A watershed concept for artists

PSU student Benjamin Grad decided that the best way to teach his high school students was to let them figure things out on their own in real-life situations. Now, he is applying that philosophy to a brand-new project called Watershed.

The project is a 24,000-square-foot building in Southeast Portland, where he has opened a shared shop. The project consists of two components called Watershed and Toolshed. Watershed leases space in the building to businesses, which ultimately funds Toolshed, a nonprofit that provides the space and tools for amateur artists to work and commune.

The idea for the project spawned from Burning Man, an annual artistic festival held in Nevada each year. Grad was interested in the concept of internal division-artists working independently on different projects in one space, called a “pod.”

To use the facilities, the artists pay a utility fee. The project emphasizes the support and development of amateur artists. Grad developed his do-it-yourself attitude from teaching math in schools from Seattle and Vermont.

“We help you pick up the tools,” Grad said.

The different pods will include woodworking, metalworking, ceramics, a print shop, darkroom and an audiovisual workshop. The equipment is collectively owned-when special equipment is needed, the Toolshed board buys it, and the individual pods then pay back the money.

All the pods are required to archive-this means taking photos and video of the building to keep record of the improvements that are made.

On a recent sunny day, artist Kiliii Yu was inside holding a workshop on building traditional Alaskan boats. He said it was difficult to lease space for projects like boat building, which require a lot of space.

“We have so many needs for this kind of space,” Yu said. “It’s way cool.”

Grad had been searching for about three months when he saw the building. It began as a manufacturing facility, and then became a vocational school. It was leased out to various businesses after that, and bought by the current owner in 2006.

“The building’s been in great shape,” Grad said. He said its former life as a school means that all of the sprinklers and wiring are up to fire code. They plan on painting the outside, which is now a fading, patchy pea green.

“We’ve got some pretty cool tenants,” Grad said. One makes neon for Burning Man. Another does industrial design. In the south end of the building, there’s a martial arts studio. The revenue generated by the tenants goes to run the Toolshed project.

It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for the group. When they first took control of the building in February, they had some parties without realizing the proximity of the neighbors.

Lance Lindahl’s home is about 100 feet from the building. The site had already been the center of some irritation to neighbors in the past. There have been issues with homeless people and computer waste, and the loud music didn’t get the arrivals off on the right foot.

“We blew them out of the house at 4 in the morning,” Grad said.

“There was a lot of worry, based on the past,” Lindahl said. He added that Watershed/Toolshed had been responsive to the concerns of the neighborhood. “I think everything’s worked through.”

Lindahl said that the project helps to fill a “needed niche” in the Brooklyn neighborhood, which doesn’t have a community center. Watershed is located on Southeast Milwaukie Avenue, across from the Oak’s Bottom Wildlife Refuge.

“It’s my baby for now,” Grad said. He is currently on the board of the nonprofit, but hopes to someday just be on the staff.