Dear Friends and Colleagues,
It is with great enthusiasm that I write to you, to share with you a small window of opportunity that is currently open to us.
As we all know, The Western art world has undergone tremendous changes over the past 50-years – caused mostly by gentrification. Artist established neighborhoods in New York like SoHo and Tribeca, and around the Western world are now ultra expensive – and the current reincarnation of Berlin is gentrifying at a rapid pace. The artists, ever creative in these endeavors, will no doubt find new places to migrate.
A friend of mine in Berlin whose family owns the 19-room Villa, on the Black Sea in Venus, Romania, has just informed me that just 50-meters from their property is an abandoned convention center that was built by the former Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, in the 1950s.
Since Ceausescu was deposed 1989, this property has been fenced off and has remained unused. The property has been protected and is in good condition. There has been no interior vandalism - and on the exterior a few outdoor lighting globes have been stolen, which can be easily replaced with inexpensive facsimiles.
I am told that this property van be purchased for between €300,000.00 and €400,000.00 Euros.
I am proposing that a group of us art people form an association, to purchase this complex, and convert it into an international art center. The Razelm Contemporary Art Cente Association would be an appropriate name for the group.
Romania joined the European Union (EU) on January 1st 2007.
I suggest we form the Razelm Contemporary Art Center Association, and headquarter it in Denmark – or in Romania itself. Denmark is also a member of the European Union. Germany would be a bureaucratic headache!
The first group of supporters/founders will be known as the Razelm Contemporary Art Center Association Founding Members.
Location:
The property, which is located in Venus, Romania, is adjacent to the freshwater Lake Razelm and a public park – and is a 4-minute walk to the Black Sea Coast, which is one of the best large natural beaches on the Romanian seaside. Lake Razelm is the largest lake in Romania. The Black Sea beach is wide and clean and a great place for vacation. The temperature of the water is perfect and warm and everything is very clean – including the nice clear water.
The Romanian Black Sea coast is home to a wide range of summer resorts. The sandy sea bottom slopes gently away from the shore, there are no dangerous currents and the sea is almost tideless. In the summer, days are warm and long with an average of 11 hours of sunshine. A swath of gold-sand beaches stretches from Constanta to the Bulgarian border. During the warm summer months the temperatures can be between 25-35 degrees°C.
Venus, Romania is a beach resort named after the Goddess of love and beauty. It is 41 kilometers south of Constanta between the Jupiter and Saturn Beach Resorts. The resort is lovely in the summer and the sea is perfect for swimming. Due to the eastern exposure, you can enjoy the warmth of the sun 10 to 12 hours a day.
Local Amenities:
The summer palace of Ceaucescu now the summer residence of the President of Romania is next-door.
Though Venus is a quiet place it still has many entertainment possibilities. You will also find in Venus several good resort area quality restaurants, cafes, bars and night-clubs along with an outdoor cinema and an amusement park.
Traveling to Venus, Romania
Venus is located 41 km south from Constanta, between Jupiter and Saturn Beach Resorts.
Constanta is more than just the entry point to the Black Sea coast.
The Romanian Black Sea Riviera is served by Constanța Airport which is connected to the main European capitals through charter flights during the summer season.
You can fly directly from Berlin to Constanta. From there someone with a car maybe a contact person would drive you to Venus.
The Convention Center Amenities:
The convention center posses the following amenities:
*Restaurant
*Ballroom
*Theater (live theater and film)
*Conference rooms
*Administrative offices
*And numerous other spaces suitable for renovation as art exhibition spaces, ateliers, and living for association members.
*The building is centered on a large paved plaza suitable for an outdoor sculpture court.
*During the winter months a caretaker can be easily arranged at a more than reasonable price.
Extant Possibilities:
The creation of the Razelm Contemporary Art Center Association
The creation of the Razelm Contemporary Art Center
The creation of a future international art event such as The Venus Biennial
The creation of a future international Venus artist Residency Program.
I recommend that a communal Woodshop and Metal Shop be created.
Additional Information Needed to be Obtained:
*HVAC (Heating, ventilation and air conditioning), Electrical systems, etc:
*Restaurant: Are the utensils (pots, pans & dinnerware) still present?
What is the condition of the restaurant’s cooking equipment (stoves & ovens) and storage facilities (refrigerators & freezers)
It may be illegal to use the refrigerators and freezers, if they rely on Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), including the ozone-depleting refrigerant gas R22, in refrigeration, heat pump and air conditioning (AC) systems. R22 is commonly used in AC systems pre-dating 2004 and so its ban will have a major effect on air-conditioning costs.
Because of this, I suggest reducing the bidding price by €100,000.00 - or more.
*Theater: What is the condition of the theater’s sound and lighting systems - and are these systems still present and intact?
I have engaged in discussions to have the building inspected by an architect.
High Probabilities:
Institutional and financial support from the Romanian culture authorities
Institutional and financial support from the European Union culture authorities
I look forward to your response to this once in a lifetime opportunity.
Sincerely,
Howard McCalebb
