Zenith Wealth Partners’ Post

Is it time for more arts organizations to buy property? Artwashing, the use of art to distract from negative actions like gentrification, highlights a critical issue: artists create value in neighborhoods, only to be displaced when property values rise. As Haven Gallery's Director in Chicago points out, "Artists create wealth, and it gets extracted from us." This challenge inspired the founding of Equity Arts, a nonprofit focused on disrupting this cycle. By purchasing property through innovative models like the Perpetual Purpose Trust (PPT), Equity Arts aims to maintain control and stability for artists while fostering community development. This approach combines a for-profit LLC and a 501c3 nonprofit, opening up diverse funding opportunities beyond traditional philanthropy. In Boston, the Ujima Project, led by Black artists, stabilizes spaces for local businesses through a democratically controlled investment fund, allowing community members to invest and decide on business support. This model emphasizes artists as entrepreneurs, integrating them into financial mechanisms that protect against rising real estate costs. Equity Arts' model is designed to demonstrate the economic value of arts-stewarded real estate, aiming to secure both philanthropic and traditional funding. This initiative can provide discounted rent for startup businesses, using net income to support arts programming and grants. The ultimate goal is artist self-determination, ensuring that development benefits the existing culture rather than displacing it. As more arts organizations consider property ownership, models like these can serve as blueprints for preserving the cultural and economic contributions of artists within their communities. #ArtCommunity #RealEstate #Nonprofit #Artists #CommunityEngagement #SustainableDevelopment #Entrepreneurship #CulturalPreservation

Building better places, increasing people’s sense of belonging and boosting civic pride will continue to be an uphill battle as long as we devalue arts and culture. As towns and cities strive to retain their vibrancy in challenging economic times, Laura Bell from the Reimagine Place team sheds light on a critical issue facing our urban landscapes: the impact of cuts to arts and culture funding. Understanding the consequences of these reductions is more crucial than ever. From the evolving perspectives on cultural investment to the profound implications on community cohesion and local economies, Laura offers an in-depth analysis of what's at stake and how the arts contribute not only to the cultural fabric, but the resilience of our towns and cities in the post-pandemic era. Read more 👉 https://lnkd.in/ghGV52SM #UrbanDevelopment #CulturalSustainability #ReimaginePlace #EconomicResilience #ArtsandCulture #TownCentres #Regeneration

I love bold ideas for reshaping the way we support arts & culture in our country. This is an interesting one: what if we funded operating costs as infrastructure? "As with infrastructure projects such as the building and maintenance of highways, funding cultural institutions will directly support employment: Culture in the United States employs about five million people and pumps about $1 trillion into the economy annually. New funding would boost local economies, cultivate a more equitable arts sector, and promote and protect arts organizations in small and medium-size cities. It would help to disentangle larger arts institutions from the largess of wealthy individuals and corporations, which currently wield an inordinate and thorny amount of influence. (Think of the Sackler family.) And it could defang some of the most pernicious culture-war arguments against arts funding, since it’s much harder to object to paying to fix a museum’s leaky roof than to paying to exhibit a photograph." A good read! Thanks for sharing it Joe Waters!

The Transformative Power of Art in Community Building In the past week, I've witnessed two profoundly different examples of how art can impact and strengthen communities. The first occurred during our subdivision's community garage sale. As an artist, I offered to host a sidewalk chalk event, something I've done many times before in communities. Donning my alter ego, Professor Bubbles (complete with a bubble-painted lab coat), I set up along a pathway with bubble machines and boxes of chalk. Surprisingly, this event drew more adults than children. Neighbors who typically remain isolated in their homes came out, picked up chalk, and began to interact. Even a door-to-door pest control salesman joined in, spending an hour simply enjoying the camaraderie without once mentioning his services. It was a beautiful reminder of how art can break down barriers and foster connections. The second example took place in Dayton, Ohio, where I witnessed the creation of a large sidewalk mosaic memorializing a tragic mass shooting from several years ago. My friend Jes McMillan of the Mosaic Institute of Dayton shared that over the past six months, more than 5,000 community members contributed to laying out the tiles during open studio events. In recent days, dozens more have helped with completion and grouting. This project exemplifies how art can facilitate healing and unity in the wake of tragedy. The overwhelming community support and participation in creating this memorial underscore the power of public art to bring people together and provide a tangible symbol of collective resilience. From simple chalk drawings that help neighbors connect, to complex mosaics that unite thousands in a shared purpose, community art builds engagement and strengthens social bonds. It provides a platform for expression, healing, and connection that transcends words. I'm eager to hear your experiences with community art. Please share your stories in the comments or email me at timothywellsarts@gmail.com. Let's continue to explore and celebrate the transformative power of art in our communities. #CommunityArt #PublicArt #ArtHeals #CommunityBuilding #CreativeEngagement

