ArtSpot Productions

What ArtSpot Productions does

ArtSpot Productions is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit theater company founded in 1995 in New Orleans by Kathy Randels, operating from a PO Box mailing address in NOLA 70179 with a small core staff of approximately four members plus a three-person board. The organization creates original, multidisciplinary performance productions through a devised ensemble process that integrates physical theater, original music composition, visual design, and site-specific staging, with a documented portfolio of twelve titled works (including The Road to Damascus, Cry You One, Sea of Common Catastrophe, Maria Kizito, Rumours of War, and Loup Garou) addressing themes of mass incarceration, environmental justice, racial inequity, and Hurricane Katrina recovery in southeast Louisiana. Performances have toured to a dozen countries across four continents and 30+ US states.

The company's core business is organized around three sustained community programs: the LCIW Drama Club at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women (founded 1996 with NEA Regional Artists Project support and co-directed with Kumbuka African Drum and Dance Collective since 2000), The Graduates ensemble of formerly incarcerated women (established 2012 with Open Society Foundations and Surdna Foundation support), and A.R.C.H. (Arts, Racial Justice, Culture and Healing, launched 2022 in partnership with BAR NONE by DeSign and the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office at the Orleans Justice Center). Revenue is generated primarily through foundation grants (Open Society, Surdna, Mellon, Rauschenberg, Creative Capital, NEA, Louisiana Division of the Arts, Alternate ROOTS, NEFA) and individual charitable donations accepted via the Zeffy platform, with limited box-office contribution from touring engagements.

Name

ArtSpot Productions

Legal name

ArtSpot Productions

Website

https://artspotproductions.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ArtSpot Productions is a New Orleans-based nonprofit theater company founded in 1995 that creates original multidisciplinary performances addressing incarceration, environmental justice, and racial inequity, serving incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women through sustained programs at Louisiana correctional facilities and touring its work nationally and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts

NAICS

Performing Arts Companies (7111), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (711510)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts Organizations (Theater, Dance, Opera, Music) (BPAGAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fringe & Experimental Performing Arts (MPAGABAI), Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC)

Keywords

• Community engaged theater
• Site specific performance
• Devised ensemble theater
• Social justice theater
• Arts based programming

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in Louisiana (December 2000) with IRS tax-exempt status (October 2002), ArtSpot relies heavily on individual and organizational donations.
2. Foundation and Government Grants: Major funding from foundations including Open Society Foundations, Surdna Foundation, Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Louisiana Division of the Arts, and Creative Capital.
3. Performance Revenue: Revenue generated through ticketed performances, touring engagements, and residency presentations at venues nationally and internationally.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ArtSpot Productions creates and presents original, multidisciplinary theatrical performances (solo, ensemble, and site-specific outdoor works) addressing mass incarceration, environmental justice, and systemic racism in southeast Louisiana. It also operates long-running community arts programs for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women, including the LCIW Drama Club, The Graduates performance ensemble, and the A.R.C.H. arts, racial justice, culture and healing program at the Orleans Justice Center. Productions are presented at theaters, festivals, and cultural institutions nationally and internationally.

