South Main Artspace Lofts Celebrate New Artist Enclave

Artspace invites the public to the Nov. 8 Grand Opening of the South Main Artspace Lofts (120 & 138 St. Paul Avenue), a $17 million arts development in the heart of the South Main district in Memphis, TN. The mixed-use arts campus pairs a restored historic warehouse with new construction, collectively housing 63 apartments for artists of all disciplines to live and work; as well as commercial space for creative businesses like ArtUp, a nonprofit that invests in creative entrepreneurs to empower disinvested communities.

The blend of artist housing and creative commercial space creates an artist enclave that will be part of the downtown Memphis landscape for years to come.

The Grand Opening, which is free and open to the public, will take place 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 8. Events will showcase the talents of the artists living in the South Main Artspace Lofts, including a fashion show featuring the work of Paul Thomas, a gallery exhibition presenting a wide variety of artworks created by the artist residents, live music by artists like internationally renowned soul singer Tonya Dyson, and more. RSVPs are encouraged via www.artspace.org/memphis.

"The South Main Artspace Lofts Grand Opening promises to be one of the most rewarding in Artspace's history. Eight years in the making, it took incredible community partnerships and investment to allow this incredible project to develop and for this historic day to arrive," said Heidi Zimmer, Artspace Senior Vice President, Property Development. "We are proud that Memphis is home to Arstpace's first project in the state of Tennessee, and we are thrilled to see the space already thriving with creative artists and their families."

Artspace-the Minneapolis-based nonprofit organization that uses the tools of real estate development to create affordable places where artists can live and work-has spent nearly a

decade developing the South Main Artspace Lofts, rehabilitating the historic, three-story United Warehouse and transforming an adjacent, vacant parking lot with new construction. The resultant 93,830 square-foot, mixed-use arts facility activates a formerly unoccupied block with 63 units of affordable live/work space for artists and their families; commercial space for local nonprofit organizations and arts-oriented small businesses; and outdoor community space. The South Main Artspace Lofts are part of roughly $200 million in investments to the South Main district including renovations to the National Civil Rights Museum, the Orpheum Theatre, and the Main Street to Main Street Multi-Modal Connector Project.

South Main Artspace Lofts Credits

Artspace gratefully acknowledges the following lead contributors to the South Main Artspace Lofts: An Anonymous Friend; The Assisi Foundation of Memphis; AutoZone; Nelda and Tyrone Burroughs; Center City Development Corporation, Downtown Memphis Commission; City of Memphis, Division of Housing and Community Development; City of Memphis; Delta Regional Authority; Educational Foundation of America; First Tennessee Foundation; Ford Foundation; The Health, Education, and Housing Facility Board of Shelby County; The Health, Educational, and Housing Facility Board of the City of Memphis; Ellen and Jay Heavilon; Hyde Family Foundations; National Endowment for the Arts; LOEB Properties; Dianne and Myron Mall; Southern Sun Asset Management; Tennessee Arts Commission; and Tennessee Housing Development Agency.

The Grand Opening is sponsored by: Looney Ricks Kiss, Montgomery Martin, and Pinnacle Financial Partners.

Artspace additionally thanks the South Main Grand Opening Host Committee, comprised of co- chairs Kerry Hayes & Sutton Mora Hayes and Gretchen & Kojo McLennon; as well as Nelda and Tyrone Burroughs, Kim Caldwell, Whitney Hardy, Pitt and Barbara Hyde, Dianne and Myron Mall, Montgomery Martin, Lester Merriweather and Dorian Spears, John Pontius, Larry Robinson, Linda Steele, Arnold Thompson, and Phil and Terry Woodard.

About Artspace Projects, Inc.

Founded in 1979, Artspace is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to create, foster, and preserve affordable and sustainable space for artists and arts organizations. To fulfill that mission, Artspace uses the tools of real estate development to construct or restore places where artists can affordably live and work. Artspace buildings also support healthy communities, anchored in existing assets. With a commitment to affordability, Artspace ensures that the spaces remain accessible to artists and their families in perpetuity. Artspace's unique portfolio, developed over three decades, includes 50 projects nationwide and represents more than $650 million invested in America's infrastructure. Beyond developing places, Artspace has also served as a consultant to hundreds of arts communities coast-to-coast, helping others advance their visions. While embracing the value the arts bring to individual lives, Artspace champions the once-radical idea that artists and arts organizations can leverage fundamental social change. Artspace's headquarters are located in Minneapolis, with additional offices in Denver, New Orleans, New York, Seattle, and Washington D.C. For more information, please visit www.artspace.org.

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