It’s funny that we tend to think of a lot of arts and crafts activities, and even creative hobbies in general, as things we do at home, but at the same time more and more crafters, artists and creative hobbyists have been looking for space outside of their homes in which they can create and even collaborate.
We have seen a huge increase in interest recently in two specific areas:
1 – Makerspaces
2 – Artists and Crafters Studio Spaces for Rent
And yet it can be extremely difficult to find either great arts and crafts focused makerspace in your area, or nice, affordable studio spaces for rent.
I have put together a pretty comprehensive list of makerspaces and studios for rent in 16 major cities/metropolitan areas across the country, with full contact information for each place or organization.
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Table of Contents
- A Few Notes about our List of Makerspaces and Studio Rental Spaces
- Overview: Best Makerspaces and Private Studio Space Near You
I’m very proud of this list, not just because it was such a big job, that I wasn’t sure I’d ever actually complete 😁, but because it seems to be the only really exhaustive list of its type on the web today, and because I believe (and really hope) that it will be a big help to our readers and to artists, crafters and creative hobbyists everywhere!
So let’s explore some spaces, and along the way hopefully, I’ll answer some questions I hear a lot – like:
What is a makerspace?
Are makerspaces fun? (I can answer that right now – YES!)
Where can I find the best makerspaces in my area?
How can I find art studio space for rent in my area?
How can I find an inexpensive studio to rent?
How much do working art studios cost to rent?
How can I get art studio space?
Can I use my studio as an office space?
How can I find the best creative studios or makerspaces near me?
A Few Notes about our List of Makerspaces and Studio Rental Spaces
We’ll get to the big list in just a moment, but first, I thought it would be a good idea to explain and clarify a few things, and to give a few more ideas and resources for finding the best makerspaces and studio space – in the cities I’ve included and really anywhere else in the US or around the world.
How to Find More Local Listings
In addition to the specific listings below, there are a lot of places you can check to find great working studio space or collaborative makerspaces in your area, including:
- Crafts societies and clubs
- Craft supply stores – both their community bulletin boards and by asking the employees
- Bulletin boards on the campuses of, or in the neighborhoods of, art schools and universities/colleges
- Bulletin boards at local grocery stores, coffee shops and other small businesses
- Local newspapers
How to Find More Listings, and in More Places, on the Internet
Here I’m going to offer a few general search tools and location services active on the internet. These services don’t always offer the most up-to-date listings, and the results are often pretty impersonal, and maybe not screened in any way, but if you are outside of one of our selected areas they can still be a huge help.
- Makerspace Directory – specifically for makerspaces
- Stusu – specifically for art studio rentals
- Listings Project – art spaces and other visual arts-related listings
- Fractured Atlas – art spaces and other commercial space and real estate for creatives
- Peerspace – business spaces for rent, somewhat focused on artists and designers
- Yelp – general business listings with reviews
- Craigslist – general listings of all types, by city and area
- The Storefront – general listings of commercial spaces (my link narrows down to working studios)
What I’ve Include in my Listings of Best Makerspaces and Art Studio Rentals
First we should define a makerspace – it’s years old now, but still somehow still feels like a brand new and exciting concept.
What is a Makerspace?
Makerspaces are collaborative creative spaces where people can work and create together, or even independently, and take advantage of shared space, tools and resources.
What’s the Difference Between a Makerspace, a Hackerspace, a Fablab, an Incubator, etc?
- Makerspace is a pretty generic term, but often focused on arts, crafts and makers like us
- Hackerspace is a collaborative shared workspace mainly focusing on computers and digital creativity
- Fablab, or TechShop, is a a collaborative shared workspace mainly focusing on high technology tools, inventions and creativity
- Incubator a collaborative shared workspace mainly focusing on business startups, new ideas and innovations and other business creativity
There are a lot of other terms people use for these kinds of collaborative shared creative work areas, and they often say one to mean another – kind of confusing!
Makerspace is especially kind of generic, and often refers to a space that is either pretty industrial or pretty scientific/high tech oriented.
