Grantee Database
VITAL ARTS INC
Grant Year
2025-26
Grant Program
Impact Projects
Award Amount
$17,750.00
Project Description
With support from the California Arts Council, Vital Arts will commission Dabke Drag Drums Against Displacement, an experiment in the synthesis of Dabke (dance tradition from Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria) drag, contemporary dance and advocacy. Created by choreographer Shams Amal, the project draws on ancestral strategies of their Bedouin ancestors for placemaking: rhythm, storytelling, migratory land tending, and textile. The work incorporates belly dance, folk dance, Sufi whirling, and the subculture of queer and Black diaspora and Latine dances including ballroom, vogueing, and Cumbia. The project develops through a year-long community-engaged process beginning in Fall 2025, culminating in August 2026 with a community processional event beginning at Oscar Grant Plaza in Oakland, traveling up and down Telegraph Avenue, and ending with a processional, full-length performance, and celebration at BAM House Cultural Center, Oakland.
Organization Summary
Current programs designed to combat the displacement of artists and preserve their essential contributions to their communities’ culture and economy include:
Artist Space Trust (AST): Partnering with the Northern California Land Trust, AST provides permanently affordable housing and creative spaces for artists, using a community land trust model to facilitate intergenerational transfers of property, ensuring affordable ownership and control. (www.artistspacetrust.org)
Artist Displacement Prevention Grant: A one-time grant offering up to $2,500 to artists facing urgent financial emergencies and displacement risks, serving artists in Alameda, Contra Costa, and San Francisco counties.
Trust-Centered Mutual Aid and Technical Assistance: We support the most historically underserved artists including LGBTQ+, disabled, unhoused, and BIPOC artists, collectives, and small organizations in operational, development, and financial stabilization.
Bay Area Artist Census (BAAC): A 3-year initiative gathering data to support the local artist community, focusing on BIPOC, trans, and disabled artists. The first year emphasizes community engagement, educational outreach, and gathering input on census design.
Advocacy: Collaborating with regional and statewide agencies to draft and propose legislative policies supporting artist housing and workspace, partnering with organizations like Safer Spaces DIY to adapt legal structures for artist spaces.
Artist Displacement Data & Information: As a regional hub, Vital Arts combines data on artist displacement with quarterly stakeholder meetings to formulate and implement strategies preventing displacement.
Resource & Information Sharing: Networking with local stakeholders to share knowledge and resources tackling housing and economic challenges for artists. Supported by a team of volunteer experts in various fields.
AB 812 Community Toolkit Development: Assisting in developing resources to implement CA Bill AB 812 for artist housing near cultural zones, enhancing the availability of affordable housing for artists statewide.
Organization
Vital Arts
Address
1831 SOLANO AVE UNIT 7612
BERKELEY
94707-5032
County
Alameda
Region
Bay Area – Other
Phone
(408) 933-8692
Congressional District
12
State Assembly District
14
State Senate District
7
