LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. — Lake Worth Beach is gearing up to kick off the 30th year of its street painting festival.
But as hundreds of artists are preparing to create, the Flamingo Clay Studio at 15 S J Street is in danger of losing its building. They may soon be evicted while the owners put it on the market.
"If you have to leave this spot, is there a new spot for Flamingo Clay Studio?" asked WPTV reporter Joel Lopez to the studio's executive director Joyce Brown.
Flamingo Clay Studio is a nonprofit that offers a place for low-income artists to create and sell their art.
"No, there's nothing affordable in the entire county," Brown said. "We've had several realtors looking to help us, and there's nothing that we can find."
They don't know when their last day may be, but the estimated $500,000 price tag for the building has left their dreams shattered.
"Brokenhearted, brokenhearted, and we have folks who literally come in here and cry," Brown said. "I get wonderful grants for programming, but there are no grants for capital funding."
This weekend may be the studio's final street festival weekend, which they say can generate a month's worth of income for some artists.
"When I met her, I was selling artwork on the street, and she said, 'Come be part of this,' and I'm so glad she did," said Thomas II Thumbs, who said his art is his main form of income.
He uses reclaimed wood to create signs and other artwork and has been a part of Flamingo Clay Studio.
"I got hurt many years ago," he said. "This helps me feed my dogs. This helps me feed my family."
He's one of hundreds of artists who have called the studio home over the last 19 years.
It's a family that they say never stops growing, like Silvia Carcache who set up shop on Friday for the first time.
"Oh, this is amazing," Carcache said. "This is my first time participating in a festival, so I'm a little nervous."
Brown said she doesn't charge the artists to set up their displays on the weekends, but in exchange, they do have to help set things up and break them down.
They also have teen programs where they give teens free art lessons in exchange for community service.
"What we're trying to do is bring families back here with little children who can make things and parents who can watch them and say, 'Isn't that great, isn't that wonderful. Look what you did.' You know and the parents can do it too," Brown said.
Brown hopes that someone generous enough can buy the building and donate it to the nonprofit.
She said they're willing to name it after them as long as it can help artists in need.
"We need just one person that sees the arts, sees the value of what we do," Brown. "We had over 500 donations from poor people between $10 and $25. It doesn't even scratch the surface of what we need, but they need us."
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Low-income art studio may soon lose its building - WPTV News Channel 5 West Palm
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