WHO WE ARE

Founded in 2010, The Compound is an artist-led 501(c)3 that supports radical artistic production through experiments with physical, social, and urban space. We develop and maintain a complex of spaces built on values of sustainability, accessibility, and the experimental intersection of art with everyday life. The Compound curates an ongoing series of public facing dialogical programs that foster meaningful inquisition and critical discourse between artists and community members.

OUR STORY

In 2010, a group of Baltimore artists purchased a vacant forklift factory in East Baltimore. Before it became the Compound, this 20,000 square-foot complex was a blighted reminder of the neighborhood’s neglect; it had been vacant for more than six years. In collaboration with local artists and members of the community—without outside investment and largely through sweat equity—the vacant forklift factory was transformed into a multi-purpose community hub. Over the years, the Compound has employed residents, artists and neighbors in the design and building of space, the production of art, and the curation of exhibitions and experiences. Through mentorship, projects, exhibitions, workshops, and mutual aid, we share skills, ideas, and resources with each other and our neighbors. Today, the Compound provides accessible studios and apartments to working artists, affordable work space to artisans and nonprofits, and an ongoing series of art exhibitions, artist talks, musical performances, and workshops to Baltimore’s creative community.

OUR VALUES

  • Accessible space for artistic production

  • Experimentation with elements of everyday life—domesticity, economics, culture, community, ecology, and urban space

  • Environmental sustainability

  • Collective action

  • Critical discourse

FAQ:

DOES THE COMPOUND HAVE A RENTAL LICENSE?

Yes, as of 2025, the Compound has an active rental license. It was first acquired in 2021. There was a brief period of time in 2023 where our license had expired, but that was quickly resolved by submitting the correct paperwork. Though it seems difficult to communicate this point, the Compound is a nonprofit entity that is sustained largely by part-time staff and volunteer labor. We do our best to stay ahead of the administrative demands of this space.

Far from ignoring the requirements of legal rental, we led the effort to get the style of communal housing (living with more than four non-related individuals) approved by city law. In 2018 we encountered a major hurdle to the Compound becoming an "above ground" space: an old city zoning code that made communal housing illegal. In 2019, we drafted a proposal and testified in front of the Baltimore City Board of Municipal and Zoning Appeals (BMZA, appeal #2019-207) for a conditional zoning variance to make collective rooming units legal. Until that point, it would have been fundamentally impossible for us to acquire a rental license.

In 2020, the Compound received its Use & Occupancy certificate. During this time we also applied for, and were granted a Live Entertainment license so that we could legally host events at the space. During this same period in 2020, we began the application for a rental license, which requires residential rental units to be registered, inspected, and licensed to ensure that they meet basic safety and maintenance requirements. We are currently up to date on licensing for all of our residential units.

HOW IS THE COMPOUND GOVERNED?

“The Compound” – a collection of buildings that are part of the 2239 Kirk Avenue property – was purchased by Nick Wisniewski and Marlon Ziello in 2010. For the first 7 years of its existence, the core of the space was a rotating, self-managed group of 8–12 artist-residents. 

In response to the threat of closure by the City in 2017, the 501(c)3 was formed. This structure enabled this group of artists to raise money and make $800K+ worth of necessary code compliance upgrades to keep the building open and artists housed. As required by law, the Compound 501(c)3 is directed by a 5-member board (4 of whom are former Compound tenants). 

Until 2023, the board had a very limited role: establishing bylaws, meeting quarterly, and approving the annual operating budget. It has never, historically, had any say in who lives in or leaves the residential space. Members of the communal living space have had total agency to self-manage their group, host events, and pursue a self-defined artistic mission. 

WHO OWNS THE COMPOUND?

The Compound 501(c)3 has no ownership. It is directed by a board, consisting of the following members: Nicholas Wisniewski, Marlon Ziello, Derrick Adams, Merrell Hambleton, and Dane Nester. The property of the Compound is owned by Nicholas Wisniewski and Marlon Ziello's company, WZ LLC. 

HOW IS THE COMPOUND FUNDED?

From 2010 to 2017, the space was developed entirely through sweat equity and volunteer labor from artists living and working at the space. The Compound 501(c)3's operating expenses—which include utilities, building rent, property taxes, maintenance, licensing and permits, insurance, staff salaries, etc.—are largely covered by rental income and program revenue.

Since 2017 the physical spaces of the Compound have been upgraded with the support of capital grants from the State of Maryland and local foundations.

In 2025, we are grateful to receive programmatic and operating support from the following institutions: the Goldseker Foundation, the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation, Maryland State Arts Council, the United Way of Central Maryland, the Rouse Family Foundation, and the Daignault Family Foundation.