NEW YORK – Resident artists at the Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center (The Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural & Tutorial Middle) denounced that the new rental license agreements imposed by the administration of the institution and the City would force some to drop out of school due to the excessive increase.
However, the administration of the institution maintained that The new rates are balanced in accordance with the City’s requirements for standardized sublicensing agreements and in comparison with market prices of other similar spaces.
The cultural center in Decrease East Aspect, on Long Island, is located in a municipally owned building at 107 Suffolk Aspect road. The structure operates under a master license with the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA). As part of renewing that license, tenants will have to pay new fees.
El Clemente, founded in 1993, has served as a space for the development of Puerto Rican artists. and Latinx since then. The entity leads several subsidized residence programswhich includes a long-term one, as well as Micro-residencies and the Professional Visitor Program.
The Clemente, housed in a former school, is home to about 46 studios, two galleries, four theaters, eight nonprofit organizations and rehearsal spaces.
Several artists and organizations grouped under “Clemente Anchor Artist Tenants” (CAAT) They expressed dissatisfaction with the provisions of the new contract and have refused to sign it.
Although the amount of increase depends on the type of studio and the number of occupants, the group alleged that the proposed deals would, on average, raise rents by up to 140% and public services by approximately 30% within a period of two years.
In a statement sent to El Diario on April 22, CAAT members, several of whom participate in the long-term programs, insisted on the validity of the agreements they reached in 2011, which, they said, offer “essential legal and financial protections,” including provisions against arbitrary termination.
The group of artists argued that the old agreement that would be scrapped under new sublicenses ensures long-term affordabilityaccording to a spokesperson for the group who spoke to this newspaper on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation.
“It is a group that was now formed with this name because we are defending the validity of the contract. The center is saying that the contract is not valid and a new one must be signed,” said the source.
The artist argued that the increase should not be linked to programming expenses.
“In June (2025) they revealed a concept that was called Strategic Opinion, but I don’t know for whom, and it included increases to cover everything the building needs. In reality, there are more people who come to work now in programming; it is not necessarily all the occupants or the people who are in the building who have to support that. There is a part of administration and maintenance, but there is another part that the administration must find the funds (from elsewhere) for its own programs,” he considered.
The source added that the absence of a rent increase for about 15 years does not justify the staggered increases in the new contract.
“There is a clause in the contract (from 2011) so that the rent can be raised, but they never used it and now they want to raise it all at once, which is impossible, because we have no way to plan, how to absorb. As a consequence, many artists are going to be displaced or would have to leave,” he anticipated.
The cost that several of the artists would have to assume under the new agreement is “very steep,” he described.
“They are claiming now that, because they didn’t do it in 15 years, we can suddenly increase everything now. And we say no, artists don’t make money from one moment to the next,” he said.
“If there have been no increases in all that time, would you be willing to pay a little more?…to reach an agreement,” this media outlet inquired.
“Yes, of course, but the increase they want would come into effect in July. It can’t be like that all at once…And not 140% in two years; it’s a lot, too much. Nobody is going to have a 140% increase in salaries,” he responded.
The source explained that they have sent letters to the DCLA and have spoken with the area councilor Christopher Marte in order to reach an agreement, in his opinion, more balanced.
“After we We spoke with City and Marte officials, the councilman got it extended for three years (retroactively). In the (new contract) there is a clause that can be canceled for any reason and at any time,” he stated.
He specified that the new contracts were provided last June with the request that they be returned signed on or before August. Although there were “question and answer” sessions, the group claimed that the information provided by the administration did not satisfy them.
A copy of the standard sublicense from one of the artists that was provided to El Diario notes that the agreement was to come into effect on July 1, 2025 and would remain in effect until June 30, 2027.
The extension of the contract is divided into three periods, between July 1, 2025 to January 31, 2026; between February 1, 2026 to January 31, 2027 and between February 1, 2027 to June 30, 2027.
Part of the text indicates that the licensee will have the right to increase the Sublicense Fee periodically, by written notification addressed to the sublicensee.
Another section indicates that, in the event that the Sublicense Fee is increased, the sublicensee will have the right to terminate the same by giving a 30-day written notice to the licensee.
The fee amounts were covered in the writing for confidentiality reasons.
The previous agreement had come into force on May 2, 2011, according to another document provided.
The CAAT representative explained that they chose to make the complaint public after, supposedly, exhausting all resources.
“We tried with the councilor; we tried sending a letter to the DCLA (December 2025); we tried to talk to them themselves before and there was no result. And they continue to affirm that our contracts are not valid and whoever did not sign the new contract would be displaced,” he reiterated.
The spokesperson also mentioned the million-dollar investments announced by the City through DCLA and the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) as an argument against contract increases.
