NEW YORK—Landlords around New York are ever more frequently finding ways to brighten the dark days of the recession, hosting pop-up galleries filled with art to take the place of tenants forced out by the poor economy.

In a switch from the old ways — when artists, graffiti and the like were more often forced out rather than invited in — owners of hard-to-rent-right-now commercial spaces are happily offering it up to artists, at low prices and often with added perks (like free electricity). The idea is that the spaces, now used as temporary galleries and studios, will keep crime out and demonstrate the appeal of the area to potential paying tenants. In contrast, across the Atlantic in the U.K., the practice of pop-up galleries has long been popular and accepted.

A number of groups, like Chashama and No Longer Empty, work as kind of real estate agents, hooking landlords up with artists. Where in the past they may have had to search for empty storefronts and willing owners, business seems to be booming now, which may be a good omen for the future.

Read more at the New York Times.