Studios for artists in Philadephia?

May 11, 2010 8:19 AM

Ideas for affordable artist studio space in Philadelphia? My fiancee and I are moving to Philly so that I can attend a grad program at Penn. She needs access to some kind of affordable studio space so that she can work on her master's thesis (costume construction). Can you help us look?

We originally thought we'd get an apartment that was big enough for her to have working space, but that seems to be a bit of a waste of money - we won't need the extra space for most of the time we're down here, and the neighborhoods we're looking in are fairly expensive. Here's more about our requirements:

- Space could be as small as 150 square feet
- We don't have a car, so needs to be accessible by public transit (coming from Rittenhouse Square)
- Ideally in a safe neighborhood
- Doesn't have to be in Philly proper if the commute is reasonable

Thank you so much for your help!

posted by thumpasor to Media & Arts (8 answers total)

Best answer: Might I refer you to Philly's Craigslist? I did a quick search in office/commercial spaces and found a bunch. I don't know Philly neighborhoods all that well, though, so someone else will have to chime in there.
posted by rachaelfaith at 8:34 AM on May 11, 2010

Best answer: Someone else will probably chime in with more detail, but a lot of artists have studios in Fishtown, because of the affordable industrial spaces there. Fishtown is north of Old City (part of Center City where there are a lot of art galleries). You might also try Northern Liberties, also in the north part of center city. Both of these areas are not too far from Rittenhouse Square.
posted by bearette at 8:54 AM on May 11, 2010

Best answer: I'd check South Philly as well. I know people with studios there and in Fishtown and the northern end of NoLibs.
posted by The Michael The at 9:03 AM on May 11, 2010

Best answer: Accessing Fishtown by the El from Rittenhouse isn't unsafe as gentrification has been out of control there in the past few years but it isn't really what I would consider entry level urban living, either. I had a friend get a gun stuck in his face not far from the Berks stop after dark a little while ago, and while basically anything between Girard and Huntingdon is going to be mostly okay especially during the day if you're walking east, it will drop off really fast if you walk west. If you are from out of town and not city dwellers I would recommend taking a look at Fishtown with your fiancee after you get here and decide for yourselves how you feel about it.
posted by The Straightener at 9:27 AM on May 11, 2010 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Philly here, too. Nthing bearette (and others). Fishtown/Northern Liberties is the place to go for cheap studio space in Philadelphia, and it's pretty accessible. Check out craigslist!

Also, get a bike! :D
posted by Lizsterr at 9:56 AM on May 11, 2010

Best answer: Pteredactly is a really cool gallery and the owners are nice. They have a studio for rent.
posted by useyourmachinegunarm at 11:12 AM on May 11, 2010

Best answer: I meant Pterodactyl... but the link is correct.
posted by useyourmachinegunarm at 11:12 AM on May 11, 2010

Response by poster: Thank you all! (Sorry about the multiple "best answer" flags... they were all really helpful!)
posted by thumpasor at 2:09 PM on September 24, 2010