In January 2024, authorities launched an approximately $13 million renovation project for improvements at El Clemente to bring the building into compliance with accessibility standards (ADA), as well as to modernize the lobby and hallways.
To questions about what would be the impact on the community of a potential departure of tenants who cannot pay the monthly payment, he answered: “The artists would be displaced or would not be able to do more volunteer work, which many of us do… That is the first impact. The second is that, if the artists who have been there for a long time leave or are thinking of retiring, some are migrants who would like to return to their country, the young artists who would come would not be able to pay. Only the well-off, the people who have money, would rent and it would be a select group.”
“People who are migrants do not have money; they do not have a father or mother who has money or they do not have the opportunity in other spaces that are more commercial buildings. This is a building in the city of NY, it is not private that you can do whatever you want. There is confidence that the organization will promote affordability, but also diversity, and that the community can be served without so many barriers,” he continued.
The source stated that, at the moment, El Centro continues to promote diversitysince there are artists from many countries.
“For now, I think they are fulfilling a lot of their role, since there are many external activities and for internal artists that they can rent. I think there is a very diverse group from many countries. There are Latinos, there are Puerto Ricans, but there are also people from Asia, like China and Uzbekistan…”, he acknowledged.
DCLA assures that they promote affordability in El Clemente
The DCLA, through non-public press, indicated to El Diario that they are committed to working with El Clemente so that artists continue to have an affordable space to create.
“We are committed to working with El Clemente to ensure that Puerto Rican and Latinx artists living and working in the Decrease East Aspect continue to have access to affordable spaces, so that they can continue to be an integral part of this rapidly transforming community,” the office stated.
They indicated that the cultural center is a private, nonprofit organization that operates on city-owned property and that they have been working to modernize its facilities through a capital project funded by the city.
The DCLA further noted that El Clemente “has been rethinking its operations in order to balance the long-term sustainability of the organizationwhile continuing to offer affordable, below-market-rate spaces for art studios and cultural programming for generations to come.”
The statement added that the Those in charge of the organization carried out “a rigorous review of its property and assets” which at the same time translated into “a stable financial situation” in the long term.
As part of that process, the rental rates and policies that the entity has been implementing were updated.
El Clemente rejects disproportionate increases and evictions
This newspaper also contacted the management of El Clemente to have their position on this matter.
In a lengthy written statement, those in charge of the center explained that new or updated sublicensing agreements establish a “uniform and transparent” frameworkas required by the city’s new master license.
They pointed out that The update is required as part of the master license renewal and standardization of El Clemente with the City through the aforementioned agency.
They argued that, after more than 15 years without a rent increase, “studio rates are being adjusted to meet these new requirements.”
According to the statement, The Clemente subsidizes the operational cost of the study program, which includes non-public expenses, insurance, building maintenance and programmatic serviceswhich currently operates at a loss. This “has limited the organization’s ability to support its public cultural programming” and has generated “a backlog of deferred maintenance tasks.”
The organization stated that, even with the late income adjustment or in a period of three yearsthe occupants of the studios They will continue to pay a “very small” sum to the actual cost of operating the program.
“Clemente will continue to subsidize approximately between 40% and 50% of the actual cost of the programwhich will allow the studios to remain between 42% and 54% more affordable, on average, than other comparable spaces in New York City,” they specified.
El Clemente classified the allegations of rent increases of “up to 140%” and increases in public services as “misleading,” since there has been no increase in more than 15 years and rates remain “significantly below the market price.”
“The current adjustment consists of a multi-year and staggered standardization, intended to place rates at a level that continues to be highly subsidized and significantly below the market price,” they stated.
They also mentioned financial aid through a relief fund of approximately $100,000 that will reduce the fee for those artists who meet the requirements.
Regarding the charging for public services, they stated that the adjustments reflect operating costs that the organization has been absorbing for a long time without applying increases.
“In summary: The highest percentage increases apply only to a small subset of long-term occupants. that they maintained historical rates well below the deplorable level, and that, in addition, they are eligible to receive financial assistance based on their needs in order to mitigate such adjustments; For the majority of study users, the changes reflect an approximate increase of 30% compared to the deplorable rates established more than 15 years ago, an increase that is implemented in stages over three years under a standardized structure, and whose impact is attenuated thanks to the gradual nature of the increase,” they summarized.
Clemente also maintained that there is no eviction action linked to the implementation of the new agreements.
“Those artists who have not joined the updated Long-Term Studies Program continue to occupy their spaces under a monthly rental regime.”
They added that the new agreements include the possibility of opting for a long-term stay (up to 10 years), a benefit that previously did not exist formally.
El Diario also contacted the Marte press office. Although we were initially asked about the deadline to respond to the request, non-public subsequently indicated that they would not comment on the matter.
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