Listen closely, Santa Fe teens. If you don’t stop dicking around, you risk the very real possibility of losing Warehouse 21 forever.
Concert and workshop attendance at the teen art center is consistently low. Now, W21 is having trouble paying the rent, which caused the board to seek a resolution with the city to redesign W21’s lease (tip of the hat to the Journal North, which first covered this story).
The organization feels that the value of its services to the community outweighs its land lease costs, held by the Santa Fe Railyard Community Corp., on behalf of Santa Fe.
“We’re looking at about $17,000 a year, and as it stands right now, we do need the help,” W21 Board Member Boni Armijo tells SFR. “If we get to a point where can just pay for the land lease, we will.”
It’s really quite simple: More teens showing up and paying for shows and workshops means more money and, despite what hip-hop fools will tell you, fewer problems. Yet an entire generation of teens takes the place for granted. Having booked shows at W21 for nearly a decade, I have spoken with many touring musicians who said that their hometowns had nothing even remotely capable of encouraging structured, multimedia artistic experimentation.
“I don’t think local kids know how to utilize us in an entrepreneurial way,” Concert Coordinator Ana Wooldridge says. “Between the period of time without a dedicated building and a lack of mentor-like involvement from previous generations, there’s a lot hindering them.”
OK, but when my friends and I began promoting shows, we faced similar obstacles. Yet we took control of the situation and transformed W21 into the space we wanted it to be. All it took was a little effort on our part. Today, however, I get the feeling that the venue is little more than a warm place to check Facebook profiles, so I asked a few youths involved with W21 what they think.
Ahtmah Khalsa, a 17-year old guitarist and founding member of fledgling band Tru Youth, has only been involved with W21 since the summertime, but already holds a deep respect for the nonprofit.
“[Warehouse 21] has been a great place for me to hang out and work on my music, but it needs more publicity and more support ” he says. “This is the only safe haven for kids in the city, and I wouldn’t stand for it closing; this should be a part of Santa Fe forever.”
The first step has been the reduction in special event rent costs for youth promoters. Whereas a flat fee of $300 has been the norm, a new 60/40 split structure (with the 40 percent going to the promoter) has now been implemented. This split may not sound like a major change or even a particularly great deal, but it’s a hell of a lot better than scaring teens out of booking shows with high numbers. $300 doesn’t sound like a lot of money to those of us with jobs, but to a teen, the number may seem daunting. This hasn’t fixed everything by any means, but new promoters are popping up already.
“I’m positive it’s because of the rent change,” Wooldridge says. “It’s a slow process, but I believe that the coming year will go a long way to showing kids they can collaborate and flourish here.”
So teens, stop bitching about how there’s nothing to do when you have something like Warehouse 21 in your own backyard. And parents, throw a couple bucks at your kids and drop them off there, knowing it’s a wonderful, affordable space full of art and music.
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It doesn't make sense. The organization feels that the value of its services to the community outweigh the land lease costs. But the facility is under-utilized. Maybe it is under-utilized because there are so many other youth arts organizations out there doing a better job.
As someone who has booked and ran shows for years I can tell you that the difference between having to put up money to have a show and not having to is emense. Now that the Meow Wolf warehouse is gone this is the best place for smaller touring bands to play for an all ages crowd. If I were in town I would jump on this in a second.
From what I hear Casey, W21 charges promoters almost $300 a night. What small touring bands are gonna be ale to bring in a crowd to sustain that cost?
And could it be possible that the teens don't care about W21 because it's an out-of-touch organization that is uncool and at the same time doesn't really supply much other than an Internet connection? How many of these 'boo-Hoo poor Warehouse' articles have to be written before the real article is written asking ' Hey, why is Warehouse doing such a terrible job cultivating activity, support, and revenue?'.
Thats the real article Alex, and we all know that you know this is true. Write the real article, and stop coming across like someone protecting their mommy.
I am hopeful the rent adjustment will open things up for kids is at the warehouse. I agree that 300.00 bucks is almost out of the question for a high school kid looking to put on shows. I came up through this place and was a part of something really special. I’ve seen and played with some of the most incredible bands (local and touring). My friends and I were afforded a chance to build something really awesome for ourselves and we did. I hope this next generation of kids can build something for themselves as well.
If the City Council decides to bail Warehouse 21 out of its lease burden how does this [ensure] the viability and sustainability of what has been deemed an under-utilized space?
Does it create enough of a cushion to keep Warehouse from facing yet another budget crisis?
Alex De Vore calls on the youth to help save the facility by using it more. If they value it enough, then maybe they will. But that is a big if. The dirty little secret is that there is a historically long and deep vein of discontent between youth and the management of Warehouse 21, just one of the reasons alumni who would otherwise provide guidance, experience and mentorship frequently withdraw support.
Until the Warehouse 21 board thoroughly vets these underlying dysfunctional patterns, it is unlikely that the financial problems will go away. Having the city throw more money at the problem is just a waste of resources.
In response to Sarah Coleman-Craig’s letter to the editor, Warehouse 21, no matter what the financial or political situation, will always be for the youth.
No former bookkeeper has any right to represent the youth’s opinion. Criticism is meaningless when it is simply vindictive. We will not sit and watch as such slander is printed about a place we care so much about.
We will not be used as a puppet. You will not get away with using our voice to put down a place we love.
Warehouse is a home to us who need it and a reason for us to live our lives in a positive way. There is no existing grudge between the management and the youth. If someone has a problem with the way the place is run, defamation is not the answer. That is the desperate act of someone with a grudge.
If you truly care about this city’s youth, don’t speak for us; help us. No matter what your opinion is, ours is that Warehouse 21 will always be there for us. No matter how much money is “wasted,” that will stay the same.