Arts are afraid that the spaces will be sold to the real estate mafia and become unaffordable for artists.
They want the municipality to significantly expand the number of studios so that Groningen can continue to measure itself as an art city against cities such as Maastricht, Rotterdam, Tilburg and Utrecht.