Home is Where the Art Is: Stories of Home and Community through a Creative Lens

In collaboration with the State College Community Land Trust

This exhibit celebrates the many ways we each experience home—the people, pets, land, memories, feelings, and comforts that make it meaningful. To celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the State College Community Land Trust, select SCCLT homeowners and families were paired with a local artist to collaborate and share ideas and stories of what “home” means to them, with the artist then translating the reflections into a unique, physical piece of art. 

We held an open call for artists in Winter 2025, narrowing down an impressive roster of applicants to match with our eleven participating homeowners, including one SCCLT artist-homeowner sharing his own homeownership story. Over the course of four months, our homeowners and artists collaborated to share experiences of home. The stories told through this exhibit include journeys to security and lasting shelter, after experiences of homelessness and forced migration. For others, home is highlighted as a place to gather with family and friends, weaving together a vibrant matrix of community and human connection. Together, these experiences are rooted in a shared belief that every person deserves a safe, stable, and attainable place to call home.

This exhibit was first on display at 3 Dots Downtown in State College, kicking off our 30th Anniversary celebrations during the month of April. This exhibit will continue to travel throughout the area this year, including a display at Schlow Library in December. Post-exhibit, pieces will be gifted to the homeowners.

The State College Community Land Trust has been serving Centre County since 1996, with a mission to create and steward permanently affordable, energy-efficient homes for low-and middle-income first-time homeowner individuals and families. We have served 85 households and currently maintain a portfolio of 58 homes throughout the State College Borough.