We were lucky to catch up with Alexandra Hall recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Alexandra thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

In 2016, I developed a public art program, Art This Way. Art This Way works to raise funds, advocate for public art, educate the public, and liaison between property owners and artists to bring large scale professional art installations into Fort Wayne. The program operates under the 99-block zone of the Fort Wayne Downtown Improvement District.

Art This Way’s programming continues to change the landscape of Fort Wayne; public art has helped the city develop a distinct identity, foster pride of place and generate economic growth.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I worked as a painter, muralist and illustrator for a number of years before I started consulting. I graduated from Indiana University, Bloomington with a degree in Political Science and Slavic Languages and Literature, and I started working as an artist shortly after graduation. I am self-taught, and my work is generally large, loud, and whimsical. I got involved in public art administration because I wanted to change my city. When I started advocating for more public art in Fort Wayne, there were few examples of public art and very few opportunities for artists.

Art This Way has helped create more opportunities for creatives.

I continue to manage the Art This Way program for the Fort Wayne Downtown Improvement District.

My work developing that program helped me grow and learn more about public art administration. The success of Art This Way presented me with other opportunities outside of Fort Wayne, and in 2019 I developed a public art consulting firm, A H Public Spaces Consulting. In partnership with my clients, I’ve implemented more than two hundred public art projects in both rural and urban settings. I had the opportunity to act as the developer and public art consultant for Arts United and the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership’s 2020 Make It Your Own Mural Fest. In 2022, I managed the LivCo Walls mural festival in New York.

My community-focused approach involves public outreach, education and advocacy. Ultimately, my hope is that I am providing a toolkit for my clients, and, with the foundation we’ve built together, they feel empowered to act as ambassadors for arts and culture in their own community!

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

The biggest mistake I see happening on a societal level is that creatives are not invited into the room where decisions are being made.

From city governments to private businesses, to foundations, to art commissions, I am consistently surprised to discover that few municipalities or organizations understand the value a professional artist could bring to their organization. Whether launching new city design codes, a new product, grant opportunities, or even an artist call, we should be inviting our creatives to participate in the decisions that dictate our community’s future landscape.

For example, a sports complex’s new bathroom facilities may be vying for the same grant funding as a large public arts initiative. Lets assume that the grant selection panel, who is deciding the fate of that funding, is made up of individuals who don’t have a strong arts and culture background. However, the panelists have visited a sports complex to see their children or grandchildren compete. Further, sports tourism does boast a quantifiable economic impact. Arts and culture projects, specifically public art projects, are often more difficult to measure using typical economic impact metrics: hotel stays, restaurants visited, or even tickets sold. It is no surprise that a grant panel lacking in creatives is going to choose the concept to which they can most relate; the sports complex will win their favor. This becomes a cyclical issue; arts and cultural projects receive less financial backing, so exposure to the arts is less likely to impact the panelists who influence where funding goes…. If that same review panel had more creatives weighing in on the proposals, perhaps a private sports complex’s toilets wouldn’t trump public art.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist… I believe strongly in creating artwork and implementing programs that improve quality of life and evoke joy. Creatives can impact change, and it is very rewarding to know that I have been able to help build a platform for creative voices to be heard in my hometown.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.ahconsultingllc.com/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexandra-hall-5405a891/
• Other: https://www.artthiswayfw.com/

Image Credits
LivCo Walls Mural Festival photographer: Keith Walters Make It Your Own Mural Festival photographer: BFA Commercial Photographer Art This Way photos: Brett Frauhiger, Rachel Von, Stephen J Bailey