Artists and historic preservationists can often become natural partners for preservation work. Many artists, like historic preservationists, can see historic buildings for what they might become. In cities throughout the country, an artist's vision has contributed to preservation aims and neighborhood revitalization. And arts advocates, like preservation advocates, must frequently make a case to the community about the value of their work.

The arts-preservation connection is not limited to advocacy groups. Municipal governments sometimes lump historic preservation with arts and culture as an area of public interest. This is also true for some federal programs, such as the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Local governments often encourage and support developers with tax incentives to rehabilitate historic properties as artist live-work spaces or entrepreneurial incubators.

Consider how your preservation group might find ways to partner with your local arts community. The many Wisconsin examples of arts and preservation partnerships described below can serve as inspiration.

Stoughton Opera House

One of the most dramatic examples to demonstrate the synthesis of performance art, building art, and historic preservation is the revitalization of many Wisconsin opera houses. Many cases of opera house rehabilitation involved a partnership with local government. A fine example is the Stoughton Opera House, which occupies the upper story of a historic city hall building. The Friends of the Stoughton City Hall Auditorium served as the primary advocate for both the arts and historic preservation by stewarding the rehabilitation project. Restoration artists were needed to restore the performance space. A careful analysis of the building's historic decorative details resulted in the dramatic art of the interior space today.

The Stoughton Opera House's partnership with preservation has been integrated into the civic and commercial life of the city. As the Stoughton Opera House has continued to grow and expand its performance roster, the city of Stoughton has benefitted from visitors coming to the city for shows. Opera house patrons help support local restaurants and other businesses, many of which are also in historic buildings.

Mabel Tainter Memorial Theater

Arts advocates sometimes become preservation advocates by default. When the Menomonie City Council first denied a request to fund the restoration of the Mabel Tainter Memorial Theater, the theater's fundraising committee, its key supporters, and the community overall rallied to secure the necessary funds. Today, the historic Victorian theater is run as a performance and event venue by the nonprofit organization Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts. Anne Katz, Executive Director of Arts Wisconsin, says that:

... government support for the Mabel Tainter and Mineral Point Opera House is a big deal, since it shows that the decision-makers in those communities think that the arts and preservation are a good investment.

Heyde Center for the Arts

The Heyde Center for the Arts, supported by the Chippewa Valley Cultural Association, is another case of integrated arts advocacy, performance, and restoration-oriented preservation work. This cultural association saw the potential in a historic school. Volunteers worked diligently over the course of several decades to rehabilitate the large historic building. They continued even when many members of the community thought the project would never happen. The group raised money, in part, through performances in smaller area venues. After the group completed its rehabilitation project, it continued to partner with others, including the Chippewa Falls Historical Society. Without a vision for the building's function as an arts center, the building might never have been protected.

Kunzelmann-Esser Building

For several years, artists have been helping to revitalize Milwaukee's historic neighborhoods with the support of local government. Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist, who served the city between 1988 and 2004, understood the value of art and artists as a catalyst for urban revitalization. At Norquist's suggestion, Madison-based developer Gorman & Company remodeled a century-old building on Milwaukee's Mitchell Street into an artists' live/work community. The 2002 project brought together historic preservation ($1.3 million) and affordable housing ($1.9 million) tax credits with $625,000 of Community Development Block Grant funding. The result was the Kunzelmann-Esser Building project, which offers street-level retail space and affordable rents for the apartment dwellers above. Norquist later went on to lead the Congress for the New Urbanism.

Mitchell Wagon Factory Building

A redevelopment project in Racine is aiding the city's downtown revitalization and attracting creative people from Chicago and beyond. Gorman & Company converted a historic downtown warehouse, the Mitchell Wagon Factory Building, into affordable artist housing. In a Milwaukee Sentinel article, Gorman & Company's President Tom Capp said that "the richness … redevelopment brings to a community is priceless. A lot of artists don't have high incomes by choice, but they bring a tremendous vitality to an area and are harbingers of even better things to come."

Wauwatosa Historical Society Firefly Art Fair

Individual artists also make great collaborators and sponsors. Artists have partnered with preservation interests to raise funds through the sale of their donated works. The Wauwatosa Historical Society engages artists regularly as a part of its highly successful annual fundraiser, the Firefly Art Fair. The fair takes place in the gardens of the society's headquarters, located in the historic Victorian-style Kneeland-Walker House. In 2011, this event netted $31,500 for the nonprofit organization.

Potosi Brewery

The nonprofit Potosi Brewery Foundation has held annual auctions since its inception. Local quilters provide unique and popular pieces that have raised thousands of dollars for the restoration and operation of the Potosi Brewery.

McGilvray Bridges

The Friends of the McGilvray Bridges received $350,000 from the sale of limited-edition prints created by two local La Crosse artists. The prints featured the McGilvray Bottoms and its historic bridges—the site the organization was working to save. These funds provided nearly all of the money needed to repair the road and bridges.

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Historic Preservation Advocacy Guide

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