The Bakery Seeks a Bright Future
An update from our Executive Director (October 2024)
Dear Friends and Supporters,
I can hardly believe it’s been seven years since I began this journey of working for myself, surrounded by an incredible community. The Bakery has grown into something truly special, not just for me but for so many of you as well. Art has always been my way of making sense of the world, and The Bakery represents the idea that we all can do better—be more accountable, transparent, and open-minded. In a world that continues to face hardship and grief, spaces like The Bakery exist to offer connection amidst the turmoil.
Did you know Georgia ranks last nationwide in arts funding, spending only $0.12 per capita? Despite this, The Bakery Atlanta has received crucial support from Fulton County Arts & Culture, The Office of Cultural Affairs, The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta, and Georgia Council for the Arts. Next, we’re aiming for support from South Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts—securing these grants would be an honor, though the administrative work is no small feat!
Where public funding falls short, private support has stepped in. We’re thrilled to have received $20,000 over two years from a foundation and an additional $25,000 from Hinge. Yes, the dating app! Their goal? To foster real-life connection among young adults in an increasingly isolated world. These contributions reaffirm our mission to provide alternative models for how spaces can operate in a world that doesn’t always accommodate life’s gray areas.
The Bakery Atlanta officially became a 501(c)3 nonprofit in 2023, a step I always knew we’d take if we could make it through those first few years. The pandemic may have slowed our momentum, but it also opened up new opportunities. I’ve approached this transition with care because stewarding public and private funds comes with great responsibility, and I wanted to ensure we were ready for it.
Now, I’m excited to invite you to participate in our two-month campaign to raise $10,000 to support our operations. We’re asking for donations of $7, $77, or $777 to commemorate our 7th year. You can contribute via our GoFundMe page. We’re also always looking for advice, pro bono services, and connections that can help us further our mission of serving Atlanta.
Thank you for the continued support and encouragement you’ve shown over the years. <3
With gratitude,
Willow H. Goldstein
D e a r S u p p o r t e r s ,
We want to extend our gratitude to everyone who has been involved with and encouraged The Bakery since its inception in 2017. It has been a long journey and we are immensely proud of where we currently stand. Thanks to our incredible staff, volunteers, supporters, and friends, we've transformed a warehouse into a community art space, activated several temporary locations, navigated a global pandemic, started a nonprofit, and so much more. We are truly amazed that an idea we had seven years ago has grown into this beautiful endeavor that continues to expand every day. Now, we're ready to embark on our next venture – a new space that will remind you of our original location but better...
We're excited to announce that we are in the process of securing a 12,500 sq. ft. basement space in the Poncey-Highland neighborhood. This space is roughly half the size of our original building, providing us with sufficient square footage to house a white wall art gallery, a dedicated performance area, creative offices, artists' studios, and a flexible artist/craft retail space. Our objective is to collaborate with emerging artists who are transitioning from studio practice to entrepreneurship. Our vision is to create a mini ecosystem where artists and small businesses receive the support and physical space they need to take their next steps.
Opening a space is no simple feat, but we've done it before, and we're fully prepared to do it again. What's even more challenging than opening a space is maintaining it. If we secure this new location, we will have a 5-year lease and a 5-year renewal option ~ a significant milestone for the arts in Atlanta.
Our former and original home, a multifaceted arts complex from 2017 to 2020, now serves as the headquarters of a prominent local nonprofit, Trees Atlanta. They became our de facto landlord for a year after purchasing the building in 2019, and we harbor no ill feelings toward them. We know many individuals who work for them, and we appreciate the meaningful work they do.
Nevertheless, it serves as a stark reminder that some organizations can acquire and own property while others, like us, cannot. Large organizations and institutions such as Trees Atlanta, the High Museum, the Fox Theatre, and others receive the lion's share of funding and resources, leaving smaller cultural entities to compete for scraps in comparison. It's not a matter of one being more or less important than the other; the resources are simply distributed inequitably.
Our current home in South Downtown, where we've been located since 2021, is serving as a necessary stopgap, and we're grateful to Newport for their support in providing us with a physical location over the past few years. When we opened in January 2021, we implemented timed tickets, enforced limited capacity, and maintained a strict no-exceptions mask policy due to the ongoing pandemic. Despite these challenges, we proceeded with caution and discovered that our work remained meaningful and necessary in Atlanta. We've cherished our gallery space, but regrettably, our annual license agreement for this space expires in December, and it will likely have a new owner by then. With potential new ownership and an ever-evolving downtown landscape, we are uncertain whether renewing this lease will be an option.
This new project is incredibly exciting, and we can't wait to share all the details with you! In fact, we can't wait at all, so we'll be posting all the information online today and tomorrow. Please keep an eye on our social media channels, website, and newsletter for updates.
