BUSINESS ART FEBRUARY 2010 | E-mail: subs@arttimes.co.za | Member of the Global Art Information Group
- Art Leader -
Jonathan Liebmann Arts on Main, Johannesburg By Michael Coulson Given that his father, Benji, is the moving spirit behind the Nirox Foundation, you might think that Jonathan Liebmann’s decision to develop the Arts on Main complex was a deliberate bid to extend a family tradition of philanthropy in arts. But not at all, he insists; his approach came from the other side, to wit property development, though the influence of his wife Lauren Wallett, an artist who used to run a performing arts school, shouldn’t be dismissed. Liebmann’s inspiration was the loft developments in areas like New York’s SoHo and London’s docklands, which had become run down and virtually deserted as the commercial and industrial activities that were their original raison d’etre had either declined or migrated elsewhere. As cities grew, at first artists realised that these peripheral areas offered large spaces for studios at cheap rents; then, inevitably, property developers grasped that here were buildings that, however neglected, were structurally much more solid than many recent projects, while as suburban sprawl mushroomed, their location was again becoming attractive. In Jo’burg, the Newtown area was a (some would say, half-baked) attempt at urban regeneration. But the area east of the old CBD, once the centre of flourishing textile and clothing industries and wholesale trade, was both bigger and more challenging, lacking any existing magnetlike Newtown’s Market Theatre complex. Still, it has better motorway limks and, partly thanks to its proximity to Ellis Park, both the Jo’burg Development Agency
Daniel Naudé, Africans 12, Richmond, 4 April 2009. To be seen at African scenery and animals a solo exhibition by Daniel Naudé until 13 February 2010, at The Brodie/Stevenson Gallery, Johannesburg. Image courtesy of Brodie/Stevenson and the corporate sector have been beefing up the environment and improving security. Once Liebmann had decided to take the plunge and lined up financial backing, he moved quickly. He bought the property -- effectively just five empty warehouses -- that became Arts on Main in February 2008, and the first occupant, William Kentridge, moved in barely six months later. Liebmann says that Kentridge’s early commitment was a major factor in establish
ing the credibility of the concept. He says all available space has now been taken up, though not everybody has actually moved in. About half the space is let out and the rest sold on sectional title. There’s a varied tenant mix: individual artists, other creative professionals, commercial galleries and a restaurant. Interestingly, while some commercial tenants, like Goodman Gallery, the Goethe Institute and David Krut, have set up satellite operations at Arts on Main, others, like
Bailey’s African Archives (formerly at 44 Stanley Avenue) and Seippel Gallery, have moved lock, stock and barrel. Given that, however laudable the enterprise, neither Liebmann nor his backers are charities, how successful is Arts on Main? Is it making money? It’s a private business, and Liebmann is unwilling to disclose any figures, though he does say that -- as one would expect -- the refurbishment cost was a multiple of the basic cost of the property.
His backers can’t be too unhappy, though, as they’re already following up with the second, and much more expensive, phase of the Maboneng (“Place of Light”) precinct, a name he coined to define an area that’s as broad and long as he cares to make it. This is Main Street Life, just a block away to the east of Arts on Main, which will be a mixed-use development of a very different character. Arts on Main was basically big empty spaces that could be
carved up vertically and horizontally, with partitions and mezzanines. Main Street Life is a more conventional industrial building, with a rigid floor pattern. Much of the hype around Main Street Life has hinged on the incorporation of a boutique hotel, but this is actually a minor component -- only 3% of the total floor space, he says. The ground floor will offer retail and an entrance/gallery space, there’ll be five floors of affordable residential accommodation (studio and two-bedroomed flats) for young creative artists, and the top floor will contain seven penthouses (one of which he intends to live in) and the 12room hotel. The the roof will be an event space with 360-degree panoramic views. Occupation is planned from June 1. The residential floors will also include common exhibition and studio space for residents’ use, while the 12 hotel rooms will each be individually decorated by an artist to reflect the 12 decades of the city’s history. With residential rentals starting as low as R2 800 a month, and outright purchase at R290 000 (there’ve already been a few sales), there’s obviously a risk that, as has happened elsewhere, early creative artist buyers will be tempted to take profits and sell on to investors. Liebmann is aware of this, and hopes to limit it. As at Arts on Main, the developer will sell only half the units and keep the rest for rental, while the rules of the body corporate will also restrict how common spaces may be used. It remains to be seen how successful these initiatives will be in preserving the character of the building. For a man who’s still in his 20s, working largely on his own, with no big corporate resources to back him up, Liebmann has achieved a lot in a short time. It’s inconceivable that Main Street Life is his ultimate ambition. On past experience, within the next year or so we may expect phase three of the Maboneng precinct. One can only hope that his reach doesn’t exceed his grasp and over extend him beyond what any individual, however driven, can physically keep tabs on.
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