Perron Projects helps institutions define who they are – through culture.*
*Arts & culture as strategy for organizational impact.
INTRODUCING
Arts and culture are among the most powerful forces shaping how an institution is understood, remembered, and experienced. Perron Projects was built on that belief.
We partner with forward-thinking leaders and organizations across the corporate, philanthropic, real estate, civic, and cultural sectors to shape ambitious ideas, build meaningful partnerships, and bring cultural initiatives to life.
Culture isn’t decoration.
It’s definition.
Too often, arts and culture are treated as accessories—programs to support and spaces to fill.
But at their best, they do something more essential: they make values visible, translate mission into experience, and shape how an institution is understood by those within it and those it serves.
At Perron Projects, we treat culture as strategic infrastructure: a means to align vision, activate space, and create meaningful, lasting engagement that reaches entire communities, not just the usual audiences.
Because an institution is defined not only by what it does, but by how people experience it.
APPROACH
Most cultural consultants come from one world. We bridge three.
Perron Projects holds a rare position at the intersection of curatorial excellence, institutional leadership, and strategic implementation.
What This Means For You
Curatorial rigor meets business acumen
You get a partner fluent in both artistic excellence and the business of making culture work.Vision meets execution
We don't just shape the big idea; we see it through to delivery, so your ambitions become real outcomes.Credibility across sectors
You gain a partner who speaks the languages of philanthropy, corporate leadership, cultural institutions, and artists alike, building bridges across the stakeholders your work depends on.
Proven at scale
Your initiative is in proven hands, drawing on a track record of founding nationally recognized programs and working at the highest institutional levels.Equity at the center
Your programs reach artists and communities authentically, building trust and lowering the barriers between your institution and the people it serves.
The result: Cultural initiatives that are strategically sound, artistically excellent, and built to last.
Cultural investment built to last.
Strategy, culture, and execution—integrated
Perron Projects bridges conceptual thinking and real-world implementation. We work alongside leadership, creative partners, and stakeholders to ensure ideas are not only well-formed but also well-realized.
Our approach is:
Strategic — rooted in institutional goals and long-term vision
Contextual — responsive to place, audience, and opportunity
Action-oriented — focused on delivering tangible, meaningful outcomes
Culture is how institutions are remembered.
SERVICES
Arts and culture can play many roles within an institution. Perron Projects helps define and deliver the ones that matter most.
We work where strategy, culture, and implementation come together, helping institutions move from idea to execution to impact.
CULTURAL STRATEGY
Defining direction
We work with leadership to clarify how arts and culture can advance institutional goals.
This includes:
vision and positioning
opportunity identification
strategic frameworks
alignment with mission and audience
Outcome: Clear, actionable guidance for cultural investment and impact.
PROGRAMS + PARTNERSHIPS
Activating ideas
We design initiatives that translate strategy into lived experience.
This includes:
program development
artist and partner identification
collaboration design
public engagement concepts
Outcome: Programs that meaningfully engage audiences and communities.
ART & SPACE INTEGRATION
Shaping the built environment
We guide the integration of arts and culture into physical spaces, from single commissions to campus-wide strategies.
This includes:
public art frameworks
artist selection and commissioning
collaboration with architects and designers
site-responsive concepts
Outcome: Spaces that communicate identity and enhance the experience.
STRATEGIC ADVISORY
Supporting complex initiatives
For organizations navigating major transitions or opportunities, Perron Projects provides ongoing advisory support.
This includes:
confidential leadership advisory
board and leadership facilitation
navigating transitions or reinvention
shaping major cultural initiatives
stakeholder alignment
Outcome: Clarity and confidence in complex, consequential decisions.
Every engagement is tailored to each organization's needs. If you're exploring an idea or initiative where culture and strategy meet, we would welcome a conversation.
Strategic Work
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The Challenge
Detroit's artists lacked sustained access to meaningful financial support and public recognition. A new initiative was needed to strengthen the creative ecosystem and advance equity in arts funding.
The Approach
Michelle Perron designed and launched Kresge Arts in Detroit, a comprehensive fellowship and awards program funded by The Kresge Foundation and focused on direct, unrestricted investment in creative practitioners across disciplines and communities.
The Result
The program has distributed more than $10 million to more than 500 Detroit-area artists. It is now widely recognized as a national model for equitable arts investment and is studied and adapted by peer institutions across the United States.
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The Challenge
The College for Creative Studies sought to expand its role as a cultural hub and to strengthen connections among students, artists, and the broader public.
The Approach
Michelle Perron conceived and built an institutional platform for exhibitions and public dialogue, which evolved from a single gallery into a multi-venue cultural division featuring five exhibition spaces, three lecture series, and a robust calendar of gallery talks, artist conversations, panels, and symposia.
The Result
The division produced more than 200 exhibitions and over 200 public programs, raised over $16 million, and positioned the college as a vital center for contemporary art and dialogue in Detroit.
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The Challenge
As one of the nation's largest private philanthropies approached its 100th anniversary, leadership sought a signature event to celebrate the foundation's history and to reaffirm its ongoing commitment to equity and opportunity in America's cities.
The Approach
Working within the foundation's executive leadership team, Michelle Perron designed a large-scale cultural experience at the Detroit Institute of Arts that combined live performance, storytelling, and civic dialogue.
The Result
More than 600 guests witnessed a surprise fireside chat between President Barack Obama and Kresge Foundation President Rip Rapson. The evening was later broadcast nationally as a PBS special.
CREDENTIALS
Trusted by leaders and organizations across the arts, philanthropy, higher education, and civic sectors.
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Perron Projects founder Michelle Perron has spent more than three decades at the intersection of arts, strategy, and institutional leadership.
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As Director of the Executive Office at The Kresge Foundation, Perron worked with the president, board of trustees, and senior leadership on strategic initiatives and priorities.
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Invested through Kresge Arts in Detroit, the fellowship program Perron founded, which has been studied and adapted by peer institutions across the country as a national model for equitable arts investment.
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Including $16 million for the College for Creative Studies, plus additional funds across a career of philanthropic partnerships and cultural initiatives.
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A dynamic body of work showcasing thousands of local, national, and international artists across every discipline, from intimate gallery shows to large-scale public programming.
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Perron conceived and led The Kresge Foundation's centennial at the Detroit Institute of Arts, featuring President Barack Obama, later broadcast as a PBS primetime special.
Proven at scale. Yours to activate.
Michelle Perron has spent three decades at the intersection of the arts, strategy, and institutional impact, building nationally recognized cultural programs, advising foundation leadership, and linking creative practice to organizational vision.
She brings a rare combination of curatorial rigor, strategic thinking, and deep experience across philanthropy, cultural institutions, and civic initiatives.
Through Perron Projects, she partners with organizations ready to think expansively and act with precision.
ABOUT THE FOUNDER
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Let’s Start a
Conversation
Whether you're in the early stages of planning or advancing a major initiative, Perron Projects can help clarify direction and bring ideas to life.