On the eve of d’Art’s 35th anniversary, the Center will move into a new state of the art space in the New Energy of Norfolk (NEON) Arts District that more than doubles the Center’s current capacity.
The Center’s new location offers many exciting opportunities for d’Art Center staff, artists, gallery visitors and patrons as well as class, workshops, and summer camp attendees. The completely renovated 9,500 square foot state-of-the-art building at 740 Boush Street features a new 2,200 square foot gallery which boasts 30 foot ceilings and restored architectural features.
In addition to the increased residential artist studio space, the new location also includes a full event catering kitchen, free visitor and patron parking, technology and ceramic studios, multipurpose class/meeting rooms, an artist lounge, a solo artist gallery available for rent, and retail space featuring work of the d’Art Center artists and local vendors. The completely renovated Boush Street location also includes fourteen residential apartments.
But how did the d’Art Center get here?
To help nonprofits and businesses achieve greater financial results, Strategic Solutions by Tricia offers a variety of services which includes interim staffing.
In 2018, d’Art Center hired SST as a consultant to fill a gap while the Board of Directors looked for a new Executive Director.
SST can assist nonprofits and businesses to move forward and thrive serving as a consultant and then interim leader providing insight from an outside view.
d’Art’s History
In April of 2015, an explosion at Seldon Arcade destroyed most of the artists’ work and displaced the Center along with other organizations and businesses. Thanks to community support, the Center was housed in several temporary locations until relocating into the Duke Grace Building. Although the artists were happy to be under one roof and working, the location was smaller.
From the onset, the artists’ studios were completely filled to capacity. The d’Art Center reached out to SST for assistance.
Navigating to Success
SST was initially hired as a consulting and then the d’Art Center hired Tricia Hudson as the interim Executive Director. She worked with the board to navigate:
- increased fundraising capacity
- bringing on new artists
- returning the organization to its community outreach mission
- monetizing all aspects of the center
All of these changes helped to position d’Art Center for growth. These improved abilities helped the Center to be able to take on this type of move to its final home.
The SST team and Tricia assisted the nonprofit with proposal writing, grant applications, public relations, marketing special events, and much more to help make the move a reality.
SST helped d’Art Center identify varied revenue streams, seek local, state, and federal grant opportunities, and corporate investments while also helping staff and artists open an online store in order to continue selling their artwork during the COVID-19 shutdown.
Through strategic planning & coaching, SST has successfully taken d’Art from zero to $350,000 worth of funding applied for and secured in the last year, as well as an additional $500,000 applied for during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The SST marketing/fundraising team includes experts in social media marketing, marketing research, graphic design, and business development to meet our clients’ marketing and fundraising goals. SST’s press releases and social media marketing garnered:
- a 20 minute radio interview with Entercom, which represents four radio stations in Hampton Roads marketplace
- an article in the Virginian-Pilot
- an interview in VEER Magazine
- a WHRO (public radio) PSA and interview
- 1,800 email communications
- over 200 responses on social media
Let us help you build a successful future for your organization. Please call our office at 757-536-9937 or reach out to Strategic Solutions by Tricia, LLC via Facebook, or at www.ssbytricia.com.