Artstillery

A nonprofit organization

Artstillery is a community-based non-profit that seeks to provide a platform for marginalized voices in Dallas to tell their stories. Our programming is driven by the personal narratives brought to us by local community members, and our subject matter often covers sensitive issues such as race, abuse, mental health, and class disparity, among several others. By opening up a dialogue for these subjects instead of shying away from them, Artstillery creates a safe and open space for these topics to be explored in a deeply personal manner. Our team of writers takes what they have learned from our community members and uses that information to comprise a performance piece in which the audience can be fully immersed in their neighbors' lived experiences. By sharing our diverse stories, Artstillery hopes to foster an environment of empathy, communication, and understanding.

Artstillery also supports the local community in the following areas:

Diverse Culture
Artstillery prioritizes the stories of under-represented populations in Dallas. By giving representation to these often overlooked groups, we shine a light on the shared emotions of the human experience and encourage a supportive and unified spirit throughout the community.

Equitable Art
Artstillery strongly believes that the healing power of art is for everyone, regardless of economic status. For each performance, we set aside $2,000 worth of deeply-discounted or complementary tickets to lessen the financial barrier between marginalized communities and the arts.

Environmental Responsibility
Artstillery is committed to an environmentally-friendly approach for set design. We have utilized our relationships with several upcycling non-profit organizations to obtain discarded materials that can be used for creating our performance environments, reducing landfill waste.

Artist Support
Artstillery provides a monthly platform for local artists to perform their own works at our space through our Art Cultivation program. All ticket sales for our Art Cultivation variety shows go directly to our performers of the night, providing them with economic support and publicity, while our audience members in the traditionally underserved West Dallas area get to experience the rich and culturally-diverse talent of the local art scene.

Our Needs

Artstillery relies on donations to continue our work of engaging the local community in healing experiences through art. We have many upcoming and ongoing programs that will be supported through this campaign. The first is Family Dollar, our next immersive performance piece that highlights issues of race and class and explores the vital role that community plays in our lives. Next is Art Cultivation, our monthly variety show that showcases and financially supports Dallas performance artists. To date, we have been able to pay over $6,000 to the artists that we feature in these shows. In addition to these programs, we will also continue to engage the community through workshops that lead discussions on creative expression, trauma, movement therapy, and healing. These funds will also be used to strengthen our infrastructure as a nonprofit in order to reach as many people as possible. Your support as a donor makes sure that our programs are always affordable, allowing us to bring equitable art to those who may or may not ordinarily have access.

Mission

Artstillery supports and empowers marginalized communities through performance art.

Equity Statement

To exist as a Theatre of Color is an act of resistance. We use the power of art to demand that our communities are seen and heard. Our art cannot exist in a silo. Our demands for narrative change are inherently politicized. Therefore, our efforts to provide voice demand that we engage in collective learning, community building, value sharing, and mobilization. We sit on the intersections of art and activism.

Our work, as individuals and as companies, will and must speak truth to power. We demand an end to the violence against black and brown bodies. We feel the pain of these communities because we are from these communities and this is why we serve. We served yesterday, we serve today, and we will serve tomorrow.

"Artists have the capacity to have a more dominant role in shaping social thought. You've got the platform to say something, say something worthwhile, say something that helps the social condition." - Harry Belafonte

Organization Data

Summary

Organization name

Artstillery

Tax id (EIN)

81-2704896

Guidestar

Causes

Arts, Culture & Humanities, Community Improvement, Human Rights, Civil Rights & Advocacy

Operating Budget

$100,000 - $249,999

Counties Served

Dallas

BIPOC Serving

Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx

BIPOC Leadership

Both the Executive Director/CEO and Board Chair

Equity Statement

Equity Statement

Address

3843 Bernal Drive 723 Fort Worth Avenue, Dallas, Texas
Dallas, TX 75212

Phone

512-994-8832