Jamie Schumacher, LISC Twin Cities Program Officer

In a blog from the Twin Cities, LISC’s Jamie Schumacher delves into the ways Asian American and Pacific Islander communities and their partners are leveraging arts and culture to build—and rebuild—authentic human connection, community and commerce.

When The Clay Studio began in 1974, five ceramicists hoped to begin an artist collective. Today, The Clay Studio’s mission is to inspire curiosity and discovery around the art and craft of clay, and draw together students, artists, and an engaged public into a welcoming community. With a LISC investment,  The clay Studio was able to fund a portion of the construction and design work alongside environmental and permitting needs for a larger location to operate at its full potential. With community direction and support, the studio broke ground on their new 34,000 square foot South Kensington location in January 2020.

By David M. Greenberg

David Greenberg, LISC’s VP for Knowledge Management and Strategy, and author of a new essay and workbook exploring the relationships between art and community development, poses a question to our field: what happens when we dispense with our outmoded silos and allow culture-making and social activism to graft? The possibilities are limitless and liberating.

An in depth report from NY1 News explains how the Inclusive Creative Economy Fund has galvanized the future of a venerable downtown theater, La Mama. Thanks to a $3 million line of credit from LISC, the nearly 60-year-old institution, which has nurtured thousands of experimental artists and engages a broad diversity of audiences, is able to renovate its aging building and continue its valuable work. The fund’s model of raising debt capital from an array of impact investors to support creative economies and stimulate job growth, the report noted, can be scaled for communities across the country where real estate costs and other forces threaten local arts and culture.

The Power of Partnerships

From the unprecedented $1.5 billion we invested last year in people and communities across the country, to our burgeoning collaborations with sectors ranging from tech and healthcare to sports and local government, the LISC 2018 Annual Report is chock full of good news, good numbers, and good ideas. These resources and strategies propel us on our journey to shape a brighter future for all our nation's residents. And that, in a nutshell, is the heart of LISC's mission. Read on!

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we are sharing the story of Consuelo Poland, founder of the Latinas Welding Guild and director of RUCKUS, a flourishing makerspace in the North Mass Avenue industrial corridor of Indianapolis, where LISC has been supporting the growth of a new and inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem. Poland is dedicated to connecting Indy’s residents, Latina and otherwise, to satisfying work in creative, hands-on and entrepreneurial jobs, and building a supportive community for small businesses and makers in the process.