Our Purpose

AST exists to ensure that artists and culture bearers can remain rooted in the San Francisco Bay Area over the long term

In one of the most expensive housing markets in the country, artists are routinely displaced despite the essential cultural, social, and economic roles they play in their communities. AST responds by treating housing not as a commodity, but as shared infrastructure — a foundation that supports artists’ autonomy, continuity of practice, broad community impact, and ability to remain connected to the places and people they serve.

The Artist Housing Commons

At the center of this work is AST’s Artist Housing Commons: a growing, distributed network of housing and live/work spaces held outside the for-profit real estate market and shaped through multiple pathways and partnerships.

The Commons is not a single site or development, but a portfolio stewarded over time to reach a scale at which our affordable artist housing becomes visible, resilient, and durable enough to meaningfully counter displacement. By securing housing and live/work spaces across neighborhoods and geographies, AST works toward foundationally stabilizing the lives of low income artists across the region, particularly for those most impacted by structural housing inequities.

Through this work, AST advances housing justice and community wellbeing simultaneously. Stable artist housing strengthens neighborhoods, supports cultural continuity, and contributes to healthier, more connected communities. Working alongside artists, donors, and partners, AST builds housing solutions that are non-extractive, adaptable, and grounded in care — recognizing that when artists are able to stay, communities thrive.

▤ Read Our Mission, Vision, and Values