Brookhaven, Georgia
A Community Impact Story
Explore Brookhaven: Cultivating Community Through Art and Culture
Social Impact Framework: Community Representation & Engagement
What is the issue you were trying to address?
Explore Brookhaven wanted to bring art to our community by featuring a diverse collection of artists. The Brookhaven Art Pop-Up + Shop, a highly negotiated retail space, was the perfect place to do so.
What were the stated objectives of this initiative?
Our objective was to celebrate creativity in our community by opening a public art gallery featuring Brookhaven artists.
What were the specific metrics you used to measure the success of your efforts?
The gallery itself is free to attend. Attendance at the gallery and overall sales are how we measure success.
What were the specific outcomes and results of your efforts?
Attendance and sales increase year over year, and we continue to include more artists. In the future, we will offer more affordable art and art in different formats, like jewelry, clothing. and children's wear.
What other best practices or key lessons can you share?
The city of Brookhaven created an Arts and Culture commission. Because of our work with the Art Pop-Up + Shop, Explore Brookhaven has a seat in the commission!
Renée Areng is the inaugural Executive Director of Explore Brookhaven, leading since 2018. She previously led Visit Mississippi Gulf Coast and held leadership roles at multiple destination marketing organizations, driving visitation, revenue growth, and unified messaging.
As a consultant, Areng has advised destinations on strategic planning, accreditation, and database optimization. She has led five organizations through six accreditations with Destinations International’s DMAP program. A CDME since 2007, she also earned the Certified Diversity Travel Professional designation in 2021. Areng is a cum laude graduate of the University of Louisiana.