Need Free Art Space? PublicDisplay.ART Nourishes Creatives

In February, I was an instructor at an arts-infusion workshop for a group of Seattle Public School elementary teachers. The workshop was held at an amazing multi-arts space that I had no idea existed in Seattle: PublicDisplay.ART. 

Arts Impact, the organization I teach with, acquired the use of the multipurpose space at no cost—an arts space that can be reserved and used for FREE! “How is that possible?” I asked myself. I connected with Marty Griswold, the Publisher of PublicDisplay.Art (they also publish a hard-copy magazine) and he filled me in on all the details. 

Here’s what I learned:

David Quicksall (DQ): What is PublicDisplay.ART? 

Marty Griswold (MG): Our mission is to foster an inclusive, thriving arts ecosystem where artists prosper, audiences engage, and Seattle’s creative identity flourishes.

DQ: How did Public Display Art get started?

MG: PublicDisplay.ART was launched in 2021, as a way to put art into the hands of Seattle. The first issue was a one off—it was intended to showcase some of our artist friends who had been creating art during the pandemic, but had no place to hang it! People thought we were nuts, as everyone had been led to believe that print was "dead". We figured everyone was so sick of looking at their computer screens during the Governor-ordered lockdown, they would be curious to pick it up. A chance to rediscover art in the wake of COVID.

We printed 10,000 and they were quickly picked up. We were operating under One Reel back then, and they had received funding for programming, so we decided to put out more issues as part of One Reel's programming. For three years, the funding kept coming and we kept publishing. We started selling ads and expanded our arts editorial coverage. We published and distributed 30,000 copies four times per year. We paid all featured artists and writers, while the publishers volunteered their time (while also working full time jobs to pay rent).

Then, at the beginning of 2024, our funding dried up. We announced that the spring issue would be our last. We were bummed, but we realized we couldn't keep it going ourselves. 

DQ: What happened next? I find it amazing that your magazine is not only online, but you publish free "old-school" hard copies! How are you able to sustain that?

MG: Long story short, the Seattle Times reported our closure. The next day we received a call from a wealthy patron who wished to fund our work—and pay our staff to keep it going, so we lucked out. The office space was a result of this relationship. There were only two of us at the time, so we thought we could help to push the luck we found back out into the community. We would never use an office of this size, so we thought it might be a good idea to share it with arts nonprofits, who, in turn, could help us activate it. 

Since then, we've hosted over 50 events, offering non-profits a free venue to use, as needed. Today, PublicDisplay.ART publishes 40,000 copies per issue, distributes a new issue nearly every other month, and we have upgraded our cover to glossy stock.

Arts Impact was one of the many nonprofits that were able to utilize the space at no cost to the organization. The space we used was warm, full of light and inviting. We had full access to amenities such as a full kitchen, projection equipment, and plenty of tables/chairs for group work and conferencing.

In a city where independent artists are hard-pressed to afford space and opportunity to share their work, PublicDisplay.Art feels like an oasis… “This is too good to be true,” was my lingering thought. I had to ask Marty a final question:

DQ: What can the community do to make sure PublicDisplay.Art thrives and stays around for years to come?

MG: Back when we were struggling we asked readers to show their support with a donation. None came. Which is why we had to shut things down. Today, our basic overhead costs are covered, so we can breathe a sigh of relief knowing [that].

What our readers can do is to follow us on Instagram. This is important to us for amplifying content, sharing updates, and growing our events. In return they will be the first to know when a new issue is hitting stands and what events we have coming up. What the business and creative community can do to support our work is to advertise with us. While ad sales will never cover the costs involved in publishing a free publication, it doesn't have to! However, the additional revenue is vital to our future and what comes next for the publication. We would love to publish monthly and expand our performance content and to start covering local music. We can't do this without the help of the community.

That said, every ad dollar we collect is invested right back into the magazine which, in turn, fuels our creative community. Best of all, the ads serve as an endorsement of support for our work and allows our advertisers the opportunity to connect with our audience. This puts butts into seats and customers through the doors. Because when we connect audiences to the arts—and everybody wins!

Latest issue of the magazine published by PublicDisplay.ART

Courtesy of PublicDisplay.ART

In sum, supporting organizations like PublicDisplay.ART helps everyone in creative communities and ensures a bright future for the arts in our region.