What Did I Include?
So in my listings of the best makerspaces I am really focusing on makerspaces and studio space for artists, crafters and creative hobbyists. This can include sewing and any other textile work, painting and drawing, paper making, paper arts and book binding, photography, printmaking, woodworking, glass blowing metal work, welding and even blacksmithing, and lots more.
- For a more complete listing of the various kinds of arts, crafts and creative hobbies, please see our article Creative Hobbies, Arts and Crafts for Adults: A Complete Guide
And for private artist studios, wherever possible I will include low cost options, and also non-profit and community organizations that help creative people find working space for rent. I will, though, also include some private companies, especially when their art studios are really cool and not ridiculously expensive. I also try to avoid studio space that is attached to prime retail gallery space, since they always seem more expensive and it may really not be beneficial.
For more specific details on any space – like whether the studio has a parking space, can be used also as a living space, has good and abundant natural light, wifi, security and maintenance, 24 hour access, available space for events and exhibitions, as well as the rent, terms and conditions, please use the contact information included below.
I will, again, look at sixteen cities and their metropolitan areas around the United States, including:
- Atlanta
- Austin
- Boston
- Chicago
- Cincinnati
- Dallas
- Denver
- Detroit
- Kansas City
- Los Angeles
- Minneapolis / Saint Paul
- New York City
- Philadelphia
- Phoenix
- San Francisco
- Seattle
And now, on to the list!
Overview: Best Makerspaces and Private Studio Space Near You
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Atlanta, Georgia
Makerspaces
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
Decatur Makers | 605 W. Ponce de Leon Ave. Decatur, GA 30030 (678) 304-7395 info@decaturmakers.org |
Freeside Atlanta | 3043 Commerce Way Atlanta, GA 30354 (678) 948-7626 hello@freesideatlanta.org |
The Maker Station | 869 Pickens Industrial Drive North East, Suite 1 Marietta, GA 30062 404-500-6253 info@themakerstation.com |
Private Studio Rental
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
The B Complex | 1272 Murphy Ave SW Atlanta, GA 30310, USA (404) 521-0957 |
Mutiny Artwrx | 680 Murphy Ave SW Suite 1096 Atlanta, GA 30310 404-202-5517 info@mutinyartwrx.com |
Austin, Texas
Makerspaces
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
Asmbly | 9701 Dessau Rd #304 Austin TX 78754 membership@asmbly.org |
co.lab community | 8711 Burnet Rd b 30 Austin, TX 78757 info@colabcommunitymakers.org |
Maker’s Edge | 1800 Austin Ave #3 Waco, TX 76701 254.340.4322 info@themakersedge.com |
Private Studio Rental
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
ArtUs Co | 10000 Research Blvd. STE 141 Austin, Texas 78759 (512) 761-6484 josh@artusco.com |
Canopy | 916 Springdale Rd Austin, TX 78702 (512) 416-1234 info@canopyaustin.com |
Cement Loop | 5811 Berkman Dr. Ste. 140 Austin, TX 78723 info@cementloop.com |
Boston, Massachusetts
Makerspaces
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
Artisan’s Asylum | 96 Holton Street Boston, MA 02135 617-284-6878 front-desk@artisansasylum.com |
Boston Makers | 105 South Huntington Ave Boston, MA 02130 contact@bostonmakers.org |
Technocopia | 44 Portland Street 6th Floor Worcester MA, 01608 774.420.2244 info@technocopia.org |
Private Studio Rental
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
ArtSake Non-Profit Studio Listings | Various Physical Locations – Non-Profit Studio Listings kelly.bennett@art.state.ma.us |
