Monday, January 11, 2010

Archstone Santa Monica Communities to Support Local Artists

Archstone Santa Monica Communities to Support Local Artists

Best Artwork to Win Six Months Free Retail Space for Art Gallery at Santa Monica Apartments

SANTA MONICA – January 5, 2010 – Archstone’s Santa Monica, Santa Monica on Main and Citrus Suites communities are inviting up-and-coming artists in the community and surrounding schools to participate in the first-ever Art of Santa Monica Contest. The winner of the contest will receive six months of free rent in one of Archstone Santa Monica on Main’s open retail units for an art gallery to display their work as well as a $1,000 gift card.

Archstone is encouraging local artists to submit an image of an original work of art between January 15 and February 15 via email to artofsantamonica@archstonemail.com. A panel of art judges selected by Archstone will evaluate the artwork based on their visual interest (50%), content (25%) and craftsmanship (25%).

“The art community in Santa Monica is vibrant, and Archstone is excited to play a role in its continued development,” said Dave Brackett, Archstone’s Executive Vice President of Operations. “It’s part of our commitment to being a positive force in the communities our apartments serve.”

The winner, ultimately selected by the panel of judges, will be announced in April 2010 at a public event to be hosted at the new art gallery space.

“I’m pleased to personally invite all artists or aspiring artists in the Santa Monica community to join us in celebrating local art,” said Melanie Flaherty, Archstone’s Director of Marketing for the West Region. “We look forward to giving one up-and-coming artist the opportunity to grow with their very own art gallery.”

More information and official rules are available at www.artofsantamonica.com.

About Archstone Santa Monica, Archstone Santa Monica on Main and Archstone Citrus Suites
Archstone Santa Monica, Archstone Santa Monica on Main and Citrus Suites are luxury apartment communities in Santa Monica, conveniently located close to the world-famous Santa Monica beaches, the boutique shops on Main Street and the famous Santa Monica Pier. The Santa Monica apartments offer many luxurious features and amenities inside their communities, including rooftop swimming pools and sundecks, media lounges with Wi-Fi, subterranean parking garages, rooftop gardens and skylights.

About Archstone
Archstone is a recognized leader in apartment investment and operations. The company's portfolio is concentrated in many of the most desirable neighborhoods in and around Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, New York, Seattle and Boston. Archstone strives to provide great apartments and great service to its customers—backed by service guarantees. As of September 30, 2009, the company owned or had an ownership position in 442 communities located in the United States and Europe, representing 83,085 units, including units under construction. Utilizing this tremendous amount of expertise and institutional knowledge, Archstone now also offers comprehensive advisory services to owners and lenders who want to maximize the value of their assets through Archstone Real Estate Advisory Services (www.archstoneadvisoryservices.com).