Budget
$190,000.00
Description
One of our objectives is to make artists' studio space and artisanal workshops accessible to all. To fulfill this objective we have created a scholarship program with an emphasis on increasing access to historically excluded groups. In 2021 we invested 125,000 in this program, as a result our maker space is a remarkably diverse community. We are seeking t o expand this program in 2022
Beneficiaries
Black/African American
Adults
Minorities
Long-term Success
This program has just completed its first year;.
Short-term Success
1. Has increased diversity of the Fort Houston Community.
2. The scholarships to artists have had a huge impact on the lives of the recipients; two of the six scholarship recipients have had new works purchased by prominent galleries in Florida, California and Illinois. One scholarship recipient has been invited to bring his work to New York City. All of this recognition is new.
3. Our scholarships for artisans have had a similar impact. One recipient--a woman--is now the director of our metal shop. Women are only now beginning to break into this male-dominated field
Program Success Monitored By
Board of Directors
Program Areas Served
Nashville, Davidson County, Nashville

Budget
$170,000.00
Description
The objective of this program is to provide emerging artists who have demonstrated exceptional talent and commitment with a significant, discontinuous increase in their creative output and recognition. To achieve this objective, six artists are given a free studio for one year in a single suite. Throughout the year they are given coaching and mentorship. The culmination of the year for each of them is a solo exhibition in our spacious, inviting public art gallery. The typical opening will draw more than 300 people, and the reputation of the gallery is growing. In 2022, we received over 100 applications for the six studios.
Program Successes
Ryan Winnen was a successful touring musician who was grounded by the pandemic. Alone, he started to paint, but he was expanding creatively into unknown territory. During the first three months his works were small; then he began expanding, in style and size. By the end his large paintings drew a crowd of over 300 people. As soon as his exhibition ended he was invited to a solo exhibition in a prominent New York City gallery.
Beneficiaries
Adults
Minorities
Long-term Success
The program has been operating for only one year
Short-term Success
This year's group of artists has made $57,000 in direct sales. Several have received commissions and an opportunity ot show their work in other galleries as a result. Each of the artists has reported dramatic personal growth by being a part of a community, by being challenged to produce a large number of works on a deadline, and by the coaching and mentoring they received.
Program Success Monitored By
Board of Directors
Program Areas Served
Nashville

Budget
$260,000.00
Description
Fort Houston made Nashville one of the first places in the United States to have a "maker space;" today every city of any size has one or more such institutions. The basic design is modeled after the YMCA: Assemble expensive tools and working space under one roof where they can be shared by many different people. These shops vary across the country, but our maker space stands out in three ways. First, thanks to the generosity of JPW, a major US tools manufacturer, we have the most extensive collection of professional woodworking and metal working tools in the Southeastern United States. Second, thanks to the generosity of foundations, businesses and individuals in our community we have one of the largest facilities in the US, with room to grow. Third, Nashville is unique in that we have traditional makers sharing space with artists, and we include a large public gallery in our building. The cross-fertilization and collaboration that has resulted is remarkable
Program Successes
Jon Dalman started making chains for bicycle locks at Fort Houston seven years ago. Today he is co-owner of Mesa Furniture, a growing company that is developing a national reputation as a producer of fine furnishings.
Beneficiaries
Adults
Long-term Success
Over 225 small businesses have been incubated or grown as a result of Fort Houston. Dozens more individuals are now working full-time as artists or artisans after changing careers. Equally important, many Nashvillians have rediscovered the satisfaction of making objects of beauty with their own hands. Many Nashvillians can point to a piece of art, furnishings, furniture or installation in their homes or business that has special meaning because to them.
Short-term Success
we are studying the total sales of goods by Fort Houston members and alumni; based on preliminary findings the total is in the millions of dollars each year.
Program Success Monitored By
Board of Directors
Program Areas Served
Nashville

Budget
$50,000.00
Description
Programming that falls under the Artisan Community Outreach umbrella include (but not limited to) Pinewood Derby Car carving with the Boy Scouts of America, hosting open studios and inviting members of the community in for the building of Free Little Libraries and Free Little Food Banks. In 2022 we are starting a series of classes open to the community in subjects ranging from bookmaking to painting to decorative boxes
Category
Arts, Culture & Humanities  - Visual Arts Instruction 
Beneficiaries
Adults
Long-term Success
We believe in the power of art. However the program is just beginning
Short-term Success
TBD
Program Success Monitored By
Board of Directors
Program Areas Served
Nashville

Description
The Fort Houston Artisan Support Project's Creative Business Development Initiative encompasses classes in creative business management (taught by James Szuch), sponsorship opportunities for artists and makers who are in need of financial assistance as they grow their businesses (such as the Pinnacle Bank Scholarship), and community-driven events which showcase the work of our members (such as our Industry Night, held in May of 2018 to encourage relationships with Nashville's interior design community).
Program Areas Served
None