Artisans to Allston-Brighton: Our Journey from Maker Space to Maker Campus
ARTISAN'S ASYLUM
December 2020
OUR JOURNEY FROM MAKER SPACE TO MAKER CAMPUS
ALLSTON-BRIGHTON
A R T I S A N ' S T O A L L S T O N / B R I G H T O N 2 0 2 1
JOIN US FOR
SOMETHING BIG.
This question has been our obsession for the last
fourteen months. Today, we have the answer.
With 52,500 SF of light industrial space under a 22-year
lease, Artisan's Asylum is poised for nearly a quarter
century of impact in Boston's creative sector.
Over the next 12 months Artisan's Asylum will design,
build-out and move into two buildings in the heart of
Allston-Brighton, one of Boston's most dynamic
communities.
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" W H E R E W I L L A RT I S A N ' S A S Y LU M B E
I N 2 0 2 1 ? "
JOIN WITH US.
A R T I S A N ' S T O A L L S T O N / B R I G H T O N 2 0 2 1
Artisan's Asylum is a 42,000sf.
fabrication wonderland, a refuge for
the teaching and practice of creativity
of all kinds.
Our current lease expires August
2021, without an opportunity for
long-term renewal.
In response to this reality, Artisan's has
developed an exciting 5-year expansion
plan to create a maker campus in
Harvard- and Berkeley Investments-
owned properties. When complete,
Artisan's will offer unmatched
experiences in creative community,
life-ling learning, and innovative
entrepreneurship.
We invite your support to get there.
OUR PITCH.
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Artisan's Asylum is a 600-member
community-supported maker
space. Our 42,000 SF home in
Somerville, MA is filled with 160
studios, 15 dedicated shops and
infinite creativity.
Daily operations at the Asylum are
supported by an Executive
Director, 2 full-time staff, 13 part-
time staff, and over 30 volunteers.
Governance and strategic
planning is led by an 11-member
Board of Directors comprised of
diverse community leaders.
WHO WE ARE.
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OUR IMPACT.
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$ 7 0 M I N E C O N O M I C
D E V E LO P M E NT I M PACT
With a budget that has grown from $250,000 in 2010 to
$1.4M today, Artisan's has directly generated $70M of
economic activity. Member companies have raised over
$10M in Kickstarter funding and attracted $60M in follow-
on investment. An estimated 150 jobs have been created.
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1 , 0 0 0 ' S O F I N D E P E N D E NT C R E AT I V E S
A N D T H E I R P R O J E CTS S U P P O RT E D
Artisan's membership has grown from a dozen loose-
knit friends in 2010 to over 600 members today. Each
year we enable woodworkers and jewelers, painters and
digital artists, machinists and metal workers to produce
work that they are passionate about.
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OUR IMPACT.
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T R A I N E D OV E R 8 , 0 0 0 S T U D E NTS
Each year Artisan's hosts over 400 classes with an
average enrollment of 4-5 students. More than 45
instructor livelihoods are supported annually by the
education revenue generated through tool training and
class instruction. Instructor payroll was $114,000 in FY20.
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I N S P I R E D A M OV E M E NT AC R O S S T H E
C O U NT RY A N D A R O U N D T H E W O R L D
As the first and largest maker space incorporated as a
non-profit in the US, Artisan's Asylum has inspired and
coached dozens of new spaces. We've also trained 9
managers (that we know of) running maker spaces in the
greater Boston area.
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WHAT'S NEXT.
R E B O OT T H E M A K E R S PAC E
Artisan's Asylum will take what we've learned about
operations and member needs to design and build a state-
of-the-art campus for creative expression, life-long learning,
and innovative entrepreneurship from the ground up.
S T R E N G T H E N O U R I M PACT
With a world class facility and partnerships behind us,
Artisan's will become an unmatched platform for community
collaboration in the teaching, practice, and culture of
making.
E X PA N D O U R F O OT P R I NT
In an exciting venture, Harvard University and Berkeley
Investments have created an opportunity for Artisans to
lease up to 60,000 SF in Allston-Brighton by 2025 – a 30
percent increase in the size of our physical presence.
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Image courtesy Analogue Studio 2020
THE OPPORTUNITY.
S IT E B : C L A S S R O O M A N D E X P E R I E N C E
Berkeley Investments is in the early stages of a large-scale
development project called the STEAM Factory.* This dynamic live-
work-play community brings together creative workers, companies, and
residents in a mixed-use innovation village. Scheduled to come online
in mid-2024, Berkeley has committed to leasing 6,000-10,000 SF
of multi-use space to the Asylum at compelling financial terms.
S IT E A : S T U D I O S A N D W O R K S H O P S
Harvard and Artisan's Asylum signed a lease that enshrines a strong
opportunity:
A campus accommodating differentiated use totaling 52,500 SF
Long-term commitment to community learning and growth
A capital improvement package to build out multiple uses spaces
Community partnerships to develop programs in response to needs
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* Pending community input and approval through the City of Boston permitting process.
Image courtesy Analogue Studio 2020
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Generous shops - support simultaneous instruction and
member work
Efficient conveyances - support movement of materials and
people in and out of shops
Increased common work areas - provide non-studio members
and studio members with project build areas and instruction
Modest studios - more affordable studios dedicated to work,
not storage
Social space - nearly 3,000 SF of space for events,
demonstration, parties and more
Distributed storage - more storage throughout buildings to
make it easier to store materials near shops
CURRENT PLANS
H I G H L I G HTS
Image courtesy Analogue Studio 2020
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Image courtesy Analogue Studio 2020
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Image courtesy Analogue Studio 2020
A R T I S A N ' S T O A L L S T O N / B R I G H T O N 2 0 2 1
Image courtesy Analogue Studio 2020
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Image courtesy Analogue Studio 2020Image courtesy Analogue Studio 2020
A R T I S A N ' S T O A L L S T O N / B R I G H T O N 2 0 2 1
JOIN WITH US.
WE WELCOME INTRODUCTIONS AS WE
BUILD COMMUNITY AND INVESTMENT CONNECTIONS
Lars Hasselblad Torres. Executive Director, Artist
617-233-3203
lars.torres@artisansasylum.com
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Image courtesy Analogue Studio 2020
LET'S GO!