The studio has started a GoFundMe campaign at tinyurl.com/mcpz9wwj with a stated goal of raising $40,000 through the end of the year to keep their doors open. The directors are looking to revamp their programming and fundraising plans next year, but the directors say they need assistance through January.

“I know the perception is that we have money, because it looks like we have money,” BluSeed Studios Executive Director Marissa Hernandez said, motioning around at the 7,500-square-foot building on Cedar Street, the pavilion, the sculptures and paint decorating the landscape. “But all of this was paid for by grant money.”

She said the new flooring, state, gallery lighting, signage, pavilion and bike racks were all funded through grants.

The art itself in the gallery belongs to the artists, or is donated.

Martha Jackson shows off one of the dresses she made from a patchwork of “pre-loved” fabrics harvested from upcycled clothing, which was on sale at the Upcycled Clothing Fashion Show at Bluseed Studios in July 2021. (Enterprise photo — Aaron Marbone)

She said their monthly bills for the mortgage, heating, water, sewer, insurance, electricity, phone and internet come to around $5,000.

“We cannot continue with our programming without these bills being paid,” Hernandez wrote on the center’s GoFundMe page. “If we do not raise this money, BluSeed’s power will turn off and we will have to close our doors next month.”

Hernandez said this has been a “long-term problem” throughout BluSeed’s 24 years of operation, and one which has been building since before she took the reins four years ago. The main problem, she said, is they have high monthly bills and the community itself is really small. There are several other art organizations in town, which is great, she said, but that spreads out art dollars.

The summer is always the slow season for them. And recently, Hernandez said the number of businesses sponsoring exhibits, concerts or shows is low — likely because their budgets are tighter, too. The gallery relies on grants or sponsors to pay artists, otherwise, it usually comes from their operational budget.

The payroll for Hernandez’s position is funded through a state grant, but only provides for part-time work — 25 hours a week. That’s not enough time for her to do it all, she said — writing grants, booking galleries, managing their programs, cleaning the toilets, talking with visitors, advertising and managing the website.

Saranac Lake author Fran Yardley eyes a painting by dog artist Jayne at the opening reception of “Picatso and Salvadore Doggy,” an exhibit that benefitted the Tri-Lakes Humane Society and showcased the work of adoptable animals, at BluSeed Studios in May 2019. (Enterprise photo — Elizabeth Izzo)

She described this as a “wheel of financial doom.”

“We can’t quickly or efficiently fix our monthly financial problems because I don’t have enough time to do it,” Hernandez said.

She is writing a new grant application with the New York State Council on the Arts grant and hopes to get funding for a full-time position, or another part-time position.

The center also fundraised to get through last year, she said.

Hernandez said they are looking to ramp up studio rentals to get more people in the space, renew fundraising events from the past and revamp their membership club.

She said the need to scale up their programming in hard financial times, not scale it back. Next year, she hopes to have new exhibits every two months and hold six concerts a year with new genres.

The art center is right next to the Adirondack Rail Trail its intersection with Broadway, but Hernandez said they have not been seeing many people stop in off the trail.

She said they had been excited to put an access point, signs and a kiosk next to the trail, but that the state Department of Environmental Conservation nixed their access point and kiosk and limited how close signs can be to the trail.

But people use their lot to access the rail trail — sometimes for days at a time, she said. She’s mostly fine with this and doesn’t want to police the lot. But when they’re having an event, it is very inconvenient for their visitors.

BluSeed gets revenue from studio rentals for ceramics, printmaking, letterpress and textiles. It also has an art thrift store where people can buy gently used art supplies they can’t find closer than one hour away. The space can also be rented for private events.

“If people want us to stay here, we need people to show us and to tell us that BluSeed is important to them and our community,” Hernandez said. “We need the community support, just like we’ll support our community.”

The center offers a number of free events — the Sober Open Minded Mic Night and a kid’s movie and art night. Hernandez said events like the Trash Couture fashion show, which is meant to be a fundraiser, ends up costing more than it brings in because they want to put on a fun event. And when they bring artists in, she said they want to pay them well, since that doesn’t happen often.

“We bring a funky spirit to our community,” Hernandez said. “We want to do more unique, funky, weird things for our community.”