What many people forget, or did not know, is that downtown used to be filled with quirky art spaces (galleries, studios, small theatres) and then big developers saw a potential for profit due to the crowd these spaces brought in. (especially during the heyday of Downtown Saturday Night as presented by the Tucson Arts District Partnership).

This almost-gentrification was amplified due to the chimera of free, easy cash from Rio Nuevo and, consequently, many artists fled for the warehouse district or simply left the core. Is it worth reasonable public support to keep part of what makes our community vibrant – yes. We need only to look at other communities to see what works and what does not. We have some vital parts of the puzzle, let’s keep adding the rest until the image is complete.