PORTSMOUTH – Trillium has been a rising star in the local nonprofit world in recent years, founded and led by Executive Director Amanda Lewis and a board of dedicated volunteers. The group is celebrating a colorful success in 2024 and looks forward to an even greater impact in 2025.
“I am damn proud of my team, my partners and my community for what we have been able to achieve together,” said Lewis, after publishing the organization’s 2024 impact report. “Trillium has exceeded every expectation I had when I started this organization. was largely surpassed. It grows in such an organic and unexpected way. Originally I thought it would just be a handful of my closest friends who are artists and complete a simple project or two every year. Instead, it has quickly become much more, with people I never knew, of all ages and backgrounds, asking to be involved. It is a symbiotic relationship between the artists and the community. All I can do is watch it unfold, one way or another.”
According to the impact report, “Trillium Project is a volunteer and artist-led nonprofit organization that supports community and economic development in rural Appalachian communities by designing visual arts projects that reimagine public space.”
The group’s mission is to lead, coordinate and support community-based programs and initiatives focused on the arts, advocacy and Appalachia. The group’s values are sustainability, cultural exchange, accessibility, education, advocacy, collaboration and creativity.
“Trillium Project breathes new life into the heart of downtown Portsmouth, Ohio,” said Josh Lawson. “I don’t know why it took us so long to imagine downtown revitalization in terms of multi-colored murals on the sidewalks, but I’m glad the brilliant team of artists finally did that. I look forward to seeing more of their creative passion in the days and years to come.”
According to Lewis, Trillium Project paid artists $32,334 in public art commissions, invested $74,215 in the local economy, launched an apparel design program for high school students, directly supported 23 small, local businesses, designed a climate literacy project supported by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, presented at Arts Impact Ohio 2024 Conference, supported 21 independent artists, curated the first regional exhibition with over 100 registrations and painted 13 murals.
For 2025, the group has a lot planned, including 10 new sidewalk murals, murals on the Mound Park basketball court, a second regional art show, special art class topics at Shawnee State University, the launch of an acting company and more.
“We are happy and filled with this incredible amount of nervous energy and anticipation for our future. What I like most about this organization and everyone involved is that we don’t have one finite goal in mind,” said Lewis. “We are constantly adapting our projects and processes to meet the needs of the community, so you never know what brilliant new project could unfold on a whim. We have a whole team of talented and compassionate people who all have ideas about what we want to do and who we want to become. It’s a beautiful kind of chaos.”
Learn more about Trillium Project by following them on social media channels and online at www.trillium-project.org.
