Artstillery

What Artstillery does

Artstillery is a Dallas, Texas-based 501c3 nonprofit multidisciplinary arts organization that creates original immersive theater productions built from community oral histories, documentary interviews, and co-creation with underrepresented populations. Founded in 2016 by Ilknur Ozgur, the organization has produced ten years of site-specific works including Family Dollar (2016/2021), Dirty Turk aka Dirty Immigrant (2018, 2021, 2026), Generations of Adam (2019), In Spite of History: Part 1 (2022), Flamenco Y Frida (2023), Welcome Mat 2 - People 0 (2025), and Dichotomy of Compassion (2026). Productions span up to nine locations across Fair Park and employ projection mapping on historic buildings, 360-degree video capture with QR-code distribution, puppetry, robotics, documentary film, and live performance. The core product is the immersive production; supplementary offerings include the ArtCultivation artist-payout platform ($45,000+ distributed over three years), 723 Open Space venue rentals with sliding-scale community pricing, and fee-for-service corporate work (visual branding environments, conference experiences, corporate storytelling films, immersive installations).

Revenue mechanics are diversified across multiple streams but none individually large: foundation and government grants (City of Dallas Cultural Organizations Program award of $37,243 in 2025; prior Office of Cultural Affairs funding; Donna Wilhelm Family Fund; Amazon), ticketed performances using a Choose-UR-Pay model of $5-12 plus private table reservations of $50-70, sliding-scale venue rentals, bar and concession sales via Square point-of-sale, corporate services booked by quote, and individual donations through Donorbox. The organization serves four primary segments: marginalized and underrepresented communities (primary), corporate and institutional clients, the local Dallas arts community, and individuals booking community life events. Artstillery maintains its headquarters at 723 Fort Worth Avenue in West Dallas, a secondary office in Chicago, and operates production sites at Fair Park and 323 West Main Street, with formal partnerships with the Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas Museum of Art, Broadway Dallas, Fair Park First, and the University of Texas at Arlington Special Collections. The organization employs a core team of 7 with an extended contributor network of approximately 16 creative, technical, and operational specialists.

Name

Artstillery

Legal name

Artstillery

Website

https://artstillery.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Artstillery is a Dallas-based 501c3 nonprofit that creates site-specific immersive theater productions from community oral histories, serving marginalized communities, local artists, and corporate clients through live performances, venue rentals, and storytelling services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Immersive Theater

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM), Arts & Culture Service/Support Organizations (Networks, Advocacy, Capacity Building) (BPAGAHAL), Media Arts & Performance (Film, Stagecraft, Lighting, Sound) (EDAMAAAJ)

Keywords

• Immersive theater productions
• Community arts programs
• Site-specific installations
• Live performance experiences
• Social justice storytelling

Headquarters

HQ city

Dallas

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Government Grants: Artstillery receives funding from foundations (Donna Wilhelm Family Fund, Oak Cliff Cultural Center) and government entities (City of Dallas Cultural Organizations Program COP award of $37,243, Office of Cultural Affairs & ArtCity).
2. Venue Rental and Space Services: 723 Open Space generates revenue through rental of the community arts space at 723 Fort Worth Avenue, Dallas. Sliding scale pricing offered for community organizations.
3. Event Bar and Concessions: Donations bar and concessions during public events at 723 Open Space, run by Venue Operations Director with Square point-of-sale system.
4. Ticket Sales: Ticket sales for performances including Choose-UR-Pay model ($12, $10, $7, $5) and private table reservations ($50-70 for 2-4 people).
5. Corporate and Institutional Services: Fee-for-service work including Visual Branding Environments, Conference Experiences, Corporate Storytelling Films, and Immersive Installations for corporate clients, conferences, and special events.
6. ArtCultivation Program: Recurring artist platform that ran for three years, paying out $45,000+ to local artists. Free access for public audiences.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Artstillery is a multidisciplinary arts and social justice nonprofit that creates original immersive theater productions based on community oral histories and interviews gathered from marginalized neighborhoods. The organization operates 723 Open Space as a community arts venue in Dallas and provides corporate services including visual branding environments, conference experiences, and corporate storytelling films and installations.

Product overview

Artstillery is a multidisciplinary arts and social justice organization that creates original immersive theater productions and experiences. Their core offering consists of community-driven immersive productions (Family Dollar, Dirty Turk, Generations of Adam, Flamenco Y Frida, In Spite of History, Welcome Mat 2) that combine live performance, projection mapping, 360-degree video, and mixed media. They supplement these with professional services including visual branding environments, conference experiences, corporate storytelling films, and immersive installations for corporate clients. Additionally, they operate 723 Open Space as a community venue for rentals and community events, and run the ArtCultivation artist platform program. All offerings center on amplifying underrepresented voices through collaborative storytelling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Immersive Theater Productions Original immersive theater productions created from community oral histories and interviews, performed at venues such as Fair Park in Dallas for general audiences and community participants.
• 723 Open Space A community arts venue in Dallas offering regular performances, exhibitions, classes, and gathering space for local artists and audiences.
• Visual Branding Environments Custom immersive branded environments produced for corporate clients to transform their event or brand storytelling through performance and design.
• Conference Experiences Conference design and production services for corporate clients, integrating immersive performance and storytelling techniques.
• Corporate Storytelling Films Original short films produced for corporate clients to communicate brand narratives using documentary-style storytelling.
• Immersive Installations Site-specific immersive installations combining set design, performance, projection mapping, and 360-degree video for corporate clients.
• ArtCultivation Program Community arts education and development program designed to cultivate local artists and engage community members through workshops and programming.