Assets for Artists Spacefinder from MOCA | Various Physical Locations – Non-Profit Studio Listings studios@massmoca.org |
Chicago, Illinois
Makerspaces
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
Chicago Maker Space | 2635 S Wabash Ave Chicago, IL 60616 (413) 822-7503 ChicagoMakerSpace@gmail.com |
Makers in Chicago | VVarious Physical Locations – Non-Profit Makerspace Listings makersinchicago@jorgegarcia.io |
Pumping Station One | 3519 N. Elston Ave. Chicago, IL 60618 (312) 772-5631 info@pumpingstationone.org |
Private Studio Rental
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
Bridgeport Art Center | 1200 W. 35th Street Chicago, IL 60609 773.843.9000 info@bridgeportart.com |
Cornelia Arts Building | 1800 W. Cornelia Avenue Chicago, IL 60657 (773) 248-8616 eco4health@aol.com |
Spacefinder – Chicago Artists Coalition | Various Physical Locations – Non-Profit Studio Listings 312.491.8888 contact@chicagoartistscoalition.org |
Cincinnati, Ohio
Makerspaces
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
Hive 13 | 2701 Spring Grove Ave Third Floor Cincinnati, Ohio 45225 513.909.HIVE (4483) leadership@Hive13.org |
The Manufactory | 12055 Mosteller Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45241 513-771-3605 kyle@themanufactory.us |
University of Cincinnati Makerspace | 1819 Innovation Hub 2900 Reading Rd Cincinnati, OH 45206 513-556-5511 info@uc.edu |
Private Studio Rental
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
Kennedy Heights Art Center | 6546 Montgomery Road Cincinnati, OH 45213 513.631.4278 info@kennedyarts.org |
Loveland Art Studios on Main | 529 Main Ave. Loveland, OH 4510 513.683.7283 SCustis@fuse.net |
Dallas, Texas
Makerspaces
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
Dallas Makerspace | 1825 Monetary Lane #104 Carrollton, TX 75006 (214) 699-6537 info@dallasmakerspace.org |
The Workshop | 2501 Burbank St. Dallas, TX 75235 972-942-4530 info@tbkworkshop.com |
Private Studio Rental
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
Art News DFW | Various Physical Locations – Private Studio Listings ArtNewsDFW@gmail.com |
Spacefinder Dallas | Various Physical Locations – Non-Profit Studio Listings spacefinder@dallasculture.org |
The Mix Creative Space | 9125 Diceman Dr Dallas, TX 75218 andrea@themixcreativespace.com |
Denver, Colorado
Makerspaces
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
Art Gym Denver | 1460 Leyden St Denver, CO 80220 303.320.8347 |
Maker Sace at TAXI | 3515 Ringsby Ct. Denver, CO 80216 allie@shoplaurelandco.com |
TinkerMill | 1840 Delaware Place, Unit A Longmont CO 80501 720-204-3090 info@tinkermill.org |
Private Studio Rental
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
910 Studios | 910 Santa Fe Drive Denver, CO 80204 (303) 815-1779 spector@910arts.com |
Denver Art Society | 734 Santa Fe Drive Denver, CO 80204 303-534-1132 info@denverartsociety.org |
Prism Workspaces | 999 Vallejo Street Denver, Colorado 80204 303-870-8569 linda@prismworkspaces.com |
Detroit, Michigan
Makerspaces
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
All Hands Active | 255 E. Liberty St. Suite 225 Ann Arbor, MI 48104 (734) 436-4924 info@allhandsactive.org |
Brightmoor Makerspace | 12676 Blackstone Street Detroit, MI 48223 (734) 647-0650 detroitconnections@umich.edu |
i3DETROIT | 1481-A, Wordsworth St Ferndale, MI 48220 (248) 556-9995 contact@i3detroit.org |
Private Studio Rental
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
Corktown Studios | 2707 14th St Detroit, MI 48216 (517) 304-0734 corktownstudios@gmail.com |
Detroit Artists’ Test Lab | 14600 Mack Avenue Detroit, MI 48215 (313) 733-1270 detroittestlab@gmail.com |
Russell Industrial Center | 1600 Clay St Detroit, MI 48211 (313) 872-4000 russellindustrialcenter@gmail.com |
Kansas City, Missouri
Makerspaces
