Jacksonville, FL — Bespoke House Artisan Community, an award-nominated creative hub in Murray Hill, has officially launched its most ambitious fundraising campaign to date: raising $200,000 to secure and develop a historic 4.5-acre campus into a permanent home for Jacksonville’s creative class.
This announcement comes as Jacksonville witnesses a cultural revival supported by evidence presented in the ACE Committee Financial Review 2023, which highlighted over $100 million in missed arts funding opportunities due to bureaucratic red tape and underutilization of available grants . While long-standing organizations like the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville manage millions annually—injecting $103.8 million in economic impact through a $3.9 million distribution to 29 orgs in FY22 —grassroots initiatives like Bespoke House have operated entirely independently, serving over 2,000 creatives and cultivating more than 50 active members across two campuses.
Now, Bespoke House is taking a bold step toward expansion.
The Vision:
The target facility is a historic former school with over 38,000 sq ft of space, classrooms, a media suite, a cafetorium, and open land for future development of sports courts and immersive art environments. This would allow us to offer available space for artists and open residency opportunities for working creatives.
The Plan:
To fund this $200,000 initiative, Bespoke House has outlined a three-phase growth model:
-
Phase 1 — Summer Membership Drive & GoFundMe Campaign:
-
Phase 2 — Facility Acquisition & Renovation:
-
Phase 3 — Long-Term Sustainability via Sponsorship & Public/Private Grants:
-
Sponsorships from $150 to $1500/month with marketing benefits.
-
Gallery naming rights at $7500/year.
-
Artist grants and live/work residency stipends sourced from public funding, modeled after successful initiatives cited in the ACE Review and implemented by cities like Miami and St. Petersburg .
Why This Matters:
“Cultural identity is economic identity,” said Michael Armanno, Executive Director of Bespoke House. “We’re not building a gallery. We’re building a city within a city—a cultural engine powered by the artists, makers, and creatives of Jacksonville.”
Comparisons with peer organizations make the case even stronger:
-
The Cultural Council manages a multimillion-dollar budget from city allocations.
-
The Arts Center Cooperative recently relocated and expanded with support from private development partners.
-
Cork Arts District and Phoenix Arts District have leveraged property ownership and long-term support from philanthropists and patrons to anchor their operations.
But Bespoke House is something different: built from the ground up by artists, for artists.
This project exemplifies the grassroots, community-driven model cited as a best practice in the ACE Committee Review, especially when contrasted with the stalled funding efforts for projects like MADE at the Armory .
How to Get Involved:
Contact:
Michael Armanno
Executive Director
Bespoke House Artisan Community
bespokehouse904@gmail.com
www.bespokehousejax.com