International Art Centerto open near university

Enseeko Limited Liability Corp. plans to turn the old building at 516 N. Fifth Ave. into the International Arts Center, a multi-use facility where artists can live, work, show their work and rent office and rehearsal spaces, among other features, said Paul Schock, senior manager of Enseeko LLC.

"The main goal is to bridge cultures together by using art," he said.

Schock said Enseeko will purchase the former YMCA from the Downtown Development Corp. for $250,000 by the end of May. He said it will cost an additional $250,000 to make the necessary renovations.

"A lot of artists, and also Americans, have a hard time understanding other cultures. They automatically demand a McDonalds type of world," he said.

Schock said that for the first two years, the center will be open to local and national artists so that it can build a reputation. After the two-year period, the center will be three-fourths international artists, and only one-fourth local and national artists.

"We want to bring in artists and events from around the world," Schock said.

There are plans to open a local arts center, but Schock said he did not know the details of that project because it is still in the planning phase.

Schock said the Tucson community has been very supportive of Enseeko's efforts, and that he could not have asked for a better location.

Tucson was selected as the center's site because, internationally, many artists are drawn to the southwestern United States and also because of the support Enseeko has found in this community, Schock said.

"The community and the university is very supportive, it is very rare to find that," Schock said.

Mike Butler, president of the West University Neighborhood Association, said the project "had our blessing" before the Tucson City Council amended the West University Neighborhood's plan April 14 to include the new center.

"We have had a very cooperative arrangement with the arts center people," said Bob Lane, former president and current board member of the neighborhood association.

In a letter dated Feb. 18, the International Arts Center agreed to keep noise levels at a reasonable level, not to stage musical acts outdoors and not to let vendors to operate out of its parking lot during the street fairs.

"We have no problems," Schock said. "Their concerns are our concerns."

Schock, himself a multimedia artist, said that a local partnership did a study and found high demand for art studio space, which also led to Enseeko's decision to open the center.

Enseeko formed two years ago to support the arts in the face of decreasing government funding, Schock said.

To get a studio or rehearsal space at the center, interested parties will have to submit a portfolio to the center.

Enseeko also has plans to include a recording studio, a cafe-style restaurant, a sculpture garden and an alternative art gallery which will be housed in the building's empty 6,000-square-foot pool.

The building, which has about 100 rooms, will have a first-phase opening Sept. 2, with the entire facility complete in about a year.