For far too long, redlined communities have been excluded from the transformative economic and health benefits that come with dedicated spaces for arts and culture. These spaces are not just venues; they are vibrant hubs that reflect the identity and spirit of the communities that create and sustain them. Yet, accessible arts and culture in these neighborhoods have often been confined to Eurocentric values, leaving other cultural expressions overlooked and entire communities left as "art deserts."

While public art investments, such as murals, have added visibility to these areas, they lack the depth and sustainability of spaces designed to honor the cultural richness of these communities. As Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb advances plans for the future of Cleveland, those plans must include dedicated spaces for arts and culture, not as an afterthought, but as a foundation of community well-being and vitality.

This is where The Impact of Art Project begins. This multifaceted initiative advocates for transforming Cleveland’s redlined neighborhoods into thriving cultural hubs. Efforts are also underway to build a coalition of Black and Brown artists and arts organizations to confront their exclusion from therapeutic art and social prescribing opportunities in a growing field where predominantly white institutions are already positioning themselves to benefit. By working directly with Cleveland’s Southeast communities, we aim to demonstrate how accessible, culturally relevant arts spaces drive both health equity and economic vitality.

Ms. Vee's connection to this work stems from her dual experience as both a creative professional and a mother navigating family trauma. As the founder of Vee's Consulting, a creative consulting business that supports small creative industries and arts-based nonprofits with administrative development, community relations, and program development, she witnessed firsthand the systemic barriers facing artists of color. Simultaneously, as a writer and poet advocating for equitable opportunities for Black and brown artists across all disciplines, she was using art as a healing tool in her personal life. When traumatic experiences impacted her family, Vee turned to creative expression as a means of processing grief, while rebuilding their lives as a single mother, and continuously fostering resilience. This experience reinforced her belief that art is not a luxury but a necessity for overall health and well-being.

The Impact of Art is not just a standalone initiative; it is the beginning of a transformative journey to reimagine what access to arts and culture looks like in historically disinvested neighborhoods, affirming the arts as a necessity of human existence and a driver of lasting community change.

This is a call for systemic change efforts designed to confront inequities in both public health and the arts sector. For too long, Cleveland’s Southeast neighborhoods of Lee/Harvard, Lee/Seville, Mt. Pleasant/Union-Miles, and Buckeye/Woodhill have been excluded from sustained investment in arts infrastructure and are already being shut out of emerging opportunities in the arts in health field.

While hospitals and funders increasingly embrace social prescribing, these resources disproportionately flow to predominantly white-led organizations, leaving Black and Brown artists from redlined communities unable to access funding streams or recognition despite their ongoing provision of therapeutic arts. This inequity deepens racial health disparities, as community members are denied culturally relevant care and local artists remain locked out of viable economic opportunities.