Loffice, Budapest
Loffice started in Budapest three years ago. Right from the beginning, artwork & exhibitions belonged to the core concept of the two founders; siblings Anna & Kata Klementz. The whole space, even the meeting rooms, is used as gallery for artists and their changing work.
It’s a win/win situation for both sides. The decoration of the coworking space changes often, rotating between the works of professional artists. The artists are offered a space to present and sell. Recently, with Salétrom Loffice opened a new space for creative projects & art events.
If you can’t make it to Budapest, Loffice has a sister space in Vienna following a similar concept, which is run by one of the sisters.
654 Work Cottage, East Grand Rapids, USA
654 Work Cottage probably feels more like home in comparison to the office environment. It is located in the center of Gaslight Village, which is a small community rich with small businesses. You of course do not need to be an artist to be a part of this space, but perhaps the attached art gallery would intrigue you if you were. 654 has a rotating display of local artists, and also holds receptions which sponsor and support visiting artists.
Blueline, Bloomington (Indiana), USA
In the heart of a lively university town, Blueline is an affordable creative design coworking space that focuses primarily on photography, web and video production. Of course, in the spirit of coworking, Blueline is also available to artists of all kinds. Featured coworkers include Dope Couture and Jessica Quirk who is a well-known fashion writer. The space also holds an art show, which caters to local artists, once a month.
Caroline Collective, Houston, USA
Caroline Collective, much like ESDIP and Arctconnect in Berlin, is both a workspace and a public art gallery. The collective combines an interesting mix of artists, writers, bloggers and programmers as part of their team. At the end of the day, Caroline Collective transforms into an exhibition space, open to meetings, workshops, live music and anything else having to do with the creative scene. If you are interested in becoming a more permanent part of the space, Caroline Collective offers internships as well.
The Coop, Chicago, USA
The Coop is located in a lively neighborhood in downtown Chicago. Unlike the aforementioned spaces, The Coop doesn’t have an art gallery attached, but it does tap into the artistic environment. The space itself is sprinkled with works from local artists.
Decorating your work space with artwork and encouraging creative activity helps to relived pressure and makes the space a much more open and relaxing place to be, which ultimately enhances productivity. You can look to Arts & Business to read more about how companies are attempting to connect the two.
Con Artist, New York
Con Artist is a collective that has a gallery and shared workspace for artists. Artists have 24-hour access to the space, which includes everything from a photo studio, sewing machines, professional lighting and much more. Con Artist gives artists the chance to have access to tools and connections that they might not otherwise get if they were working alone. All artwork is available for sale, and the artist gets 75% of the sale price.
If you join the collective as a member, you have the option to sell your work on the collective website, at festivals and events hosted by Con Artist.
This is just a glimpse of the connection between coworking and space for artists. Not only does the artist have a place to work, amongst others who are happy to collaborate and offer support, but also publicly displaying artwork allows the space to extend themselves to a wider audience. Thus, the influence of art and artists in the coworking space is not only beneficial for the physical aesthetic and the people who work there, but for also for the greater community that surrounds them.
