After 15 years in Little Haiti, this Miami arts nonprofit has to close its studios

by Amanda Rosa for the Miami Herald

Fountainhead Studios, a studio space in Little Haiti run by local arts nonprofit Fountainhead Arts, will close after nearly 15 years. The building will be demolished. The nonprofit will host one last open studio event at the complex on Nov. 12 followed by an after party to celebrate its time in the space. Funds raised from ticket sales for the event will be distributed among the artists who worked at the studios “as a way of saying thank you for being a part of our community and for being the incredible artists that you are,” said Fountainhead co-founder Kathryn Mikesell. Artists’ works will be on sale as well.

While this is the end of the building that housed 30 studios, Fountainhead will still operate in Miami, host its Morningside artist residency program and run Artists Open, an event where artists across Miami-Dade County open their studios to the public. For now, the group is not planning on opening another studio complex.

“We’re certainly not stepping away from supporting local artists,” said associate director Nicole Martinez. “We’re just going to be doing it a little bit differently.” Though closing the studios is bittersweet, Mikesell said she is proud of what Fountainhead and its artists have achieved over the years. Miami-Dade’s Top 50 best-paid employees See who earns the most in Miami-Dade County government READ MORE “We really are celebrating. This was a beautiful moment in time of bringing these artists together and having a supportive community,” Mikesell said. “That community will live beyond the physical space.”

Fountainhead learned that it would have to leave the building in January, which gave artists a full year’s notice to prepare and find studio arrangements, Mikesell said. Thank you for supporting local journalism Your subscription allows us to provide our readers with quality, relevant journalism that makes a difference. We believe a platform for sharing local news is critical to our community – and we're glad you think so, too.

Fountainhead occupied the building even as ownership changed over the years. Fountainhead Studios began in 2008 as an affordable and flexible studio space for artists to pay a low rent directly to the landlord for a month-to-month lease. The complex did not have term limits, meaning artists could stay for as long as they wanted, and allowed for subletting studio space. Artists were able to work freely, not worry about making a mess and to collaborate with fellow creatives. Many artists have worked there for a decade, Mikesell said. “It was never a pretty building,” she said. “We wanted people to just be able to be dirty.”

The Fountainhead Studios closure comes at a time of great change, both for Miami’s arts world and real estate industry. When Fountainhead first moved into the property, the Little Haiti and Little River neighborhoods were not the up-and-coming real estate destinations they are now. Several arts nonprofits and organizations do provide studio space and residencies for artists, like Bakehouse Art Complex in Wynwood and Oolite Arts’ upcoming Little River headquarters. Still, the closure underscores prevalent concerns in Miami’s arts community about the rising cost of living and the lack of affordable artist studio space.

Mikesell said it can’t be up to arts nonprofits, organizations and developers to keep affordable studio spaces afloat. These are areas where the city needs to step up, too, she said. “We are a globally recognized city for the arts and culture here in Miami,” she said. “Having affordable workspace is a key component to being able to keep artists here and to be able to nurture their careers.”

FAREWELL TO FOUNTAINHEAD STUDIOS CELEBRATION

When: Nov. 12. Open studio event from 5 to 7 p.m. After party from 7 to 10 p.m.

Where: Open studio event at Fountainhead Studios, 7338 NW Miami Ct. After party at Low Key Miami, 7127 NW Second Ave.

Info: Tickets start at $28. Proceeds will go directly to Fountainhead artists. RSVP at eventbrite.com

This story was produced with financial support from The Pérez Family Foundation, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners, as part of an independent journalism fellowship program. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.