#PeopleofNEI: Alex, creating momentum in Fort Wayne

Stephen J. Bailey | Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Northeast Indiana is evolving. These are the people shaping its future. #PeopleofNEI

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Alex is an acrylic painter that has lived in northeast Indiana since she was four years old. She grew up in the 46807 neighborhood before moving to Churubusco. She now lives in downtown Fort Wayne, helped create the Art This Way program, and is owner of Art by Alexandra Hall. “I completed my first real painting in 2006. I remember having a bucket list when I was a kid of things I wanted to do. One of the things on the list was to make a painting worth selling. My art has taken me everywhere from Dallas to Pittsburgh to Detroit but northeast Indiana is home. I came back here in 2011, after studying for school in the States and in Russia, because of my family. Because of being away and traveling as much as I did, I was so aware of what I was missing out on, including things like my little brothers’ basketball games. It was those kinds of things that I didn’t want to miss out on anymore. When I moved back, Fort Wayne had become a different place. There is momentum from the riverfront to the ballpark. We are moving in a direction that is positive. There has been this continued change. I stay here because you can actively get involved in that change. There are a lot of people working really hard to keep the momentum going. You can put yourself into it and help Fort Wayne find itself while making this place better. To be able to see things work here is really invigorating. I saw so much public art in other cities from my travels and I knew I wanted that here in Fort Wayne. The art project created in honor of Christy Landrigan allowed for Art This Way to be developed with the help of the Downtown Improvement District and GFW Chamber of Commerce. I love that I have been able to help with this. I think that Fort Wayne was finally ready which is why it was possible. Twenty years ago we weren’t ready. A lot of the doers are right here in Fort Wayne. For those that don’t understand the importance of art, it is an unbelievable asset. Art is important to bringing in new jobs, business, encouraging well-educated people to move here or to move back. The arts can do that. It has tangible economic impact in the region. You can feel it and see it every day.” #PeopleofNEI

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Read more articles by Stephen J. Bailey.

Stephen J. Bailey is a Fort Wayne native and the owner of PH Digital that was founded in 2006. Based out of the Anthony Wayne Building in downtown Fort Wayne, he specializes in web development, SEO development, social media management, and digital marketing campaigns with numerous companies in northeast Indiana. Stephen loves road trips, sushi, his pups, and spending time on our three rivers.

Related Tags

#PeopleofNEI, Arts and Culture, Community Development, Community Engagement, Creative / Design, Creative Placemaking, Emerging Leaders, Emerging Leaders, Lifestyle, Main Street, Profiles, Talent, Talent Attraction, Talent Development 
Downtown (46802), The 07 (46807) 

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