Shop/studio space for metalwork in Minneapolis/St Paul?

[thaddeus]

Hey,

I need space and I'm not finding any. The only thing I've seen was like 800 bucks a month... at that price, I'd just as soon buy something. I want to cast bronze (have a small furnace), do some welding, and I'm working on doing some blacksmithing (assembling my tools& building a forge now). I can't keep doing this stuff in my alley, my neighbors are going to kill me. My one-car garage has a car in it a lot of the time, as well as other flammable junk, so I've been hammering and welding and whatnot on a parking pad next to the garage... not ideal.

Anybody got some suggections on where I could rent some flame-proof space or buy a small building that would suit, somewhere in the Cities?

thanks

Thaddeus

[thaddeus]

Bump?

I'm still lookin'.

[ironman]

Hi thaddeus, Get that damn car out of the garage. I've lived in 5 different houses, all with garages and no car of mine ever went inside.
Have a great day,
Jeff

[oscar]

Buck up
800 smackers is cheap
Sell the house
dump the wife
abandon the kids
quit smoking
and drinking
and eating
pay the 800 bucks
work your ass off
sell your ass off
and quit complaining!

[tonofelephant]

Thaddeus,

Do what I did and you will get the garage. I have a 2-car garage. Wife and mom-in-law could not park the Monza in the garage. I could, and ripped off a exterior mirror. Guess what? Garage is mine. Advantages - food is close, wife is close for an occasional kiss (sorry for the sex report), dog loves my company, and stone sculpture flows out the double doors. Life does not get better than this.

Carl
www.wsggallery.com

[evaldart]

Thad, I dont know how far along you are in the artthing or how far along you are in life, but it sounds more like you are just looking to be pointed in the right direction by someone familiar with your particular region. For real metalworking you will findthat a two car garage is very limiting. A garage or warehouse is indeed what you need. Seek out some local art events, meet the crowd. The sculptors will be likely inhabiting cheap raw spacious situations. They will clue you in. Other than that, you can pioneer on your own, drive around inquiring about buildings that look like they might work. Revitalize a dead space and the landlord is likely to work with you.
Sculpture is about what you are adding to your life, not about what you are tossing away.

[oscar]

Add tools and square feet to your life.
All else is comfort.
Good art is comprised of sacrifice.
Sacrifice the comfort.
You will be amazed how an edge will improve your art!

[evaldart]

Thats one fancy hair-shirt your wearin' there O. Looks comfy.
Self sacrifice is the stuff of ascetics and martyrs. Attainment is the fruit of advancement and if you're not advancing then you're either stagnant or retreating.

Most artists know that Life is bigger than Art. And while I suspect that abstraction holds the key to the treasures of Existence, I'd pass it over for a game of chess with my eight year old (sacrifice?).

You haven't even given up your "edge", you'll never stare into the eyes of your God until you've laid that down too.
Now get back into your studio and apologize to those sculptures for blaming them for all the things you don't have.

[EJB]

Unfortunately, I'm of no help to you in St.Paul but you might want to really determine what you need not only in terms of space but also of time frame. I know of many who have struggled to get the 'perfect' space, only to find they have extended themselves financially to the point where they cannot create or quickly realize they have too much shop to maintain or finish the dream project with nothing to follow up with. I would suggest finding like minded individuals that may have a co-op type situation available. An existing commercial metal shop or foundry might also be agreeable to renting out a small corner to you. The up side is that you can be up and running quickly and depart just as easily if you run out of projects or oomph. The down side is that you may need to give in to the constraints of sharing but it is always nice to have the occasional help and feedback of peers. You might also try meeting artists at gallery openings showing similar kinds of work and let them know that you are looking for space. If you can avoid monopolizing their time at the opening (because they are working) but can get a phone number for later, most artists are willing to help those in the neighborhood. The main thing is to be patient and exhaust the limits of where you currently work by making maquettes and studies and patterns, foam and plaster forms and the like before taking on the expense of a full on casting set up.
As a side note: if there is anyone looking for metalworking space in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles and can afford at least 500/month I may have a lead starting January 2008. Drop me a PM.