Top 4 Moments from 2025

As we reflect on 2025, we are reminded that growth is not always loud or linear. Often, it unfolds through care, persistence, and the collective belief that space—both physical and relational—matters. This year at THE CR8TV HOUSE, we were also reminded of something essential: we are an arts institution. Radaya Ellis named this truth for us, offering language that helped us fully claim what we have been building.

The four stories that define 2025 reflect that institutional responsibility and possibility in action. From the continued transformation of our physical home, to the deepening impact of our artist residencies, to the celebration and resourcing of artists through the MAKE ART! Awards, and the steady, sustaining support of our CR8TV INVESTORS—each story demonstrates how our values take shape through practice.

Together, these moments affirm THE CR8TV HOUSE as an institution rooted in care, creativity, and accountability to artists and community, committed to building lasting infrastructure for cultural work.

Transforming PHYSICAL space.

2025 marked a pivotal chapter in the ongoing transformation of THE CR8TV HOUSE, especially as it relates to our physical space. As an organization rooted in care, legacy, and radical imagination, tending to the house itself became both a practical necessity and a deeply symbolic act. The house continues to teach us that transformation is rarely linear—and that it requires patience, trust, and the right people.

Early in the year, we encountered one of the most challenging realities of stewarding an almost 100 year old home in the Midwest… burst pipes following a brutal Wisconsin winter. An inherited issue that occurred between the passing of TJ Swan and the new ownership of his daughter and THE CR8TV HOUSE founder, Symphony, what began as an assumed quick fix quickly revealed a deeper lesson about patience and integrity. Like many community-based organizations, we navigated the frustration of trying to find honest, reliable contractors—an often invisible but critical part of sustaining physical space. After multiple attempts, we were fortunate to connect with a plumber whose care, transparency, and willingness to problem-solve aligned with our values. With his support, we were able to replace  all the pipes and stabilize the house, restoring not only function but trust in the rest of the process.

This momentum carried us forward. Later in the year, we partnered with an AMAZING contractor who thoughtfully updated the bathroom, improving both accessibility and usability for artists and community members who gather in the space. He would later come back to replace 2 aging windows as well. These improvements, though modest on the surface, significantly enhanced how people experience the house.

Equally important was the time we spent decluttering and reimagining the basement. Clearing years of accumulation made room—both literally and metaphorically—for a future makerspace and woodshop. While not complete, this act of release allowed us to envision new possibilities for creative production, learning, and collaboration.

In 2025, transforming physical space at THE CR8TV HOUSE was about more than repairs or renovations. It was about care, resilience, and preparing the ground for what comes next.

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Sankofa Artist Residency and In-Process Residency 

THE CR8TV HOUSE, from the very beginning aimed to create a space that provides artists with a space to explore themselves and their practice away from the public gaze, productivity expectations  with the intent to go deeper. We deepened our commitment to artists through the growth of the SANKOFA Artist Residency and the In-Process Residency—programs rooted in the belief that artists deserve safe, affirming space to create, reflect, and belong. These residencies are not simply about production; they are about presence, trust, and honoring the full humanity of artists. It is about looking back to prepare for the future.

This year, three artists were welcomed into residency, each bringing their own memories,  histories, questions, and creative practices into the house. For them, THE CR8TV HOUSE became a place to exhale. A place where the pressure to constantly produce was replaced with permission to explore, to process, and to move at a pace aligned with their needs. Within these walls, artists were able to return to themselves and their work with renewed clarity and care.

The SANKOFA Artist Residency invites artists to look back in order to move forward—centering memory, lineage, and the knowledge that comes from lived experience. Samuel Allen, our inaugural Sankofa Artist-in- Resident engaged deeply with not only our archive but his personal and collective histories, using the house as a site for reflection and reconnection. The In-Process Residency, by contrast, held space for artists who needed space — Billie  Carter - Rankin and LIV used the literal space to deepen their studio practice, make new work or experiment in new ways. Together, these programs affirmed that creative work does not need to be finished to be valued.

