Interested in joining us?
The Eclipse Mill is a self-governing condominium association, with an elected Board of Trustees and open decision making process for members of the residential community. Each of the forty loft units in the Eclipse Mill has a unique layout and amenities for both studio practice and residential use.
The City of North Adams has established a zoning amendment specifically for the Eclipse Mill, as artist studios that allow “accessory residential use”, as stated in the Master Deed and excerpted below:
Each of the following provisions constitutes a covenant running with the land:
1. The lease of this condominium is subject to a zoning ordinance of the city of North Adams, which restricts the leasing of same to artists.
2. Each lessee agrees that their loft shall be used as an artist’s studio (as defined in the restated Master Deed), with the right to occupy such loft as a single-family private dwelling for residential use being an accessory right.
It is not enough for a prospective Eclipse Mill resident to simply claim the title of “artist.”
The artist applicant must have a verifiable history of active engagement in artistic endeavors, with emphasis on active practice within three of the most recent five years. Further, the artist’s studio process must be consistent with cooperative communal living in terms of health or safety hazards, use of toxic materials, and/or disruptive noise and odors.
You may qualify if:
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- You can show a demonstrated and documented serious, consistent commitment to your creative pursuit in three of the last five years. The artist’s body of work or evidence of a solid professional career in the arts should reflect a significant level of skill, aesthetic value, originality, and complexity of form and/or ideas, recognized to be at a level consistent with at least three to five years of active engagement in their field.
- You create works of aesthetic value within established fields of fine arts, including but not limited to: painting, drawing, printmaking, writing of literature, sculpture, architecture, music, poetry, playwriting, film, video, digital media works, photography, music composition, and conceptual art.
- You create functional and decorative arts, or traditional or indigenous arts, including but not limited to: jewelry, rugs, furniture, pottery, basketweaving, or quilts.
- You are a performer, including but not limited to: theatre performer, singer, indigenous storyteller, musician, dancer, actor, or performance artist.
- You are engaged in the arts in a supportive role, including but not limited to: arts educator, conservator, critic, scholar, curator, consultant, gallery owner. The applicant should be recognized in their field as fulfilling a leadership, educational, critical, or scholarly role.
- Your studio process does not present health or safety hazards through use of toxic materials, produce disruptive noise or odors, or otherwise interfere with the creative practice and residential use of neighbors’ spaces.
The application process:
STEP 1.
Available Lofts
Please contact the owner or agent directly to inquire.
NOTE: Sale or rental of any unit must pass through the application review process first.
Real Estate Agents and owners are not involved in the application review process and cannot guarantee that you will qualify.
STEP 2.
You will be asked to submit:
- A professional, currently updated CV of your artistic practice
- Supporting evidence of your artistic practice, including but not limited to: artist web site, online portfolio, exhibitions, publications, critical reviews, videos, awards, fellowships, residencies, and/or other relevant documentation for your particular field of creative work.
- A completed application form (available from the owner) online application form coming soon!
What happens next ?
Once the above materials are fully completed, they are presented to the Artist’s Review Committee (ARC), a standing committee of resident artist peers.
The ARC reviews the submitted material to insure that:
- The applicant demonstrates a “demonstrated and documented serious, consistent commitment” to their artistic practice, including a minimum of three years of artistic practice within the most recent five years.
- The applicant submits all of the required documentation and supporting materials to verify their creative history and practice.
- The applicant’s artistic process does not violate any local health or safety ordinances, and will not present a noise, odor, health, or safety hazard that interferes with the creative practice and residential use in neighboring units.
The ARC forwards its recommendation to the Eclipse Mill Association Board of Trustees, which has the final decision. Decisions are usually made within four to six weeks of submission.
The Eclipse Mill Condominium Association does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, age, familial status, children, marital status, veteran status or membership in the armed services, the receiving of public assistance, or physical or mental disability.