ArtsBuild

ArtsBuild

ArtsBuild was established in 1969 as Allied Arts of Greater Chattanooga, a united arts fund and grantmaking body. The organization rebranded in 2013 but retained its core mission: building a stronger community through the arts in Hamilton County, Tennessee. President James McKissic has led the foundation since December 2019, guiding its evolution from a traditional grantmaker into an active hub for arts education, public art, and creative workforce development. The foundation deploys capital through a mix of community grants, direct programs, and endowment management across arts access, arts education, and leadership initiatives. Its flagship Imagine! program places teaching artists directly into Hamilton County Schools classrooms. The foundation holds two real assets — the Arts Building at 301 E 11th Street and an office collection in the same building — and an endowment fund that supports operations and grant cycles. Key philanthropic co-investors include the Lyndhurst Foundation and the Benwood Foundation, while the City of Chattanooga contracts ArtsBuild to administer public art programs. Since 1969, ArtsBuild has deployed over $80 million, working across a network of local artists, nonprofit theaters, and school districts. In May 2024, the foundation announced it had funded 31 local arts organizations through its annual Community Arts grant cycle. The foundation partners with Americans for the Arts on national economic impact studies and collaborates with the Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce on creative economy workforce initiatives. The Tennessee Arts Commission provides state-level funding and partnership support. ArtsBuild operates with a structural footprint rare among community arts funders: it is both a grantmaking foundation and a direct service provider running in-school education programs and administering municipal public art contracts. This dual role — funder and operator — gives the organization a governance purview that spans nonprofit granting, publicly accountable art selection, and commercial real estate management through its 11th Street building.