Q: Is it a reoccurring symptom where artists are kicked out of the neighborhood the pioneered?
KL: I've heard stories in Italy how in fact the Roman wall that artists did live there and attracted different type of activities that eventually evicted them out of the Roman wall. Certainly it's happened in London. The one we know about best is the Soho, New York story where the artists did develop Soho. Did a great job. The City of New York did help them. They did a good job as well. And now the rent stabilization there is over and artists are leaving in a big way and now it is a commercial, successful commercial area but the artists once again do not have a place to do their creative work in New York. So it's a phenomenon that is happening in LA, San Francisco, Atlanta, Miami, anywhere including Minneapolis.

Q: Why are artists a protected species?
KL: It is so important. It's like, it's probably similar to an attorney having a really good library, law library to do their research so they can go ahead and do their good work in defending clients. An artist has to have good space in order to do their work. Again and again in all of the different marketing surveys I hear about, independent surveys, about artists' needs, the need for space comes up top. If they don't have that space where they can create that painting or block out their steps and movement for acting or dancing, they just can't do their work. So the closer, often the closer their space is to where they live the more right on time they can be on getting their work done. Also since the creative process is an inspirational process, if the space has some sense of inspiration to it whether it is new construction or renovation it really does impact on the type of work they can do as well.

Q: Tell us a little about Artspace. Why is it important to this community?
KL: Why it's important to the community? It really comes out in a lot of ways. For one, I think that economic development process that I described where businesses do follow artists, is actually a very healthy process. So ArtSpace has taken that as part of our business plan in understanding that wherever we do do our buildings and create spaces that are going to be permanently for artists, we understand that the community around it will actually thrive, and stabilize, and create the sort of urban village and pedestrian-oriented community that many city planners look for. What it does for the citizens in general would be that artists then would have a place where they can be stable, businesses come in, they can strive. The tax base in the community rises, crime rates fall. And often the quality of life sense that keeps businesses in the area does rise because children, or parents, or grandparents have things to do when they are not at work, in association with the arts community.

Q: What was the attraction to Reno and the Riverside?
KL: Actually it is often about personalities. And the personality of Jill Berryman and Pat Smith was totally captivating. It, they were very straightforward, they were very compelling. They were smart. They listened very well to what I said some of our needs were just to start just an investigation of spaces in Reno. And they produced. They remained in good contact. They communicated well. I think we sent, as you know, Deirdre Schmidt out there on an initial visit just to get a sense of, and Deirdre is a very tough-minded real estate developer. And she kept coming back, visit after visit, saying, "Well, the artists are there." Now I'm starting to talk about the bigger plan, and the artists were there. Probably the largest initial meeting we ever had with artists in the country did occur with our first meeting with artists in Reno. The political structure was really good. It seemed as if elected official after elected official really felt that this was something that they could put their shoulder behind and make happen. It meant a lot to me that the financial partners that we would need were right there at the table. So I've complimented our financial partners again and again that they came to the very first hearings in front of the city council, and said we've overlooked and overseen the ArtSpace numbers, pro formas, and it makes total sense. This is a business proposition for the arts that would make sense for the financial community. Theses are the pieces that I was able to take back to the ArtSpace board of directors and go, "There is something special about Reno. The pieces that we need to do a deal are there. And if we all work together on it the ability to achieve that goal is real.

Q: So this was a hard financial decision to come to Reno
KL: Absolutely. You're right. We've met a lot of wonderful, compelling people. And some of them have turned out to be wonderful projects. But sometimes we've gone to the place and found that those business pieces that we need to have as well as the artists community support just might not be there and then it's not right for us to go ahead.

Q: What are the dynamics of putting together the partners.
KL: It really hard each time like a really exciting challenge project brings forth a new type of problem never dreamt of before. Always learning and change. We also force ourselves very consciously force ourselves to take on projects. Such as moving huge old theatres and 25 million dollars campaigns to renovate the building so that we can have a home for dance In Houston starting a big huge arts district study that years to complete but we want to make sure that done in a very planful manner greater community of Houston All of these different types of challenges makes us very shape. Makes sure and it is always hard. Never easy. If you if ever someone comes to me I just laugh and go you bet. Four years later we'll see what happens.