Open Dublin Proposal

A proposal for the use of vacant property in Dublin City

We, Open Dublin, are an artists initiative set up to use the vacant
properties in Dublin. We want to establish a programme that allows
artists to turn unoccupied shopfronts into temporary galleries for
free. Property owners would give artits short-term leases with a
“ten-day kick-out provision” – the space would remain on the
market with rental signs up while its being used as a gallery. We
are aware of both the huge demand for creative space, and the
abundance of vacant retail units around Dublin City. We see this as
an opportunity to enhance the ‘cultural capital’ of the city. We have
come across a huge interest in our initiative during our search for
exhibition space among different types of organizations and
establishments including Dublin City Council, The Arts Council of
Ireland, Temple Bar Cultural Trust, National Campaign for the Arts,
The Exchange Dublin and Local Arts Officers.

Our Aim
To run a temporary space within Dublin City where we could
practice and exhibit art. We would use the space as a working
studio and also as an open space for workshops and/or cultural and
artistic ventures such as open discussions, exhibitions, skill-
swapping workshops etc. This would mean a constant turnover in
display which would generate activity and day-to-day movement
from inside the space which would add life to the area increasing
commercial interest.

Benefits
For property owners and developers include:
• Free publicity for the property.
• Ongoing upkeep and maintenance.
• Increased footfall to surrounding units.
• Increasing cultural interest in surrounding
area.
We are confident that we would have a minimum of 2000 people
visiting the proposed exhibition, creating huge interest in both the
project and the property. The unit would be managed by the four of
us; we would maintain its general upkeep. As students of the
National College of Art and Design, our insurance is covered by our
student union, as long as anything we take part in we do so as
NCAD students. . We are covered under the following policy.
• Combined Liability insurance in force:
• Insurer: Allianz p.l.c.
• Renewal Date: 1 October 2010
• Employers Liability: €13,000,000
• Public Liability €2,600,000
• Indemnity to Principals Included.

The Agreement
We would like a short term agreement with a
property owner whereby we would:
• Agree that we would open the unit for
business 5 days a week.
• Host at least one evening event, managed and
promoted by us (to coincide with the Fringe
Festival/Culture Night)
• Agree to vacate the unit within ten days if a
permanent tenant is found and return unit to
original condition.
• Agree that the space remains on the market,
and open to viewings, with rental signs
displayed.
CASE STUDIES

Creative Limerick, Limerick City.

Creative Limerick is an innovative initiative set up to promote the
work of young artists while reanimating Limerick City. Creative
Limerick enables artists to use vacant prime shopfront space to
sell/endorse their work. The creative industries included in this
initiative include advertising, architecture, art and antiques
markets, computer and video games, crafts, design, fashion, film
and video, music, performing arts, publishing, software, television
and radio.

The practitioners are

“…not only supports
responsible for fitting out the the creative industries
window space, lighting and
keeping the display updated.
in Limerick but assists
Their work is insured and there vacant property owners
is no fee to the practitioners.
The initiative initially was to last
by keeping their
for a trial period of 3 months premises clean and
but has been ongoing since
November.
active, at no cost to the
owner”
Creative Limerick – Connect To
The Grid, is the first of many
practical initiatives co-ordinated
by the Economic Development Department at Limerick City Council
in association with the creative industries, commercial property
owners and their agents operating in Limerick City Centre.

Lise Ann Sheehan, project manager from Limerick City Council said
the creative industries are those that are based on individual
creativity, skill and talent. “They also have the potential to create
wealth and jobs through developing and exploiting intellectual
property,” she said. “We welcome the addition of further premises
and creatives.”

Ms Sheehan said the initiative not only supports the creative

industries in Limerick but assists vacant property owners by keeping
their premises clean and active, at no cost to the owner. She
continued: “Involvement in the initiative allows owners to be
associated with the growing creative industry in Ireland. All work
displayed is available for sale and promotion, there is no costs to
the creatives involved including licence agreements, insurance
cover and promotion. Ultimately the initiative seeks to enhance
vibrancy and active frontages in Limerick city centre while
promoting the work of the creative industries in our region.1

Through this initiative several artist “assists vacant

collectives have benefitted. For
example Faber Studios have property owners
attained an open studio space
where the public can see the artists by keeping their
at work as well as hosting
exhibitions, discussions and premises clean
workshops. Clive saysStudents from
Limeric leave after college because
and active, at no
there is no studio space. But now
people are starting to stay and
cost to the
come back! Its good for Limeric, owner”
good for the community and good
for the council.”

Tom Prendergast, founding member and curator of Occupy Space

Occupy Space is Limericks newest artist led exhibition space and
has been set up to facilitate an ever expanding need for artistic
exhibition spaces in Limerick. It is an artist led project, run by
members of Wickham Street Studios and provided through the
Creative Limerick initiative. Occupy Space will be committed to
delivering a relentlessly energetic program of exhibitions and events
and will provide a platform for engaging and challenging
contemporary art.2

1
www.limerick.ie
‘Creative Limerick, Connect to the Grid.’
Friday, September 11th 2009
2
www.limerick.ie
Arts Events in Limerick, Festivals in Limerick, ‘Preoccupied’
Temple Bar, Dublin
In the 1980s C.I.E proposed to buy-up and demolish property in the
area and build a bus terminus in its place. While this was in the
planning stages, the purchased buildings were let out at low rents,
which attracted small shops, artists and galleries to the area.
Protests by An Taisce, residents and traders led to the cancellation
of the bus station project, and the Taoiseach, Charles Haughey,
secured funding and in 1991 the government set up a not-for-profit
company called Temple Bar Properties to oversee the regeneration
of the area as Dublin's cultural quarter.

