Consulting Services
Photo: Ron Moultrie Saunders (right) showing his work
Build an Artist-Centered Housing Commons in Your Community
Artist Space Trust supports communities across the country seeking long-term, non-extractive housing solutions for artists and culture bearers.
Drawing from our work building the Artist Housing Commons in the San Francisco Bay Area, AST helps partners adapt community land trust and commons-based models to their local cultural, economic, and civic context.
Our consulting and toolkit offerings are designed for communities ready to move from interest to implementation.
Why Artist-Centered Housing Requires a Different Approach
Artists face housing challenges shaped by:
Income volatility
Shared or live/work space needs
Cultural practice tied to place
Displacement pressures linked to neighborhood change
Addressing these realities requires more than applying a standard affordable housing model.
AST’s approach centers artists as stakeholders, co-designers, and long-term residents, integrating housing, governance, education, and stewardship into a cohesive, community-rooted system.
Photo: Mr. David Glamamore fashion show at SOMArts Cultural Center
About the AST Consulting Services
AST offers specialized consulting for communities exploring, designing, or launching artist-centered housing initiatives using community land trust and commons-based approaches.
We work with:
Artist-led groups and cooperatives
Arts and housing nonprofits
Community land trusts
Municipal agencies and cultural districts
Consulting engagements may support:
Assessing local artist housing needs and readiness
Adapting CLT and stewardship models for artists
Governance and organizational design
Property pipeline and acquisition strategy
Fundraising and capitalization planning
Community education and engagement
Consulting clients gain access to AST’s practical lessons and implementation insights, informed by our Properties Strategic Plan and on-the-ground work in the Bay Area.
Why Work with Artist Space Trust
AST brings together:
Deep technical expertise in community land trust development
Decades of experience working with culturally diverse artist communities
A preservation-first, stewardship-driven housing philosophy
As builders of the Artist Housing Commons, we offer guidance shaped by real-world sequencing, constraints, and care — not abstract models or one-size-fits-all solutions.
Photo: AST Director Meg Shiffler by Mabel Jimenez
National Toolkit (In Development)
Artist Space Trust is developing a national toolkit to support communities seeking to create artist-centered, commons-based housing.
Grounded in AST’s founding experience, the toolkit will guide partners through adapting housing models to local needs, recognizing that every artist community and housing market is different.
The toolkit will include guidance on:
Assessing local artist housing needs
Understanding and adapting the CLT model
Designing artist-centered governance structures
Identifying enabling policies and municipal partners
Building a sustainable capital stack
Planning property acquisition and stewardship
Launching education and community engagement programs
Communities may pair the toolkit with consulting support to move from planning to implementation.
Is This the Right Time to Reach Out?
AST is a good fit if your community is:
Exploring artist-centered housing for the first time
Seeking to adapt a CLT or commons-based model for artists
Planning a pilot or early-stage project
Looking for stewardship-focused, non-extractive solutions
Get Started
To learn more or explore a potential engagement, please contact:
Meg Shiffler
Director, Artist Space Trust
meg.shiffler@artistspacetrust.org