2014-2015 Annual Report Released

[CLICK HERE to download report]

Enough Pie moves into our third year more connected and committed than ever to the transformative power of creativity and the arts to engage, connect, inspire, and celebrate the Upper Peninsula and our community.

Participation is at the heart of Enough Pie’s mission, for as a catalyst, we spark the new while protecting what is sacred. We cherish the Upper Peninsula and celebrate its hidden treasures, such as the historic Magnolia Cemetery and the long-standing neighborhoods. We lament the challenge to simply cross the street in front of our office – complete streets are a far cry from the doors of most Upper Peninsula businesses and neighborhoods today, but we don’t believe that is our future.

Making places great is what Enough Pie cares deeply about. That is why we have narrowed our efforts to be in this geographic region of Charleston – 836 acres in the Upper Peninsula to help support and protect its future. It is here we have catalyzed dozens of projects to ignite artistic collaborations, from paper making (Street Pulp) to cemetery illustrations to cultivating more outdoor street art in the Upper Peninsula. Enough Pie has taken small and joyful steps, year upon year, to make places great.

All things on the apex of change have a possible tipping point – a time when the community can stand up and call for participation and support, or a time when the community can simply withdraw. It is hard to know how to act, and when. Long-term, Enough Pie is developing a Policy Committee to help connect and influence change. Short-term, we continue to foster an ever-growing community of artists, neighbors, business owners, developers, restaurateurs, city officials and ambassadors. We regularly engage with them in the Upper Peninsula in ways to spark excitement and focus on this area and its future.

At our core, Enough Pie uses the power of the creativity to connect (community project grants), inspire (programming), celebrate (events), and heal. The artistic process is a great equalizer. We support a community where neighbors of all income levels, race, and creed feel welcome. That neighborhood has green spaces and public areas to come together for local markets or simply lunch outside. This is not an unreasonable vision. The Upper Peninsula will change – that’s set. Working together, let’s make sure to create a community we want to share with future generations.

We could not do this work without the incredible support of our Board of Directors, artists, volunteers, donors and outgoing staff who built a solid foundation – Chris Burgess and Claire Johnson. We are so grateful! Please consider joining us on our creative quest to make great places in the Upper Peninsula. Sign up for our newsletter, engage with us on social media, submit an application for UP-Start (formerly community project grant), attend our events, or donate a piece of your pie to the Enough Pie organization. Your help and your participation is so deeply appreciated. Let’s leave an artful legacy in a neighborhood envisioned and co-created by neighbors.

In Joy,

Cathryn Zommer, Executive Director