PROJECTART UBU | NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION
Real People, Real ProjectsReal Change.
We invest in people and communities with the same level of care, whether the work happens on a main street mural, a family home, or a neighborhood event. Donors, partners, and local leaders can see where every contribution goes and what it makes possible.
When people live authentically and
invest in their communities, everything changes.
Invest in the individual.
Build the community.
Murals in towns where people had stopped looking up. Restorations in homes where families had lost everything. Sign repaintings in places like Quemado, New Mexico, with leftover paint stored in the back of a car. All of it is the same work. The medium changes. The principle holds.
Recognition replaces rescue. Communities respond to recognition more durably than to charity. When one person's quality of life improves, they become capable of helping others. The ripple moves outward.
The Authenticity MovementWhere it happens.
Real projects in real places. Art, culture, and community impact that speaks for itself.
Community Murals
A mural on a building is an act of belief in that town. Highway traffic slows down. Visitors pull over for photos. The community sees itself reflected in something permanent and beautiful. That changes how a town feels about itself.
Community Events
Hundreds of families creating art together at Wyoming's biggest mountain man celebration. When a whole community shows up and builds something side by side, it changes the way people relate to each other and to the place they live.
Creative Partnerships
Creative partnerships are community investments. We bring the same level of attention to local business work that we bring to major commissioned projects, because quality and dignity should not depend on zip code.
Housing Restoration
New siding, new windows, a new roof. The place someone wakes up every morning should feel like home. Housing restoration is one of the most direct ways we know to invest in a person and the community they're part of.
Be part of this.
We back the artist painting on the side of a building in a town of 250 people. We back the family whose home burned down. We back the cafe owner whose sign is fading at the side of a highway. Your gift makes the next project happen.
Have a wall, an idea, or a community ready for something new?
info@projectartubu.comCo-Founded by Anastasia Surrena & Joshua Vermeille
We are the Authenticity Movement
One mobile organization running the full combination — art, recognition, restoration, community events, and verified digital infrastructure — in rural and reservation-adjacent towns under a single philosophy. The two vans go where fixed institutions do not.
As a 501(c)(3) · 509(a)(2) Public Charity, we make it straightforward for corporations and individuals to support real, visible work in real communities. Partners like The Home Depot, Lowe's, and Ace Hardware are already part of this.
Investing in authentic individuals and the communities they shape.
Whatever is needed.
Every project shaped by the people and communities at the center of it. The medium changes. The principle holds.
Homes restored.
We restore houses so families have a safe place to build their lives. Housing is the foundation everything else rests on. We provide high-quality building support to keep communities whole and maintain the structural integrity of local history.
Murals that last.
We paint murals in towns where people had stopped looking up. Public art changes how a community sees itself and how others see it. These landmarks of pride signal a town is worth investing in, turning blank walls into powerful storytellers.
Youth creativity.
We hand a kid a brush and watch them create something they are proud of. Creative confidence changes how you carry yourself. When a young person sees their work on a wall, they realize they have the power to change their world.
Small business lift.
Pine Cone Awards give local entrepreneurs a full website and professional marketing at no cost. Recognition beats rescue every time. Local businesses are the backbone of rural communities, and we give them the digital tools to thrive.
Access & transit.
You cannot build a life if you cannot get to it. We help with transportation and resources for those in geographic isolation. Whether it's a ride to a job or access to services, we bridge the gap between people and their potential.
Culture preserved.
We amplify Indigenous makers and preserve the traditions that define a community. Culture is what makes a place worth living in. By supporting local artisans, we ensure that the soul of a community remains vibrant for generations.
Untold stories.
Good News Newspaper and WYFIND tell the stories no one else covers. Verified, real, human-centered news without the algorithms. We highlight the quiet wins and local heroes that standard media often overlooks, building a narrative of hope.
Direct support.
Some needs do not have a category. Tell us what you are dealing with, and we will find a way to figure it out together. From emergency repairs to individual advocacy, our support is built on the belief that no problem is too small to solve.
Homes restored.
We restore houses so families have a safe place to build their lives. Housing is the foundation everything else rests on. We provide high-quality building support to keep communities whole and maintain the structural integrity of local history.