We are mentioned in this interesting article by Tamela Baker for #HeraldMailMedia on how upscale housing could help boost the arts community. https://lnkd.in/eeFxtyxN

Empowering Communities through Art: A Toolkit for Embedded Artistic Practice At coLAB Arts, we are deeply committed to the belief that the arts are essential in building stronger, more connected communities. Lane Michael Stanley was in residence this past year with permanent supportive housing organization Mission First Housing Group and has a fresh take on outlining a critical framework for how artists can embed themselves within communities to foster collaboration, connection, and meaningful impact. Community-embedded artistic practice is not just about creating art for an audience, but rather with the community—elevating shared stories and ensuring that every voice has the opportunity to be heard. The strategies discussed in this toolkit offer valuable insights for artists and community leaders looking to drive change through creative collaboration. Even if that means offering snacks and a place to charge a phone. Bravo Lane. We hope others are encouraged to consider this approach and how these practices can further engage and strengthen the communities we serve. Read the full article here and let us know what you think! https://lnkd.in/eepNnnEp #CommunityArt #CreativeCollaboration #ArtAndCommunity #CulturalInnovation #SocialImpact

Always nice to see my home state of Massachusetts thriving artistically! SMU DataArts has highlighted the top arts-vibrant rural counties across the country using their "Arts Vibrancy Index" and the United States Census Bureau's classification of "rural." Key takeaways from their rankings: 🌄 Tourist Destinations: Many of the counties are popular travel spots due to their natural beauty or significant landmarks. 💰 Wealthy Community Members: Some counties have higher-than-average household incomes and other indicators of community wealth. 🏛️ Major Foundations: A few counties are home to major foundations. While these foundations may or may not significantly contribute to local arts, their presence often supports a higher-than-average amount of arts activities. 🎭 Small and Mid-Sized Organizations: These areas benefit from a large number of these sized arts organizations relative to the local population. 🎨 Anchor Institutions: Some areas feature one particularly large institution that attracts visitors and participants from beyond the county limits. This reminds us that the arts are EVERYWHERE, not just in major cities. #Arts #Culture #Data #Research #Rural

Here’s a powerful initiative that is making a real difference through art: The Wall of Justice – a project using murals to address social justice issues and foster community unity. Walls of Justice isn’t just about beautifying public spaces; it’s about reclaiming them to spotlight social injustices and inspire action. Each mural serves as a platform for public education and community reflection, sparking conversations around critical issues and amplifying voices that need to be heard. This project reminds us of the unique power of street art to fuel social change. By transforming urban spaces into places of learning and remembrance, Walls of Justice empowers communities to not only see art but to be part of a larger movement for justice and solidarity. Link to Walls of Justice: https://lnkd.in/dNTvnDj6

We need to value ALL OF OUR children’s development. We need to value education. We need valuable education. We need MUSIC EDUCATION EVERY DAY...FOR ALL. "Colleges revitalize communities by leading in arts development investments" should be the headline across the country IMO. ✌🏽✌🏻✌🏿✌🏾✌🏼❤️ In the following article, David Brancaccio discusses the revitalization of his "hometown, Waterville, Maine... a mill and college town is trying to establish itself as the arts capital of northern New England." Brancaccio created "a documentary about better ideas for the economy, the post-great financial crisis called “Fixing the Future” about a dozen years ago" that started with Waterville's struggling downtown. Now "close to $200 million has been spent downtown — about half from Colby College, a private liberal arts college in Waterville – on the Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts complex which will include five performance spaces." An incredible investment, as he stated, the "(Gordon Center for Creative and Performing Arts Complex) is the type of project one might expect in a top-10 city. But in Waterville, population 16,000?" It's a wonderful article, but the part I found most interesting was the following: "Jay Dick with the advocacy group Americans for the Arts said other cities have pulled off similar bets, like The Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana. Dick’s data found when $5 billion went into the arts nationally, $27 billion came out. “If that was an IPO on Wall Street, I’d buy as much of that art stock as possible,” Jay said. “That’s a great return on investment.” The headline following, "Colleges revitalize communities by leading in arts development investments" should be, "Communities follow by investing in arts education in the schools". With more informed participants, consumers, creators, and patrons, communities would increase their return on investment tenfold – and more than just financially.✌🏽✌🏻✌🏿✌🏾✌🏼❤️ #artseducation #musiceducation https://lnkd.in/es2U4J5K