Meet John Fenton | Director of Development, Lions & Rabbits Center for the Arts

We had the good fortune of connecting with John Fenton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi John, is your business focused on helping the community? If so, how?
Lions & Rabbits Center for the Arts provides the vital community function of helping to facilitate, from conception to completion, a variety of complex public art initiatives. Increasingly, public art, like murals, plays a huge role in helping to define neighborhoods and communities—acting a central pillar of broader place making efforts. When spaces are transformed by public art, communities benefit from increased stewardship, pride, and improved health and wellness. Moreover, artists living and working in the community have access to well paying job opportunities that would otherwise not exist. In many cases these opportunities can be the difference between an artist having a career or not having one. They also provide a great deal of professional development and education as these projects often require working with other stakeholders and understanding systems that aren’t typically part of an artist’s education.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
The work that Lions & Rabbits does in the broader West Michigan community is truly exceptional. In many communities the undertaking of public art instillations, like murals, is fairly new, particularly at the municipal level. The community development work that LRCFA facilitates is building uniform processes that seek to build a stable ecosystem for artists completing public art projects. Through the projects we facilitate, Lions & Rabbits also provides robust professional development and education, preparing artists for sustainable careers working in public art. To-date we’ve worked with hundreds of artists and learned about the skills they feel they most need to develop. It’s not always easy work, we’ve certainly seen and overcome our fair share of challenges along the way. Bringing together so many moving pieces and navigating the nuance required of these projects presents unique challenges that require a steadfast dedication to find the appropriate solutions. Luckily, we have an incredible network behind us, one driven by the support of donors, sponsors, and community partners. Ultimately, we’re trying to help make a healthier, more sustainable arts and culture environment for artists to work in—and it wouldn’t be possible without the overwhelming support we receive from these enthusiastic groups.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Grand Rapids has so much to offer, particularly in its thriving arts scene. No visit to the city could avoid the very present public art. In every community and neighborhood there are plenty of murals to appreciate, for example. And along the way, excellent bars and restaurants. Community staples like Garage Bar, The Green Well, and The Winchester. New favorites like Cafe Mamo stand out, not just in Grand Rapids but in Michigan broadly. A number of parks regularly feature art instillations and beautiful views of the Grand River and the city skyline. Any art appreciator visiting Grand Rapids should check out the Creston neighborhood—completely transformed by the presence of murals everywhere you look. It’s also a rapidly growing city and wherever you are the buzz and excitement and opportunity that accompanies that reality is palpable.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Lions & Rabbits functions as a non-profit. Therefore, our donors, sponsors, and partners make up the lifeline of the organization. Without the constant support, encouragement, and funds provided by these individuals and organizations the work we do for our communities and artists would not be possible. Currently, we are running a Patronicity campaign—a dollar-for-dollar match grant funded by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. The funds we receive from donors through this campaign are doubled and account for a tremendous contribution to public art in West Michigan.

Website: https://www.lionsandrabbits.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lionsandrabbits/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/77229406/admin/feed/posts/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lionsandrabbits

Other: Patronicity match grant site: https://www.patronicity.com/project/lions__rabbits_grand_rapids_public_placemaking_initatives#!/

Donor site: https://lionsandrabbits.networkforgood.com/projects/185078-individual-giving-to-lions-rabbits-center-for-the-arts