Libertas Americana

Libertas Americana Art Studio

Indie Go Go Campaign - become a backer today LIVE Monday May 29th
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Campaign Overview
This is a dual purpose campaign designed to expand my art into a full-time business, giving me the ability to offer more cultural options within my community. Raising enough money to purchase and restore one of the historic buildings on Main Street will allow me to actively pursue commissions and expand the amount of art I create. Having a professional studio will allow me to cultivate emerging artists, offer public events, and expand my participation in public art projects within my community.

Short Summary
I am a stay-at-home mom actively participating in community-based and public art projects. I am a self-taught painter with a degree in illustration. Combining these talents has enabled me to tell a story through my art.
This goal is important to me for two reasons.

1. I need a larger studio space so I can actively pursue commissions and increase community involvement.

2. I would like to save one of the neglected buildings on Main Street and actively start a community discussion about historic preservation.
Your investment in this campaign will help me transform the chaos of a home studio into a professional working environment, increasing the reach and impact of my art. It will also allow me to expand my commitment to encouraging cultural growth in my community.

What I Need & What You get

*I am asking for $200,000 dollars with a goal of purchasing and renovating a historic building to use as a professional studio. In addition to allowing me to expand my business as an artist, I will be able to offer more events and programs in my community.

*The perks for this campaign are based on an original piece of art from my studio. The original painting is 30 x 40” and is offered at the first donation of $5000 or more, up to $10,000. Perks start at $25 a digital download of the featured painting, Shoofly Liberty.
Fine art prints are offered in several sizes at different investment levels and commissions are available at the $10,000 level and above.

*If I do not reach the full goal of $200,000, I will seek a rental property within the budget determined by money raised during this campaign. If possible, I would use this space to enact some of the community-based initiatives listed above. I would also use a physical presence in the community to continue building partnerships with local businesses. It is my hope that these goals would generate the income necessary to save for the purchase of a building or expand my marketing capabilities and run a second campaign to raise the remaining funds.

The Impact

As an investor in this campaign, you will receive a signed reproduction of one of my iconic Liberty paintings. One donor will receive the original piece of art, and the highest level donors will have the opportunity to work directly with me on an original commissioned piece of art. On a personal level, full funding of this campaign will allow me to partner with other businesses and community leaders to increase cultural opportunities in our rural community.

This is my first crowdfunding campaign as well as my first effort to raise support for a personal goal. However, for 3 years, I have worked closely with my local Arts Council to help them raise money for community projects, hosting art shows for the local schools, and offering scholarships to students entering colleges with a focus on cultural education.

Art is a passion for me but I am limited by inadequate space in my home studio and an inability to meet with clients in a professional setting. Although I volunteer as much as possible in my community, I think having a physical presence downtown would allow me to expand my contributions there as well. It would certainly enable me to offer open studio events and coordinate with other merchants and artists to determine the next step in cultural growth in our community.


Risks and Challenges

My biggest challenge will be finding a building that can be purchased and renovated within the budget set by money raised during my campaign. I have already discussed my plans and looked at property with a local Realtor and a consultant in the contracting/development industries. I am aware of the challenges of bringing a historic property up to code and will not purchase one without full inspection and a reasonable understanding of the costs involved.
If there are no suitable properties for purchase, I have several rental options in the same area that will allow for most or all of my goals. I have run a thorough cost analysis on the project to determine all foreseeable costs, including business licensing and permits, utilities, overhead, etc. I believe the strong work ethic that has carried me to the point of outgrowing my home studio will see me through any additional obstacles that may arise.
In addition, I am confident in the support of my local community, existing patrons, and partnering businesses who have helped me through the planning stages of this campaign, including their willingness to host events to showcase my art and increase my reach within the local community.


Other Ways You Can Help

If you are unable to contribute financially, I understand. It's a huge favor to ask. There are other ways you can help with a few minutes of your time. Please share my campaign and follow me on my web page, blog, and social media. The more you share any of these platforms with your networks, the more exposure I get, allowing me to appeal to more investors.
I am already humbled by all of the support I have received from friends who have put in hours helping me shoot and edit videos, make campaign perks and incentives for people to come out to local events, and manage the daunting task of social media promotion for the campaign.

I am extremely grateful to local businesses who have hosted trunk shows so I can show people my art first hand and explain how I want to contribute directly to the community with this project. I will also be asking a lot of favors locally when the time comes to ship out the perks that the investors in this campaign have earned.
Thank you so much for taking time to read my story and for any help you are able to give me.