Quantifiable outcome

• 200+ audience members for volunteer-built production with no marketing (2016 Family Dollar)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• University of Texas at Arlington Special CollectionsmajorOthers · 1 January 2024Artstillery contributed extensive documentation of community narratives to UT Arlington Special Collections in 2024, marking a major step in preserving community-based storytelling as cultural record.
• Chicago Flamenco ArtistscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Artstillery partnered with Chicago-based artists to produce Flamenco Y Frida, a multidisciplinary immersive performance blending flamenco, visual art, and narrative. The Dallas-Chicago collaboration achieved sold-out runs.
• Fair Park FirstcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Artstillery partnered with Fair Park First and Broadway Dallas to develop In Spite of History: Part 1, a large-scale immersive work spanning 9 locations across Fair Park, built from extensive community interviews. Fair Park First is dedicated to restoring, revitalizing, and renewing Fair Park, a 277-acre National Historic Landmark.
• Broadway DallascoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partnership with Broadway Dallas (formerly Dallas Summer Musicals) for In Spite of History Part 1 at Fair Park. Broadway Dallas is committed to equity, diversity, inclusion and access, with strategic priorities focused on institutional racial equity.
• Nasher Sculpture CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Family Dollar was presented in partnership with the Nasher Sculpture Center as part of Nasher Public. The Nasher featured it as a landmark public art initiative and helped create interpretive materials including QR codes linking to 360-degree video documentation.
• Dallas Museum of ArtcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Artstillery partnered with the Dallas Museum of Art to present Dirty Turk aka Dirty Immigrant alongside the MyIGration exhibition, which traces the migration of people, objects, and ideas in art across times and cultures. The sold-out two-night immersive museum installation received coverage by The Dallas Morning News.
• Lone Star Missionary Baptist ChurchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtstillery partnered with Lone Star Missionary Baptist Church for Family Dollar. The church, which has served the West Dallas community since 1939, provided land for the relocated interpretive shotgun houses and served as a venue for the immersive performance.
• Mill City Community AssociationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for In Spite of History Part 1. Led by Alendra Lyons, President and CEO. Mission to support a diverse, safe neighborhood with quality housing, infrastructure, and institutions while preserving the historic neighborhood's legacy.
• Cornerstone Baptist ChurchmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for In Spite of History Part 1. Pastor Chris Simmons leads the church and Cornerstone Community Development Corporation, which exists to exemplify the great commission and the command of Jesus to 'love your neighbor.'
• Dolphin Heights Neighborhood AssociationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partner for In Spite of History Part 1. Led by Anna Hill, President and CEO. Purpose is to revitalize the neighborhood, instill community pride, promote safety, and support leadership and education.
• Mead & HuntminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitectural firm that helped Artstillery understand and evaluate the shotgun houses scheduled for demolition, providing expertise on historic preservation and deconstruction planning.
• Lovers Lane United Methodist ChurchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Generations of Adam. 723 serves as a meeting and rehearsal space for Artstillery in partnership with Lovers Lane United Methodist Church.
• Embodied Movement TherapyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Generations of Adam to hold safe space for community members using Embodied Movement Modalities over 4 sessions, leading to sharing of ideas and personal narratives used in script creation.
• Manifesto PoeticominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational theatre company founded by Carlos García Estévez. Artstillery Marketing Director Meagan Harris collaborated with Manifesto Poetico in Madrid, Spain for mask performance research that informed Lux: a solo show.
• Southern Methodist UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrevious client for corporate storytelling and services.
• Tawian Business CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrevious client for corporate services.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Dell'Arte International: Northern California physical theater and devised-performance training ensemble producing original site-based work rooted in community stories. Comparable in combining devised ensemble process with community-engaged touring.
• Illustria (Immersive Arts Alliance): National network and resource hub for immersive arts practitioners. Relevant as a peer ecosystem organization supporting the field of immersive theater and installation that Artstillery operates in.

Direct peers

• Punchdrunk: UK-based pioneer of immersive theater (Sleep No More). Global leader in large-scale site-specific immersive productions that combine narrative, physical environments, and multimedia, comparable in methodology and production ambition to Artstillery.
• The TEAM: Brooklyn-based immersive and devised-theater ensemble making documentary-driven, socially engaged performance. Comparable in combining interview-based research with immersive staging and touring small-scale works.
• The Civilians: NYC investigative theater company creating original work based on real interviews and community research. Closely mirrors Artstillery's oral-history-driven methodology, though typically in proscenium formats rather than immersive installations.
• Cornerstone Theater Company: LA-based community-engaged theater company that creates original productions through multi-year residencies with specific communities. Shares Artstillery's community-co-creation model, oral history approach, and social-justice orientation.
• Third Rail Projects: New York-based immersive theater company behind Then She Fell and The Grand Paradise. Most direct US peer in the immersive, site-specific, narrative-driven theater space with strong community and partnership-driven ethos.
• HERE Arts Center: NYC-based arts center producing and presenting original hybrid performance work combining theater, dance, music, and multimedia in a dedicated venue. Comparable in operating a flexible venue that hosts its own productions and partner artists.
• En Garde Arts: New York nonprofit producing site-specific and immersive theatrical works in unconventional urban spaces. Shares Artstillery's model of transforming historic/unique venues into narrative environments and partnering with community organizations.

Others

• One Institute (formerly ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives): Los Angeles-based LGBTQ cultural archive and community organization. Tangentially comparable as a complementary ecosystem participant that preserves and presents marginalized community narratives, similar to Artstillery's UT Arlington archival contribution.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/723_dallas
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/artstillery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Artstillery