What emerged was more than individual artistic growth. A shared sense of belonging, care, experimentation and radical imagination took root. Artists found community with one another, exchanged ideas, and supported each other through the inevitable tensions of creative life. The house became a container for vulnerability, possibility, and quiet breakthroughs.

Through the SANKOFA and In-Process Residencies, THE CR8TV HOUSE continues to model what it looks like to center care in cultural work—creating space where artists are held, witnessed, and trusted as they make.. Or not.

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MAKE ART! ARTIST AWARDS AND FUNDRAISER 

The MAKE ART! Artist Awards and Fundraiser continues to be a cornerstone of THE CR8TV HOUSE’s commitment to honoring artistic labor, community care, and creative legacy on our own terms. Similar to 2024, the awards served not only as a celebration, but as a deliberate act of recognition—affirming that artists who work in, with, and for community deserve to be seen, supported, and resourced.

Each year, the MAKE ART! Awards uplift artists whose practices extend beyond the studio and into the lives of others. The 2025 awards honored two artists, Vee Adams and Karlies Karley Vedula, nominated for their deep engagement with community, alongside one artist, Yessica Jimenez, nominated directly by the public. This process reflects our belief that artistic excellence is not defined solely by large institutions, but by the people who experience and are shaped by the work. Community voice remains central to how we define impact.

On what felt like the hottest day of the year, some 40+ people gathered at another artist-built space, Arco Villa.  What made the 2025 MAKE ART! Awards especially powerful was the atmosphere of collective joy. Artists were celebrated not only for what they produce, but for how they show up—for their generosity, their vision, and their role in sustaining cultural memory. The event created space for storytelling, gratitude, and shared reflection, reinforcing the idea that art is both a personal practice and a public good. We even received a city of Milwaukee proclamation declaring June 21st as THE CR8TV HOUSE DAY!!  ( THANK YOU MERCEDEZ)

Through the MAKE ART! Artist Awards and Fundraiser, THE CR8TV HOUSE continues to model what it means to honor artists with intention—recognizing their labor, resourcing their futures, and inviting community to stand alongside them.

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Grateful for our CR8TV INVESTORS

CR8TV INVESTORS represent the steady, sustaining heartbeat of THE CR8TV HOUSE. In 2025, we were deeply supported by 15 individual donors who gave in time, resource or skill. We had nine CR8TV INVESTORS who committed to giving monthly contributions ranging from $10 to $100.  We  6 CR8TV INVESTORS  who gave in time and skill as well. We had six volunteers support us not only in the community archive but also with administrative support to ensure our events felt like a hug in real time. While modest in size, this collective generosity has had an undeniable impact—providing consistent, dependable support that allows our work to continue and grow.

What makes CR8TV INVESTORS so meaningful is not just the financial contribution, it’s the trust it represents. Monthly giving allows us to sustain in practical ways—covering essential operating costs, helping maintain our physical space, and ensuring that artists can be welcomed with care and intention. Just as importantly, it sustains us emotionally, reminding us that our work is seen, valued, and worth investing in.

In a funding landscape that often prioritizes large, one-time gifts or large institutional recognition, CR8TV INVESTORS offer something different: consistency. Their ongoing commitment allows us to plan thoughtfully, respond to emergent needs, and move at the pace required to do this work well. It creates stability in moments of uncertainty and reinforces the idea that collective care is built over time.

Each monthly gift—whether $10 or $100—contributes to a shared ecosystem of support. Together, these donors make possible residencies that honor process, awards that celebrate artists, and a house that remains open as a site for creativity, belonging, and radical imagination.

We are profoundly grateful for our CR8TV INVESTORS. Their generosity demonstrates that sustaining cultural work does not rest on a single source, but on a community of people who believe deeply in the power of art to hold memory, build connection, and shape a more just future.

We are an arts institution for the people, being built by the people. 

Thank you to Tayla for this year's poster design, DJ LOLO for spinning the music at our fundraiser and Nateya for the annual fundraiser film!