GoodDad: Not Your Typical 9 to 5
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Imagine you have just walked through a set of double, black-trimmed glass doors. As you venture further you find your hands running along mid-century modern wallpaper. Notes of cardboard, rustic wood and remnants of a stuffy attic fill your nose and linger on the tip of your tongue. With each step on the sand-colored shag carpet, you see a diverse mix of paintings, sculptures, photographs and a myriad of others. From sense to sense, an atmosphere of timelessness and creativity unfurls. Welcome to a world of perseverance, risk-taking and passion. Welcome to GoodDad Studios.
Pre-existing cubicles at GoodDad
A portal to paradise at GoodDad
GoodDad, a new 42,000 sq foot rental studio complex designed for artists, is located in a vintage 1970s Southeast Austin office building and was founded by the property owner, Calvin Chen, with the help of co-owners, Jacqueline Overby and David Wright. Overby and Wright both own and operate their studios within the Austin area, Mothership Studios and Bolm Arts, or Bad Lucky Market. GoodDad held its first open house in July and recently organized a grand opening during both weekends of the East Austin Studio Tour, an annual community event where local artists open their studios to the public, showcasing diverse artworks in the East Austin area. The complex hosted a live-panel discussion and offered visitors the opportunity to explore nearly 80 different rental studio spaces, alongside engaging with over 40 diverse artists' pop-ups, or temporary art displays. The event was a notable success, with a large crowd turnout and several artists selling their work. Despite their success, Wright and Overby pointed out that operating within a non-traditional artistic space presented unique challenges for the creative studio.
catscult studio at GoodDad
Tiffany K. Smith’s Teacher’s Lounge at GoodDad
“Some of our most notable struggles were communicating our vision to people and to the scene,” Overby said. “Because of the location and the aesthetics of the building, we had to build an aesthetically pleasing brand to even get people to take us seriously.”
To do so, they had to be, “Cool first,” Overby said with a chuckle. The studio’s debut was online through Instagram reels, capturing its vibe, featuring local artists in comedy-based short film scenarios, focusing on how the studio is “Not your typical 9 to 5.”
Alan Aguilera at GoodDad
Tia Boyd’s Kikikeepin’ it Real at GoodDad
The inspiration for the complex's name originated from merging Overby's and Wright's studio nicknames to create BadMother. However, after discussions with friends, they ultimately settled on the name GoodDad.
During the final days of the two-weekend celebration, GoodDad held a live panel discussion, “Old Austin Becomes: Bridging the Gap.” The panel brought together local artists with extensive experience in the art industry and focused on the unavailability of rental spaces, what it takes to be an artist today and the lack of art spending, or sponsorship.
“I want people to look up to some of the big collectors right now and see that they are not only buying art from the galleries or artists directly; they are giving money to museums and non-profits,” Jill McLennon, founder of McLennon Pen Co. Gallery, said during the live-panel discussion.
Jonas Criscoe, Jamie Poole, Jill McLennon, and Alexis Hunter share in a panel discussion moderated by Virginia L. Montgomery at GoodDad in November, 2023.
Overby and Wright designed GoodDad to serve as an affordable creative space for artists. The complex offers micro, short-term, private and open floor plan studio options. The spaces range in size from 42 to 1,404 square feet, with prices ranging from $135 per month to $3,861per month.
“Artists have a hard time being able to live and work in the city,” Courtney Cook, a GoodDad tenant, said. “GoodDad came about to make it more possible for artists to afford studio spaces.”
While the building retains its original, unrenovated charm, GoodDad strives not only to preserve the vintage interior but also to revitalize the space. Therefore, artists have the option to renovate their rental studios. The complex also seeks to provide a community event space that artists will have the opportunity to use and host events for free.
GoodDad aims to provide a successful culture and community. In a press release published on its website the studio explained, “When artists are able to exist amongst each other, the cross-pollination of ideas, mediums, and creative efforts forms a creative ecosystem of exponential artist growth.”
“We believe the large-scale community studio is the springboard,” Wright said. “If we can create that springboard, a lot of artists will benefit in their personal pursuits.”