Old Art Building kicks off capital campaign with recent riverfront property purchase

Photo of Leland River view from Old Art Building property by Mary Winowiecki

By Abby Chatfield

Sun contributor

The Old Art Building (OAB) just scored a major win for the Leelanau community with purchase of a 1.14-acre property parcel on the Leland River, kitty-corner from the cultural center’s established location in Leland. The purchase, finalized on July 31, secured 280 feet of additional Leland riverfront property for the community and almost tripled the nonprofit’s footprint. Campaign chair, Cindy Meeker, said, “The purchase of the property at 204 Cedar Street allows the Old Art Building to enhance its programming to meet the demands of this community for today and for many future generations to come. Additionally, it allows us to preserve this treasured property in the heart of Leland as we honor our past and build our future.”

With just 2 ½ months to raise the money, a grant from Edmund F. and Virginia B. Ball Foundation and generous donations from community members secured the $3.2 million needed to finalize the purchase, while also quietly kicking off a three-year capital campaign aimed at raising enough funds to achieve community-voiced goals on both the new and existing properties.

The opportunity provided a timely solution to alleviate strain on the OAB’s historic campus while meeting community demand for year-round programming and public gathering space. The nonprofit’s motivation behind obtaining the property was to nurture the arts, foster relationships, and increase green space for all community members to enjoy. OAB executive director, Sarah Mills, said, “It was an opportunity to expand programming and provide more possibilities for community gatherings and education,” while also preserving some of the last undeveloped shoreline along the Leland River for community use.

The property belonged to Jessica and Jennifer Lukomski. The sisters inherited it from their parents, putting in endless amounts of labor to maintain the grounds. Jessica recalled her father spending hours every day working on the yard, where he planted a diverse collection of trees and other plants. According to Jennifer, OAB founder Amy Chatfield approached Jessica after their mother died in 2010 and asked her to consider giving first right of refusal to the OAB if they ever decided to sell the Leland property. Jennifer said, “We were approached by other interested parties, but did not want to see condos built on this piece of property.” When the sisters were ready to let it go, they decided to pass it on to the Old Art Building in honor of their parents and to ensure the land will be preserved and opened to the community as a place to replenish, connect, and create.

Jessica and Jennifer’s parents valued education and the arts. Augusta Lapins Lukomski came from a family of artists and grew up poor in Chicago during the Great Depression, while Jess M. Lukomski was a Polish citizen who lost his family and home during WWII, spending time in a POW camp where he began his informal studies of the English language. They met while working in Germany after the war and married there not long after. The couple moved to Chicago, where Jess continued his education at the University of Chicago while Augusta worked to support them. Not long after, Jess gained U.S. citizenship, but the couple returned to Europe, settling in Bonn, West Germany’s thriving postwar capital.

Augusta was able to feed her passion for art and grow an extensive collection of European art by trading cigarettes for WDP art (Work of Displaced Person). Her other immense art collection was the masterful driftwood art made by Jess. Collecting for her meant connecting with other people and the joy of creating herself. She attended one semester of art school in her youth, but was forced to quit in order to earn money to support her mother and siblings. In Bonn, she was able to continue her studies in art and become a certified Lapidarist.

Despite a full life in Europe, both considered Leland their haven and home base. Augusta’s family roots in Leelanau traced back to 1865. Augusta would visit every summer as a child. In 1958, Jess and Augusta purchased their own property on the Leland River, spending as many summers as possible there with their two daughters. From 1997 until 2010, Leland was their full-time home.

The three-year campaign will continue through the end of 2026 as the nonprofit seeks to raise a total of $5.5 million. The additional funds are earmarked for constructing another art building on the new property and landscaping its grounds. Additionally, OAB plans to improve the functionality of the historic building and enhance the outdoor area on the original property. In order to maintain the new property, some of the money raised will go toward increasing endowment. The amount already raised to purchase the property is part of the $5.5 million campaign goal. Cindy Meeker and Honorary Chair, Judy Frederick, are leading a 17-member steering committee taking on fundraising responsibility.

The group consulted with a diverse cross section of community members including artists, performers, past donors, and OAB members. According to Judy, “The enthusiasm, support and great ideas emanating from this community have been awesome. Being part of it has been a real joy.”

Many may recall the 2020 capital campaign that successfully led to OAB purchasing the historic property at 111 S. Main Street after leasing it from Michigan State University for several decades. With Covid’s emergence around that same time, the OAB and community began to use its outdoor space in new ways. Kerry Satterwhite, OAB Board President, shared, “This gave us an interesting way to look at the whole picture and how we use inside and out.” In 2021, the nonprofit developed a strategic plan with the help of 45 community members who set goals the OAB is still working through today. Some prominent requests included increasing safety, accessibility, wayfinding, expanding programs and meeting increased community demand.

In January 2023, a Master Plan Committee formed, taking a holistic approach to finding the best ways to accomplish the goals set out by the strategic plan. A needs assessment was created, and a robust list of needs emerged. Limited indoor space was one key limiting factor to reaching several of the goals. “The new property solves this issue,” Kerry said.

Then in late spring 2023, Jessica approached the OAB about her family’s property. Sarah advised that serious thought and research followed. The shared consensus was “We have to try. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Once it’s gone, it’s gone,” Sarah said. By January 2024, the OAB signed an Exclusive Option Agreement and immediately jumped into four months of due diligence, including feasibility study interviews with a number of community members to find out if there was enough support to purchase the land. Sarah said, “Results were resoundingly positive.”

Due diligence included a thorough examination of the new property to understand its future needs. Lake Leelanau Lake Association checked the waterfront. Jamie Morse, along with Charlotte and Peter Smith of Design Smiths, helped with understanding how the vision could work there. Design Smiths created a visual concept to share the story and vision, creating a visual connection between the existing and new properties. Bob Biggs of Biggs Construction provided a builder assessment. The existing house was not located in the best place on the property for community use, and with current codes and desired uses, it was recommended to tear the home down and rebuild. The new building design will consider community collaboration, classrooms, artist studio space, art shows, regular gallery space, and breakout space for larger groups. The Ann Hall Visiting Artists program could potentially become an artist-in-residence program.

After the sale of her property to OAB, Jennifer remarked, “How I feel now is expansive, connected and pensive, reflecting and hoping the OAB and community cherishes this piece of property as much as our family did. We hope some of the wilderness and land can be preserved to be shared with the birds, pollinators and other land and water animals who are being squeezed out of their habitats,” all part of OAB’s plans for the property.

No significant changes are planned for the structure of the existing historic art building. The Board’s goal is to make improvements such as lighting, audio, office space renovation and more efficient storage space. The focus for the outside property will prioritize safety and accessibility, providing more access to a natural experience along the river’s edge and a light redesign so that both the existing and new properties complement each other.

The public campaign begins this month. Anyone on the OAB mailing list will receive information, and community info sessions are planned for this fall. For more details on the campaign and to donate, visit OldArtBuilding.com.