ArtServe Launches #OpenTheBlackBox Capital Campaign

Today, ArtServe is launching its “#OpenTheBlackBox” year-end capital campaign. The 30-year-old non-profit is timing the initiative to coincide with GivingTuesday, the international generosity movement.

This month, ArtServe aims to receive $30,000 from private donors to supplement $100,000 in grant money. The funding will transform ArtServe’s west wing into a black box theatre – a wide-open and single-level space for plays, concerts, films, literary readings, and other community events. Close proximity to performers will provide an intimate, multisensory experience unique to the region.

A rendering of ArtServe’s future black box theatre

The black box will be the focal point for ArtServe’s recently launched creative laboratory, designed to help socially conscious artists collaborate, experiment and reach diverse audiences. From painters to poets to opera singers and more, “artivists” are tackling issues such as economic inequality, socio-political upheaval and indigenous incarceration.

“We’re asking the community to support us as we enter a new decade – as we make art and social impact collide,” said Executive Director Craig W. Johnson. “Help us invent the future of Broward County’s cultural identity.”

ArtServe is also announcing a partnership with Fort Lauderdale-based New City Players (NCP), ArtServe’s first theatrical artist-in-residence.

In May, NCP will perform Quiara Alegría Hudes’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, “Water by the Spoonful.”  The third piece in a trilogy, the play tells the tale of a wounded Iraq war veteran coming to terms with the meaning of life after coming home to Philadelphia.

“Theatrical performances pull us forward, out of ourselves, into the life of another, helping us feel part of something bigger than ourselves,” said New City Players Producing Artistic Director Tim Davis. “Entering our fifth season, we are proud to call ArtServe our new home. We share the goal of using art to foster empathy and unity.”

Please visit http://bit.ly/ArtServe2020 to make your donation now through the end of December and spread the word on social media using #OpenTheBlackBox.

About ArtServe

Fort Lauderdale-based ArtServe – one of the country’s first arts incubators – has a 30-year history of building Broward County communities through the arts. Each year its programs contribute tangibly to the region’s economy, help 2,000 artists build businesses and engage countless citizens who walk through the doors. ArtServe in 2020 will continue its transformation into a creative laboratory, a hub for experimental artists committed to diversity, equity and inclusion. ArtServe has won several awards for innovation in the arts. It is supported in part by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council and Florida’s Department of State and the Division of Cultural Affairs.

About New City Players

New City Players is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, ensemble theatre company in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We exist to stage exceptional classic and contemporary theatre that provides an emotional and transformative experience for every audience member. Our vision is to see the people in our city flourish through the power of theatre, story, and community.