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
Great Plains MakerSpace | 2308 N. 3rd Street Garden City, KS 67846 chris.turpin@greatplainsmakerspace.com |
Hammerspace Community Workshop | 5200 E 45TH ST Kansas City MO 64130 (913) 686-6562 hammerspacehobby@gmail.com |
Maker Village | 606 E 31ST ST Kansas City, MO 64109 humans@makervillagekc.org |
Private Studio Rental
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
Arts kc go | Various Physical Locations – Non-Profit Studio Listings 816.221.1777 go@artskc.org |
Englewood Row | 10922 E. Winner Road Independence, MO 64052 (816) 285-6531 contact@englewoodrow.com |
Kansas City Artists Coalition | 3200 Gillham Road Kansas City, MO 64109 816-421-5222 information@kansascityartistscoalition.org |
Los Angeles, California
Makerspaces
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
Makeplus | 1811 S Hope St Los Angeles, CA 90015 213.214.8485 info@makeplus.us |
Maker City LA | 1933 S Broadway 1100 Los Angeles CA 90007 213-634-0920 info@makercityla.com |
Maker’s Mess | 777 S Alameda St Los Angeles CA 90021 hello@makersmess.com |
Urban Workshop | 365-A Clinton Street Costa Mesa, CA 92626 949-296-2153 info@UrbanWorkshop.Net |
Private Studio Rental
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
Beacon Arts Building | 808 N. La Brea Ave. Inglewood, CA 90302 310-576-3543 info@beaconartsbuilding.com |
Keystone Art Space | 338 S. Ave 16 Los Angeles, CA 90031 keystoneartspace@gmail.com |
Urban Workshop | 365-A Clinton Street Costa Mesa, CA 92626 949-296-2153 info@UrbanWorkshop.Net |
Minneapolis / Saint Paul, Minnesota
Makerspaces
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
Creators Space | 218 7th Street E Suite 100 St Paul, MN 55101 651.340.6736 mailbox@creatorsspace.com |
Minnesota Makerspace | 217 S 7th St, STE 18 Brainerd, MN 56401 218-845-6253 info@mnmakerspace.com |
MPLS MAKE | 3757 3rd St NE Columbia Heights, MN 55421 612 -229-5009 dan@mplsmake.com |
Twin Cities Maker | 3119 E. 26th Street Minneapolis, MN 55406 membership@tcmaker.org |
Private Studio Rental
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
Artspace | 250 Third Avenue North, Suite 400 Minneapolis, MN 5540 612.333.9012 info@artspace.org |
Juxtaposition Arts | 1108 West Broadway Minneapolis, MN 55411 612.588.1148 info@juxtaposition.org |
Second Shift Studio Space | 1128 Payne Ave Saint Paul, MN 55130 secondshiftstudio@gmail.com |
Springboard for the Arts | Various Physical Locations – Non-Profit Studio Listings 218-998-4037 infol@springboardforthearts.org |
New York City, New York
Makerspaces
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
Gowanus Studio Space | 166 7th St Brooklyn, NY 11215 info@gowanusstudio.org |
Makerspace New York City | 140 58th St Building B Unit 1C Brooklyn, NY 11220 718-273-3951 info@makerspace.nyc |
Private Studio Rental
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
Artist Studio Space for rent in New York City | (New York Foundation Facebook Group) |
Chashama | Various New York City Locations – Non-Profit Studio Listings 212.391.8151 info@chashama.org |
New York Foundation for the Arts | Various Physical Locations in New York City – Non-Profit Studio Listings (212) 366-6900 info@nyfa.org |
Trestle Art Space | 62 18th Street Brooklyn, NY 11232 studios@trestleartspace.org |
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Makerspaces
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
Hive76 | 2456 Jasper St Philadelphia, PA 19125 Hive76@hive76.org |
NextFab | 2025 Washington Avenue Philadelphia PA 19146 (215) 921-3649 info@nextfab.com |
NextFab North Philadelphia | 1800 N. American Street Philadelphia, PA 19122 (215) 921-3649 |
Private Studio Rental
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
