LuigART Makers Spaces

North Limestone Community Development Corporation / LexArts

Funding Received: 2013
Lexington, KY
$425,000
Funding Period: 1 year and 5 months
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January 23, 2014

York St. WaterWorks Mural & Butterfly Garden (artist rendering)

Updates
2013 was a great year for the NoLi CDC: We acquired 26 of our houses; we moved in our first artist in residence; we launched the night market and really got our bearings down for our first year. We couldn’t be more excited about the strides that we made to complete goals and the organizations we partnered with to accomplish them. It’s been a great year.

But 2014 is starting off with a bang. Our cultural vibrancy map is finally complete and will be printed and distributed to local businesses soon. Also soon to be rolled is a brief Homeownership Pamphlet that was created in order to help those looking to purchase a home in the LuigART Makers Spaces, or in the North Limestone area in general. We have also submitted an application for a NEA Our Town Grant, in collaboration with the Blue Grass Community Foundation, Lexington-Fayette County Urban Government, LexArts, Lord, Aeck, Sargent, and the University of Kentucky Department of Community Leadership and Development. We applied for a Cultural Plan for the neighborhood, which would be centered around community engagement and livability issues in the neighborhood.

Finally, we’re happy to announce that through a partnership with the Blue Grass Community Foundation, the Gimbel Foundation has pledged $25,000 in support for the York St. WaterWorks Mural & Butterfly Garden which will reside in the heart of the LuigART Makers Spaces.

Recent Wins
-- We got some fantastic press with The Herald Leader, which featured an article about Griffin Van Meter, president of the NoLi CDC. It was a great piece about his leadership in change for the community and how the CDC is making a difference in the neighborhood. This article has been great for getting our message out and putting a better light on the goals, which we hope to achieve.

-- 4 local woodworkers are creating a woodworker’s shop at 648 Limestone, and will be up and running soon. They are very community minded, and have done several projects in the neighborhood.

-- Transylvania University's Community Engagement Through the Arts class has started holding class in the Gathering at the Bazaar at the corner of North Limestone and Bryan Ave. We’re very excited for them to be working in the neighborhood.

Insight/Provocation
This month, we’ve grown to appreciate the power of a strong partnership with our Community Foundation. Being a young non-profit, we’ve really valued the Blue Grass Community Foundation’s over-the-top supportive of us. It is through our partnership with them that we’ve been able to do so much: our ArtPlace Award, the application for an Our Town Grant, and finally, the recent award from the Gimbel Foundation. We’re so grateful for their support.