Naomi Chu, Vice President of Asset Management, brings more than 20 years of experience as a leader at Artspace. She and her team are responsible for the stewardship of Artspace buildings, and they work directly with the artists and families who live and work within them.
As a nonprofit affordable housing developer for the creative sector, Artspace has a 40+-year history of being responsive to the needs of communities, often partnering with those that have traditionally been underrepresented—including Indigenous, low-wealth, and rural communities, and communities of color. Yet, during these unprecedented times, more is needed.
In 2018, Artspace was invited to the City of Baltimore by the Mayor and other civic and community leaders to develop a proposal for the redevelopment of a long-vacant, Art Deco icon: The Ambassador Theater. Located on Liberty Heights Avenue in Northwest Baltimore, the redevelopment could fill the need for a cultural destination in an area with few existing artistic outlets for creators and patrons. So, in the summer of 2019, Artspace led a series of conversations to listen to ideas.
The new center features artist studios, a computer lab/classroom, production studio, credit union offices, and space for the Rolling Rez Arts to rest its wheels between traversing 2.1M acres to deliver art, business, retail and banking
