Our Approach
Photo: Lorraine Garcia-Nakata, Make Things New (mural), San Francisco
How AST Turns Purpose Into Durable Housing Impact
AST approaches artist housing as long-term cultural infrastructure, not a short-term intervention. Our work is guided by the belief that housing stability for artists must be built with care, discipline, and accountability — balancing urgency with responsibility to artists, communities, and future generations.
Photo: AST Team Headquarters
A Commons-Based Strategy
AST organizes its work around the Artist Housing Commons: a distributed network of housing and live/work spaces stewarded outside the for-profit real estate market. Rather than relying on a single development or housing model, we work across a portfolio of housing forms and partnerships, allowing The Commons to respond to diverse artist needs, neighborhood contexts, and changing market conditions.
This approach prioritizes resilience over speed and durability over scale for its own sake. By treating housing as shared infrastructure, AST focuses on building pathways and solutions that can endure, adapt, and serve artists over the long term.
Photo credit (clockwise from top left): Flee Kieselhorst, Meg Shiffler, Qiana Ellis, Qiana Ellis, Robbie Sweeny of Cherie Hill and IrieDance, She-Verse.
Sequencing Growth with Discipline
AST grows the Artist Housing Commons intentionally and in phases
Rather than pursuing all housing strategies at once, we sequence growth to match organizational capacity, staffing, financial reserves, and stewardship readiness.
In practice, this means beginning with lower-risk, relationship-based pathways — such as property bequests, donations, and buyer-directed homeownership — that allow The Commons to grow without heavy debt or complex development exposure. As capacity and reserves strengthen, AST then layers in more complex strategies, including multi-unit acquisitions, cooperative housing, and partnerships with affordable housing developers.
At each stage, growth is evaluated against clear questions:
Do we have the staffing and systems to steward these homes well?
Are financial reserves sufficient to support long-term care?
Does this expansion strengthen The Commons rather than strain it?
This approach allows AST to manage risk responsibly while remaining accountable to artists, donors, and partners. Sequencing growth in this way ensures that affordability, care, and trust remain central as The Commons expands.
Stewardship Beyond Acquisition
What stewardship means to AST
Our work does not end when a property is acquired. Housing that enters the Artist Housing Commons is planned for long-term care from the outset, with shared responsibility between AST and artist residents.
At AST, stewardship means the ongoing care, oversight, and shared responsibility required to ensure that housing remains affordable, stable, and aligned with community values over time. It includes how homes are managed, how decisions are made, and how accountability is maintained across generations.
In practice, stewardship includes:
Clear agreements that define rights and responsibilities
Ongoing communication with residents and homeowners
Support for maintenance, compliance, and long-term planning
Structures that protect affordability while respecting resident autonomy
This commitment reflects AST’s belief that housing justice is not achieved through transactions alone, but through ongoing relationships, accountability, and care over time. Stewardship ensures that homes remain part of The Commons — serving artists today and in the future.
Planning, Learning, and Accountability
Strategic planning
Artist Space Trust grounds its work in intentional planning and continuous learning. Strategic plans guide how we sequence growth, steward housing over time, and align resources with long-term goals, while allowing flexibility to respond to evolving conditions and community needs.
Our current strategic planning work includes:
2026–2031 Properties Strategic Plan: A roadmap for building and stewarding a diversified portfolio of artist housing with care and discipline. Coming soon.
2026–2031 Community, Communications & Education Strategic Plan: A complementary framework focused on outreach, education, and community engagement. Coming June 2026.
Together, these plans support transparency, accountability, and shared understanding as the Artist Housing Commons grows.
Photo: NCLT and AST staff 2025
Find out more about AST’s History and Goals from AST Co-Founder Ian Winters and AST Director Meg Shiffler in an interview (article and audio) with Shelterforce, September 16, 2025
“This is our community. These are our friends, our family, and we need to take care of them.”
— Ian Winters | Director of Incubation & Special Projects, Northern California Land Trust