The Tampa-based non-profit Art2Action, Inc. is proud to be recognized and a recipient of Southern Cultural Treasures. This is six-million-dollar, four-year initiative supporting Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)-led and -serving arts and cultural organizations throughout the U.S. Southeast. As a grant recipient, Art2Action will receive more than $160,000 over the course of the three-year initiative, and participate in cohort gatherings across the region.
“It’s an honor to have our work recognized in this way, and to receive this award as a Southern Cultural Treasure,” said Andrea Assaf, Artistic and Executive Director of Art2Acton. “We are thrilled to be part of this ground-breaking initiative, which is not only supporting BIPOC arts organizations, but recognizing that BIPOC artists are part of the cultural fabric of the United States, and particularly the South. This initiative will help address the systemic inequity that Southern organizations and BIPOC cultural producers have historically faced; it will help our region, and nation, move forward creatively in the 21st century.”
The initial cohort is made up of 17 organizations that represent decades of BIPOC arts and community-driven stewardship throughout the nine-state region that includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. As South Arts President and CEO Susie Surkamer stated, “These groups push the boundaries of creative expression, anchor their local communities, and advance the arts in our region.”
What is Arts2Action, Inc?
Art2Action, Inc. creates, develops, produces and presents original theatre, interdisciplinary performances, performative acts and progressive cultural organizing. They support all communities including women artists, artists of color, queer or trans-identified artists, and creative allies. They are dedicated to cultural equity and innovation, artistic quality and community value, performativity and impact.
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Art2Action was thought up by theatre artist Andrea Assaf. She began creating original work and her first production was at the New York International Fringe Festival in 2003. The organization, Art2Action Inc., was formally incorporated in July 2010, with Founding Board & A2A Collective members:
- Dora Arreola
- Andrea Assaf
- Krystal Banzon
- Meena Natarajan
Originally incorporated in the state of New York, Art2Action’s main office, operations and programs are currently located in Tampa, FL.