Product overview

ArtSpot Productions is a theater company that creates original, multidisciplinary performance productions. The company's portfolio includes 12 distinct show titles spanning solo performances, ensemble pieces, site-specific works, and environmental theater productions. The core offerings are organized around two categories: Performance Productions (including The Road to Damascus, Cry You One, Sea of Common Catastrophe, Maria Kizito, Rumours of War, Loup Garou, Spaces in Between, Beneath the Strata Disappearing, New Orleans Suite, The Maid of Orléans, Lower 9 Stories, and More) and Community Programs (The LCIW Drama Club, The Graduates, and A.R.C.H.). These productions address themes of social justice, mass incarceration, environmental issues, and community healing, often developed through collaborative devised ensemble processes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Road to Damascus A solo performance piece with live music using the story of Saul/Paul's conversion experience as a call for awakening to the role the church has played in creating and supporting inequitable criminal legal systems. Presented to faith communities and general audiences.
• Cry You One A multidisciplinary performance created with Mondo Bizarro celebrating the interconnectedness of land and culture in Louisiana, part song, story, and procession for lost land. Touring internationally to cultural institutions.
• Sea of Common Catastrophe A devised ensemble performance inspired by Gabriel García Márquez, following four companions through a changing landscape built from fragments of displaced communities. Performed for general audiences and presenters.
• Maria Kizito A theatrical work about a Rwandan nun who aided in the 1994 Tutsi Genocide, blending poetry, document, sculpture, and live music to bear witness to genocide. Performed at festivals and cultural institutions.
• Rumours of War An epic performance remounted for the bicentennial of the 1811 Slave Revolt, examining buried history and commemorating acts of resistance by enslaved Africans in Louisiana. Performed for general and educational audiences.
• Loup Garou An environmental performance created with Mondo Bizarro investigating the deep interconnectedness between land and culture in south Louisiana, using physicality, poetry, live music, and visual installation. Touring nationally and internationally.
• Spaces in Between A solo performance in which The Black Lady leads audiences through a house destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, addressing issues of social and governmental injustice. Presented at festivals and community settings.
• Beneath the Strata Disappearing A performance installation created at A Studio in the Woods exploring how the loss of Louisiana's land affects the cultures that have evolved there. Presented to general audiences at partner venues.
• New Orleans Suite A raucous performance piece dedicated to New Orleans, featuring characters who embody the city's decadence and holiness across its history. Performed for general audiences.
• The Maid of Orléans A theatrical work exploring Joan of Arc through the perspective of limbo, examining her life and role in human history through story, movement, song, and video projection. Presented at theaters and cultural institutions.
• Lower 9 Stories A site-specific performance for Junebug Productions' Ec(h)o Arts Environmental Justice Festival examining environmental racism in the Lower Ninth Ward through oral histories. Presented to community audiences.
• The LCIW Drama Club A drama program founded in 1996 at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women providing creative expression and self-examination for inmates through theater. Operated in partnership with the Louisiana Department of Corrections and Kumbuka African Drum and Dance Collective.
• The Graduates A performance ensemble of formerly incarcerated women who use their personal experiences with the criminal justice system to create performances reaching at-risk youth and encouraging policy change. Performs at community gatherings, public installations, and organizing events.
• A.R.C.H. (Arts, Racial Justice, Culture and Healing) An arts-based program for the Orleans Justice Center utilizing programming in Arts, Racial Justice, Culture and Healing to shift New Orleans' public safety paradigm from punishment to healing. Operated with BAR NONE by DeSign and the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hundreds of inmates served with drama programming over 30 years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Mondo BizarrocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-created major productions including 'Cry You One' (2013) and 'Loup Garou' (2009). Both ensembles are described as 'fierce companies in the trenches of post-Katrina New Orleans' working together on environmental performance.
• Kumbuka African Drum and Dance CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSince 2000, Kumbuka has collaborated with ArtSpot on the LCIW Drama Club. Kumbuka director Ausettua AmorAmenkum co-directs the Drama Club and also directs The Graduates ensemble.
• BAR NONE by DeSign (BNbD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-founded A.R.C.H. (Arts, Racial Justice, Culture and Healing) program with ArtSpot and Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office in 2022 for programming at the Orleans Justice Center.
• Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office (OPSO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaunched A.R.C.H. program in 2022 under new OJC leadership, providing arts-based programming to help shift New Orleans' public safety paradigm from punishment to healing.
• A Studio in the WoodssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtist retreat and nature preserve that has partnered with ArtSpot for site-specific work. Located 25 minutes from downtown New Orleans in unspoiled bottomland hardwood forest.
• Gulf Restoration Network (Healthy Gulf)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental organization partnered with ArtSpot on environmental justice performances and initiatives in the Gulf region.
• Gulf Future CoalitionsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition partner working on issues affecting the Gulf region, collaborated with ArtSpot on environmental and community initiatives.
• The Ella ProjectsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides pro bono legal assistance, arts business services, and advocacy to New Orleans' cultural community. Co-founded by Gene Meneray who is on the A.R.C.H. founding group.
• Contemporary Arts Center (CAC)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerNew Orleans venue that hosted ArtSpot's two-year residency and produced multiple premieres including 'The Maid of Orléans' (2004) and 'New Orleans Suite' (2005).
• St. Charles Avenue Baptist Church and Center for Faith + ActioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA decade of dialogue and action with this faith community around criminal legal system reform. Partnered on 'The Road to Damascus' and 'Free Mama Glo' campaign for Gloria Williams' release.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club: Pioneering New York institution supporting experimental, multicultural, and politically engaged theater; comparable as a broader ecosystem player that presents and nurtures experimental ensemble work similar to ArtSpot's.

Direct peers

• The TEAM: Brooklyn-based touring ensemble creating politically engaged, devised theater exploring American identity and systems; comparable in its commitment to original ensemble-driven work on social justice themes.
• Elevator Repair Service (ERS): New York-based ensemble known for long-running devised works and unconventional adaptations; comparable in its commitment to sustained ensemble practice and physically rigorous original productions.
• Pig Iron Theatre Company: Philadelphia-based devised physical theater ensemble known for rigorous training and original ensemble work; shares ArtSpot's emphasis on physical performance-making and collective creation processes.
• Bloomsburg Theatre Ensemble: Pennsylvania-based ensemble theater co-founded in 1978 by ArtSpot board member Gerard Stropnicky; shares the long-running ensemble model, original devised work, and educational programming focus.
• Mondo Bizarro: New Orleans-based devised ensemble creating environmental and cultural performances; co-creator with ArtSpot on multiple productions including 'Cry You One' and 'Loup Garou', making it the most directly comparable peer in artistic process, geography, and thematic focus.
• The Civilians: New York-based investigative theater company creating original work exploring real-world social and political issues; comparable in its documentary/devised approach to socially engaged original theater.
• Cornerstone Theater Company: Los Angeles-based community-engaged theater company producing original work with non-professional and marginalized communities; shares ArtSpot's mission-driven model of working with underheard populations.
• Rude Mechs: Austin-based ensemble creating original devised theater with playful experimentation and rigorous ensemble practice; closely aligned with ArtSpot's collaborative devising methodology and mid-sized nonprofit structure.
• Junebug Productions: New Orleans-based social justice theater company producing community-engaged work such as the Ec(h)o Arts Environmental Justice Festival, where ArtSpot premiered 'Spaces in Between'; shares community-engaged methodology and Gulf-region environmental focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/artspot
• Facebookfacebook.com/ArtSpotPro
• Instagraminstagram.com/artspotpro
• Xx.com/ArtSpotPro
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/artspot-productions-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ArtSpot Productions