We're charging ahead at full speed with this potential project, and we need your help. Do you reside in the Poncey-Highland neighborhood, or do you know someone who does? A crucial neighborhood vote is scheduled for this Wednesday, 9/20. The neighborhood association will be voting on drafted legislation that would enable us to apply for a liquor license. We've actively participated in neighborhood meetings, engaged with local business owners, and are currently engaging with more neighbors. Our goal is to ensure that all residents are informed about our potential plans and understand the significance of this Wednesday's vote for our future. Please help us spread the word! Any Poncey-Highland resident, whether a renter or homeowner, is eligible to vote on Wednesday. For further information about our business plans and details regarding the vote, please visit our website at thebakeryatlanta.com/poncey-highland.
With your support, we can continue to thrive and make a lasting impact on the Atlanta arts community. Thank you for being a part of our journey. #AtlantaNeedsTheBakery
See you soon,
The Bakery Atlanta team
THE BIG NEWS:
Please join The Bakery as we embark on a large-scale fundraising and awareness campaign, not only in support of opening a new space, but also in hopes of restoring a vibrant, creative ecosystem right here in Atlanta, GA.
Expanding on our previous and existing projects ~ 825 Warner Street (our original multifaceted home), private artists studios in East Point, several community projects around Atlanta, and our South Downtown white-wall gallery ~ The Bakery looks to a brighter future.
We're excited to announce that we are working on securing a 12,500 sq. ft. basement space in the Poncey-Highland neighborhood. This is about half the size of our original building, which means we will have enough square footage to host a white wall art gallery, a dedicated performance space, creative offices, artists' studios, and flexible artist/craft retail. Our goal is to work with emerging artists who are taking the leap out of studio practice and into entrepreneurship. We hope to create a mini ecosystem where artists and small businesses have support and physical space to take their next step.
THE ASK:
The Bakery has never had deep pockets or high-dollar donors. For the past 5 years, we have relied heavily on small donations, earned revenue, and volunteers to keep the dream alive.
Today, we are asking for your help in raising $100,000 to keep the dream alive. Building a space for live performance isn’t easy and it isn’t cheap. We have a few months to raise these start-up funds - before our opening in Spring 2022.
They say if you build it, they’ll come. Help us build it. So you can come.
In true crowdfunding fashion, we are asking for small donations to achieve our goal, and we believe we can with you!
Tier #1: $25
We ask that you donate $25 if you are a working artist, a service industry worker?
Tier #2: $100
We ask that you donate $100 if the thought of spending that much money doesn’t make your heart race.
Tier #3: $500
We ask that you donate $500 if you feel that supporting other people's dreams will not cost you yours.
Tier #4: $1,000+
We ask that you give at least $1,000 if you understand that the value proposition is not a financial return on your physical money but rather an endowment of support towards a cause that is fundamental to our human nature and our shared sanity.
We are hopefully emerging from a long couple of years without each other, without the arts in the way that we are used to experiencing them. And still, remember, when things are darkest, we often turn to our favorite song, our favorite movie, or our community. At the core of all of these are artists, and people. Supporting spaces like ours ensures we're reemerging into post-COVID world that we still want to be here for.
SHARE:
Sharing goes a long way. If you care about The Bakery and our mission but can’t donate much, please put this in front of someone who can. Send it to your rich aunt, successful college roommate, or that friend who invested in Bitcoin in 2010. Help us spread the word!
OUR MISSION:
The Bakery Atlanta is a collective of artists, curators, and administrators dedicated to offering alternative models to local creatives and the general public. We host and produce experiences that connect and inspire people through collaboration, experimentation, and play.
Working from a DIY ethos, The Bakery strives to holistically encourage creativity across mediums and disciplines. We do this through providing physical space, producing accessible public programming, and activating unconventional spaces. We are unified by the belief that art is pivotal to existence and that everyone should have opportunities to engage with art. Community building is at the core of what we do.
HISTORY:
We’ve done it before. We can do it again.
The Bakery was born in the Fall of 2017 in the form of a multi-faceted arts complex located at 825 Warner Street in Southwest Atlanta. The 23,000sf warehouse was first built in the 1940s as a commercial Bakery nestled between the neighborhoods of Adair Park, Capitol View, and Oakland City. The space was founded by and based on a lifetime of ideas by mother-daughter duo, Willow H Goldstein and Olive Hagemeier, alongside the various volunteers who flocked to the project. What unified us then, and now, is the belief that art is pivotal to existence.
These early volunteers became guiding lights in the formation of The Bakery, both as a physical space and as a concept. These volunteers grew into staff, art administrators, peer facilitators, event managers, and community ambassadors. Together we transformed a barren concrete box into a lively studio complex with various multi-use performance and art venues. We hosted live music, contemporary movement, drag shows, theatre, educational programs, late-night dance parties, and countless other projects and passions. For almost three years, 825 Warner Street served as a hub for collaboration, experimentation, learning, and play. Read more about our history here.