"we will wear
new bones again."
OUR MISSION
The Clifton House mission is to continue the legacy of acclaimed Poet Lucille Clifton and community activist Fred Clifton by providing mentorship, local and global resource access, training and development in the creative arts to underrepresented and underserved people of all ages in the Baltimore and surrounding communities, with particular focus on African diasporic, female and gender non-conforming, LGBTQA+ and international poets, writers, artists and creative activists.
1967
The Clifton Family moves in.
1980
The Clifton Family loses house to foreclosure.
Feb 13, 2019
Sidney Clifton contacts owner regarding house status, learns it is listed for sale this day
Apr 15, 2019
Sidney Clifton purchases house
May 15, 2019
Sidney Clifton establishes The Clifton House, Inc.
August 2019
The Clifton House is awarded $20,000 grant from V-Day Foundation.
Nov 17, 2019
We Need Diverse Books holds dinner and reading event onsite.
Feb 13, 2020
The Clifton House and Enoch Pratt Library launch first annual Lucille Clifton Celebration Event.
Sept 2020
The Clifton House is awarded $50,000 grant from The National Trust for Historic Preservation's African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, and is awarded $750,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Feb 13, 2021
The Clifton House and Enoch Pratt Library's 2nd Annual Lucille Clifton Celebration Event; featuring poet Natasha Trethewey.
July 29, 2021
The Clifton House and Howard University's inaugural pop-up Poetry Workshops, featuring poets Francis X. Walker, Tony Medina and Shauna Morgan.
Lucille Clifton once said, “We cannot create what we can’t imagine.” The Clifton House’s vision is to ensure that emerging storytellers of all ages are equipped with resources to thrive in their respective artforms regardless of formal training. The Clifton House celebrates diversity and inclusion of all marginalized and protected groups, and does not discriminate or bias according sex, race, age, disability, color, creed, national origin, religion, or genetic information.
OUR VISION
OUR VALUES
- Affirming and empowering the lives and stories of underserved storytellers
- Community engagement empowers all members
- Using our creative, educational and professional network resources to serve the community
- Consistently being light in the darkness
- Using poetry, writing and art to serve, support and empower our community
7
Partners &
Sponsors
575K+
Population of
Baltimore, MD
34%
Black Workers in Creative Occupations (2005)
62.35%
Black Population of Baltimore, MD
By providing creative education, access to resources and showing examples that prove artists lives are accessible and possible, we help individuals become the drivers of their personal narratives and teach them how to sustain creative lives. The Clifton House legacy began with the impact of Lucille and Fred Clifton and will continue in this creative space for years to come.
How we serve our community.