Camden Town Unlimited, Camden, London

The most successful case study of this Pop-Up Art strategy is in
Camden, London. The program was initiated in January 2009 and
aimed to fill empty retail units with interesting content and enhance
the quality of the high street. This was supported by a number of
objectives.
• Encourage the entry of new businesses
on the high street.
• Using the space to generate publicity for
the high street.
• Increase footfall to surrounding units.

CTU adopted the following strategy for acquiring space:

• Agree a short term, rent free period of 3-6 months with a
landlord on condition that CTU pay business rates and utilities
for the period of occupation,
• rebrand exterior, manage the sub-let process and agree to
vacate the unit within two weeks if a permanent tenant is
found.
• The occupier also agrees that they would open the unit for
business(agreed by arrangement) 7 days a week, host at
least one evening event (managed and promoted by the
individual),return the unit in the same condition it was
received.
• If the tenant fails to comply with the conditions or for any
other reason, CTU can terminate the show.

Performance for the first 7 months were highly successful. The

project has gathered momentum over it’s lifelime and there has
been significant interest in major businesses using the space., with
RKCR/Y&R, MTV, Dexter Moren Associated and Conran Design
Group all interested in using the space as well as a list of over 50
designers, artists and fashion graduates. The results of this
initiative also include:
• Generated 30 press
articles and over 15
Permanent tenants
related blog articles. were found for two
Publicity and press
coverage generated locations, one within
has been estimated
at delivering a 6:1
3 weeks and the
return-on- second within 6
investment in
advertising terms weeks, despite both
alone.
• Generated three
premises having
enquiries from major previously stayed
broadcasters
including the BBC for empty for over 6
long term broadcast
material.
months
• Twelve unique
exhibitions/temporary retail experiences including art shows,
final year fashion students selling catwalk pieces, free
business advice sessions, exhibition space and more.
• Initiated collaborations and introductions with over 30
businesses in the area.
• Raised over £20,000 investment from public and private
sector to invest in the project.
• Catalysed regeneration and inward investment: The landlords
have reported that the units have both been let in far shoter
periods than when they remained vacant. Permanent tenants
were found for two locations, one within 3 weeks and the
second within 6 weeks, despite both premises having
previously stayed empty for over 6 months.3

3
GLA Review, Camden Town Unlimited, Pop-up Shops. 09 Sept 2009
Free Space, New York
In New York this use of vacant retail buildings has been a huge
success. Non-profit groups using empty spaces include No Longer
Empty and The Lower Manhattan
Cultural Council. Even the long
established museum PS1 has
“One realtor
followed in this route offering
unused space to artists under the said to me
rubric “Free Space”. PS1 Director
Klaus Biesenbach says “ Free Space’ they couldn’t
get as many
encourages spirit by inviting artists,
collectives and non-profits that
share like-minded missions to
collaborate and experiment within people
the building.” According to Manon
Slome, one of the founders of this
movement realtors are happy to
through the
offer vacant properties for shows
which can attract up to 3,000
door with a
visitors at openings. “One realtor
said to me they couldn’t get as $5,000 ad as
many people through the door with
a $5,000 ad as we bring in.” These we bring in.”
symbiotic arrangements have
benefited from deveopers’ relatively
recent appreciation of the economic
stimulus arists can bring to a
property. Alanna Heiss, founder of
PS1, who in 1971 famously began the Institute of Art and Urban
Resources, a non-profit that showed avant-gard work in such
vacant spaces says she sees similarities between her organisation
and whats happening today. “There is a kind of art being made now
that seems very comfortable in unusual spaces.”4

4
www.theartnewspaper.com
‘Non-profit Properties Pop-up in Vacant Sites.’ By Andrew Goldstein, Published
online 25 Nov 2009
Chicago Loop Alliance, Chicago
Similarly in Chicago the Chicago
Loop Alliance also has an initiative
programme called Pop-Up Art Loop The programme is as
that allows artists to turn uoccupied
storefronts into temporary galleries much about helping
for free, Property owners give artits
short-term leases with a “ten-day
landlords rent their
kick-out provision” – the space
remains on the market with rental
signs up while its being used as a property as offering
gallery, and if it gets rented it has
to be vacated and returned to its artists spaces to display
original condition within ten days.
The artists may then be allowed to their work for free in
relocate the gallery to another Pop-
Up Loop space. The first three pop- huge-traffic areas.
up spaces opened in November
2009 and hopes to support 25-30
galleries by the end of 2010. CLA
executive director Ty Tabing says
that the programme is as much about helping landlords rent their
property as offering artists spaces to display their work for free in
huge-traffic areas. “This is a temporary response to the retail
environment because what we’re advocating is the rental of these
spaces.” 5

5
www.chicagoreader.com
‘Pop-up Art Loop Opens Temporary Galleries in Vacant Loop Shopfronts’, Julie
Thiel, Published online 25 Nov 2009.
We have put this proposal together in hopes that, if there is enough
research and readily available information about the potential the
vacant properties hold, it will be easier for an alliance to be formed
between you, the property owner and us, the artists. We hope we
have outlined our aims and objectives clearly and that you can see
the benefits of our proposed project. We are serious about
undertaking the responsibility and work involved in running and
curating an exhibition/gallery space. We are available to discuss any
or all of our ideas and to work out an agreement that benefits both
parties.

Looking forward to hearing from you,

Kari Cahill, Greg Howie, Hugo Byrne & Hannah Fitz.
Contact Details

Email: opendublin@gmail.com

Phone: Kari Cahill – 085 779 9171

Greg Howie – 085 717 5168
Hugo Byrne – 085 154 6377
Hannah Fitz – 086 844 6105

www.opendublin.wordpress.com