Artstillery

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.