The Nexus Project is a joint venture between artists and community re-development. The collaborative project will be implemented under the umbrella of the Wichita Falls Alliance for Arts and Culture (The Alliance), and Faith Enterprises, a program of Faith Mission, a nonprofit social service agency.
The project will launch a revitalization effort to renovate a series of abandoned houses in the downtown core of our city; and make those spaces available to artists, arts organizations and families identified by Faith Mission who need permanent homes.
The Nexus Project is committed to this innovative approach to community development. The project will provide jobs and homes for clients of the Faith Mission; and studio/exhibition spaces for artists to develop this creative zone as a nexus between community revitalizing and cultural enterprise.
The Alliance is a 501(c) 3 organization formed in partnership with the City of Wichita Falls and area foundations to provide leadership, funding and management assistance to artists and arts organizations. The primary goal of the organization is to make creativity and the arts accessible to residents throughout the city.
Understanding that the arts add significant economic value to a community, the Alliance has successfully provided programs that enrich people’s lives and builds bridges between cultural and socio-economic divides. Our partner, Faith Mission addresses the needs of the growing number of families experiencing homelessness and unemployment. The organization provides both temporary shelters for families and offers a 10-12 month recovery program for persons struggling with addiction.Faith Enterprises offers a general maintenance and construction workforce to the community, providing men and women opportunities to develop a positive work history and skills leading to employability.
The Nexus Project activities will cover five major community development areas:
• Job training and job creation
• Elimination of blighted areas that attract crime
• Public spaces for engaging children and adults in creative programming
• Studio and retail spaces for artists, and
• Permanent homes that reunite families
We are confident that this project will encourage other property owners and developers to join us by investing in this worthwhile endeavor. The successful demonstration project has the potential for being replicated in other parts of the city as a model for neighborhood revitalization and economic development.
Click on the link below to vote for the Nexus Project. You can vote one time per day until May 12, 2017.
http://act.usatoday.com/submit-an-idea/#/gallery/60448453/
