BETHLEHEM, Pa. — ArtsQuest on Friday named the 31 local artists who will be the first tenants of the rent-subsidized studios in its new Creative Factory powered by PPL on Bethlehem’s South Side.
The $32 million, five-story building at 25 W. Third St. rose on the site of the former Banana Factory, and ArtsQuest broke ground in June 2025 on plans for 36 artist studios. Neither the release nor ArtsQuest’s studio program page says what a studio costs, but on our May 14 tour of the building, rent was given as $1.40 per square foot per month, or about $420 for an average 300-square-foot studio.
The building has no grand opening date. ArtsQuest’s website says it is expected to open at the end of 2026 or the start of 2027.
Who is moving in
The artists work in media from painting and photography to ceramics, glass, sculpture, wood and floral design, according to the release. Five of them also teach at the Creative Factory: Chris Severn, Erin Emaline Crimmins, Gabriella Gentile, Nasia Palaios and Tina Cantelmi.
As of Oct. 16, ArtsQuest’s online directory listed 28 artists in numbered studios on the second, third, and fourth floors and had not yet listed the other three. The release did not say how many of the 36 studios the 31 artists will use.
Opening roster · October 2026The Creative Factory’s first studio artists
The 31 artists ArtsQuest named on Oct. 16, 2026, before the building opened, by floor and studio as listed that day.
ArtistStudioWorks inWebsiteSecond floorWilliam Murray207Ceramics@willmurray.ceramicsRebekah Burgess208PhotographyRichard C. Harrington209Oil, acrylic and woodcutrichardcharrington.comMadison Bailey210Ceramics, mixed mediatigerly-art.base44.appMarie Jeanne Haba214Stained glass and multimedia artmariebelleart.comErin Emaline Crimmins Teaches216Painting and mixed mediaErin Emaline on Google SitesThird floorDeming King Harriman307Collage, mixed mediademingkingharriman.comTina Cantelmi Teaches308Watercolor, oil, acrylic, mixed media, pour and texturetinacantelmiartist.comKhalil Allaik309Sculpture@khalilallaikWard Van Haute310Oil on glass, oil on canvasbethlehemhousegallery.comChris Severn Teaches311Oil and acrylicletspaintapicture.artScott Krycia312Photographyscottkrycia.comDouglas Wiltraut313Egg tempera and drybrush watercolordouglaswiltraut.comDoug Boehm314Acrylicsdougboehm.comAlania Mariano315Photography and filmalaniamariano.cargo.siteCody Abrachinsky320Spray paint, acrylic, epoxy, photography, silkscreencodyabrachinsky.comNasia Palaios Teaches321CeramicsNasia Palaios on Google SitesLauren Kuhn322Oil and acrylicartbylaurenkuhn.comAlicia Rodriguez323Ceramicslovequirkpottery.comFourth floorDavid Sommers407Oil on canvasdavidsommersart.comElliot Rose DeCaro408Painting and mixed mediaelliotrosedecaro.comMichael Brolly410Woodmichaeljbrolly.comMark Wonsidler411Sculpture, objects, installationVictoria Lawrence412Acrylic, watercolor, pastel, mixed mediaviclexvisionary.comKatie Barrett413Drawing, painting, printmakingkbarrett.comGabriella Gentile Teaches414Mixed media sculpture and ceramicsggentileart.comAnthony Viscardi415Mixed medium, drawinganthonyviscardi.comGary Giordano416Painting, sculpture, drawinggarygiordanoartist.comStudio not yet listedAnthony DelluvaPaperBrandon SantiagoPhotographyRachel BellFloral designTeaches marks artists who also teach at the Creative Factory. Studios and websites are as ArtsQuest’s directory and artist profiles listed them on Oct. 16, 2026; assignments may have changed since.Source: ArtsQuest release, Oct. 16, 2026; ArtsQuest studio artist directory and profiles
ArtsQuest said the artists will make and show work on site, connect visitors with their process through classes, demonstrations and open studios, and sell pieces directly from their studios.
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“By offering low-cost, subsidized studio space with 24/7 access for artists, we’re fostering an artistic community with ample space and state-of-the-art facilities to create while building a supportive community where they can exchange ideas, grow their practices and connect the public with the creative process,” said Lisa Harms, ArtsQuest’s vice president of visual arts and education.
A lounge area inside the ArtsQuest Creative Factory powered by PPL in Bethlehem, in a photo the center posted Oct. 4, 2026. (Courtesy of ArtsQuest)
What a studio costs and comes with
Studios run 200 to 400 square feet, according to ArtsQuest’s studio artist program page. At the rate given in May, five months before the artists were named, that range works out to roughly $280 to $560 a month.
Artists who meet the terms of their lease are offered a one-year renewal, and the program lists paid teaching opportunities and space to show work in hallways and a gallery. Access to some shared spaces, such as selected classrooms, carries an additional monthly fee, the page says.
A committee of ArtsQuest staff, Visual Arts Board representatives and community members, including local artists, reviews applications on a rolling basis as studios become available. The page says artists already reviewed and interviewed may be on a priority waiting list.
When the public can see the work
Three studio artists, Deming King Harriman, Chris Severn, and Gabriella Gentile, will have work for sale at a free pop-up market at the Creative Factory on Dec. 5 and 6 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The market will also be at Christkindlmarkt in Winter Wonderland on Dec. 20 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., where entry is included with Christkindlmarkt admission.
The release said ArtsQuest will later announce details on the grand opening, public programs, and chances to meet the artists.
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