These NYC artists turned studio scraps into gallery art. Here’s how they afford to keep creating in the city.

Jason Rohlf, 56, moved to New York City from Milwaukee in 1999. As a full-time artist, he and his family have lived in the same Williamsburg loft for roughly 27 years, with rent protection under the NYC Loft Law.

The around 1,300-square-foot loft doubles as his home and studio. Yet, although the Loft Law statute protects these industrial lofts inhabited by artists, preserving the space has required lawyers, legal expenses, and years of uncertainty.

“Every time the state says, ‘Oh, we’re going to revisit the loft law,’ you get an email, and everybody’s panicking,” he said. “I don’t think many people’s lifestyles involve having a housing lawyer…

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