Murals that last.
We paint murals in towns where people had stopped looking up. Public art changes how a community sees itself and how others see it. These landmarks of pride signal a town is worth investing in, turning blank walls into powerful storytellers.
Youth creativity.
We hand a kid a brush and watch them create something they are proud of. Creative confidence changes how you carry yourself. When a young person sees their work on a wall, they realize they have the power to change their world.
Small business lift.
Pine Cone Awards give local entrepreneurs a full website and professional marketing at no cost. Recognition beats rescue every time. Local businesses are the backbone of rural communities, and we give them the digital tools to thrive.
Access & transit.
You cannot build a life if you cannot get to it. We help with transportation and resources for those in geographic isolation. Whether it's a ride to a job or access to services, we bridge the gap between people and their potential.
Culture preserved.
We amplify Indigenous makers and preserve the traditions that define a community. Culture is what makes a place worth living in. By supporting local artisans, we ensure that the soul of a community remains vibrant for generations.
Untold stories.
Good News Newspaper and WYFIND tell the stories no one else covers. Verified, real, human-centered news without the algorithms. We highlight the quiet wins and local heroes that standard media often overlooks, building a narrative of hope.
Direct support.
Some needs do not have a category. Tell us what you are dealing with, and we will find a way to figure it out together. From emergency repairs to individual advocacy, our support is built on the belief that no problem is too small to solve.
The work itself is the trust signal.
Partners like The Home Depot, Lowe's, and Ace Hardware are already part of this. You can see the murals. You can drive past the houses. You can meet the people.
Five fingers. One hand.
Five ways we show up. Five ways you can too.
Healing with the Arts
We paint murals in towns where people had stopped looking up. We restore homes after fires. We hand a brush to a kid and watch them paint something they are proud of. Art is medicine. We deliver it in person.
Authentic IS the Arts
Pine Cone Awards give a local entrepreneur the full website, ordering, and marketing their business deserves at no cost. Recognition beats rescue. The Authenticity Movement is built on that principle.
Non-profit Structure
The structure exists so the work outlives any one person. Your donation goes directly into murals, housing, events, and programs you can see, visit, and photograph. Corporate partnerships fund real, visible projects.
Digital Community Impact
WYFIND is a verified community resource center. Real listings, not algorithms. The Tech Van brings workstations and recording equipment to towns without either. Good News Newspaper tells the stories no one else covers.
Synergize our Skills
A mural leads to a Pine Cone Award. The Award leads to UBU University. The Tech Van records a musician who paints a sign for a cafe owner. Every program feeds another. Five fingers, one hand. That is the point.
Ready to put your hands to work?
Volunteer with usWhat people ask.
A mobile public charity that improves quality of life in rural communities by investing in the people and places that fixed institutions do not reach. Recognition replaces rescue — we find authentic excellence and amplify it, rather than fixing what is presumed broken. We drive. We bring the ladder. We stay until the job is done.
You Be You. When people live authentically and invest in their communities, everything changes. Recognition replaces rescue. Communities respond to recognition more durably than to charity. We are the Authenticity Movement.
Directly into the communities we serve. Every contribution funds real, visible work — restoring a home after a family loses everything, creating public art that changes how a town sees itself, running community events where hundreds of families create something together. We document where every contribution goes and what it makes possible.
Because investing in culture is one of the most direct ways to invest in a community. A town that sees itself reflected in something beautiful knows it matters. A child who creates something they are proud of discovers what they are capable of. Recognition replaces rescue — and recognition starts with believing a place and its people are worth investing in.
Anastasia Surrena and Joshua Vermeille. Anastasia was born and raised on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana, trained in classical fresco in Florence on a full scholarship, co-ran a custom home building company for 15 years, and founded Portland's First Thursday Project. Commissioned by collectors who own a Manet and a Picasso. Also hand-painted signs for a cafe in Quemado, New Mexico, population 250. The investment is the same either way.
Donate. Volunteer. Share the mission with someone. Donate materials or supplies. If you have a wall, an idea, or a community ready for something creative, start a conversation.
Help the individual. Help the community. Change the world.
We do this in person. We drive. We bring the ladder. We stay until the job is done. And then we start the next one.