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Back in October, I wrote about the blinding whiteness of artist housing in Seattle, and promised to keep you posted on when people can apply to Artspace to live in the newest development in the city, Mt. Baker Artist Lofts.

Applications are out now. You fill out the forms, then YOU MUST STAND IN LINE AT THE SITE AT HIAWATHA ON APRIL 12 IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED. No two ways about it. (The actual "intake" process starts at 8 am, and people may sleep out overnight.) Here's the application.

Below are more details, and there's plenty more info in the October story.

There's lots of misinformation about how to get a spot at Artspace. The facts are simple. For a new building like Mt. Baker, there is no waiting list. Everyone must get in the actual physical line on "intake day" to be considered. After that, Artspace has only two qualifications: income eligibility and artist selection.

To income-qualify, an artist's income must be 60 percent or lower of the area median income as measured by HUD, which for King County is $86,700. (Note to HUD: Um, you sure?)

Then, to artist-qualify, Artspace's policy is: "One adult member of each family must be actively engaged in an art form." The artist does not have to make any money from their art, only to demonstrate ongoing commitment to it. The panel of volunteer artists making the determination do not judge "quality."

"Show a body of work, show that you're actively engaged in that work," Vandenbrink explains. "It's not about judging whether the committee thinks it's good or not—it's are you passionate about what you do, is this how you define yourself. You may not make a dime out of it—artists are working in hospitals, schools, restaurants all over the city, and they're coming back and spending a big chunk of their time doing the creative work that makes our city interesting."

Artspace is against homogeneity in more than skin tone, but skin tone is related to cultural diversity, Vandenbrink elaborated. "If you are interested in Somali music or Eritrean dance forms, yes, you are an artist in our eyes," she said. "That's what's important: in our eyes. Even the whole white artist community thinks, 'Oh, artist housing, that means it's for painters.' This is for all creative people and cultural practitioners. Music and dance and performance and arts and crafts. We include curators and stage managers. We err on the side of inclusion, not exclusion."

Spread the word.

Well, go do it.