Arts & Crafts Holdings | 600 Spring Garden Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA, 19123, United States 215-235-2112 info@artsandcrafts.holdings |
Craft Now Philadelphia | Various Physical Locations – Non-Profit Studio Listings leila.cartier@craftnowphila.org |
NextFab | 2025 Washington Avenue Philadelphia PA 19146 (215) 921-3649 info@nextfab.com |
NextFab North Philadelphia | 1800 N. American Street Philadelphia, PA 19122 (215) 921-3649 |
The Papermill | 2825 Ormes Street Philadelphia PA 19134 215.391.9331 papermillart@gmail.com |
Phoenix, Arizona
Makerspaces
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
Phoenix Forge | 535 W. Van Buren Street Phoenix, Arizona 85003 (602) 286-8599 makerspace@GateWaycc.edu |
The Creative Center of Scottsdale | 3616 N Scottsdale Rd Scottsdale, AZ 85251 (480) 415-7013 artists@creativecenterscottsdale.com |
Private Studio Rental
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
Art in Phoenix | Various Physical Locations – Non-Profit Studio Listings info@artinphoenix.com |
First Studio | 631 N. 1st Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85003 theresalmurray@gmail.com |
Ground Floor Artists | 13343 W Foxfire Dr ST. 3 Surprise, AZ 85378 623-440-7083 |
Kreative Arts Collective | 1436 North 44th Street Phoenix, Arizona 85008 602-430-7011 kreativeartscollective@gmail.com |
San Francisco, California
Makerspaces
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
Ace Makerspace | 6050 Lowell Street, Ste. 214 Oakland, CA 94608 info@acemakerspace.org |
Humanmade | 150 Hooper Street, #400 San Francisco CA 94107 (415) 484-1437 info@humanmade.org |
Maker’s Nexus | 1330 Orleans Drive Sunnyvale, CA 94089 408.685.2500 info@makernexus.org |
Noisebridge | 272 Capp St San Francisco, CA 94110 415-449-8862 noisebridge@gmail.com |
Private Studio Rental
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
Art Bias | 1700 Industrial Road Second Floor San Carlos, CA 94070 650-593-3177 marketing@artbias.org |
ArtSpan | Various Physical Locations – Non-Profit Studio Listings (415) 861-9838 info@artspan.org |
Artworks Downtown | 1337 Fourth Street San Rafael, CA 94901 (415) 451-8119 info@artworksdowntown.org |
Pacific Felt Factory Arts Complex | 2830 20th Street San Francisco, CA 94110 415-935-3641 pacificfeltfactory@gmail.com |
Phoenix | 2315 Lincoln Ave Alameda, CA 94501 (510) 671-2166 hello@phoenixalameda.com |
Seattle, Washington
Makerspaces
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
Alt Space Seattle | 2318 E. Cherry Street Seattle WA 98122-4830 (206) 309-9123 altspace@ignitionnw.org |
North End Makers | 12317 15th Ave NE #108 Seattle, WA 98125 hello@northendmakers.org |
Seattle Makers | 3300 Wallingford Ave N Seattle WA 98103 833-2-MAKE-IT contact@seattlemakers.org |
Seattle Recreative | 2830 20th Street San Francisco, CA 94110 415-935-3641 pacificfeltfactory@gmail.com |
Private Studio Rental
Name | Contact Details |
---|---|
‘57 Biscayne | 110 Cherry Street Suite 200 Seattle, Washington 98104 Email: jane@janerichlovsky.com |
Artist Trust | Various Physical Locations – Non-Profit Studio Listings (206) 467.8734 info@artisttrust.org |
SEED Seattle | 5117 Rainier Ave S Seattle WA 98118 (206) 723-7333 info@seedseattle.org |
Thanks so much for reading our article! I hope it has been really helpful to you in finding the perfect space for your own creative pursuits!
Please let me know if there are any great maker spaces or studio rentals I didn’t include – either in the cities listed above or anywhere else – so I can pass them along to the rest of our readers. And also please check out our website – Art Side of Life – for the best resources, articles, buyer’s guides and more for arts, crafts and creative hobbies of all types!
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