$15,035 raised by 59 donors
50% complete
$30,000 Goal
Located in Denton, Texas, The Art Room is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit art studio that provides people who have mental health issues with a safe, creative, and educational space in which to create art. The Art Room offers open studio time, materials, support, and guidance from volunteer mental health professionals and artists at no cost for those individuals who are members of the program. It is a place where people can engage in the creative process, learn about, and produce art, for the purpose of providing adjunctive, indirect mental health therapy. We consider that the therapy provided is in doing the art, following research that shows when people engage in everyday art there is a beneficial effect on psychological measures of stress, improvement in neurotransmitters implicated in depression, and improvement in overall psychological resiliency. In addition, the communal aspect of The Art Room provides a sense of social inclusion, community, and an opportunity to practice learned mental health skills. Our goal is to impact the mental health of the community while promoting art education and the role of creativity in healing.
As many of you know, we moved in August, 2022, and our new home has provided more room for creativity and our growing membership. Because of our expansion, our financial needs have increased and our fundraising goals this year are higher. We are particularly targeting recurring donations this NTGD, 2024, for greater financial stability.
In addition to our financial goals, we have the goal of growing our programs to include evening open studio hours once a week, including a new program for Veterans that started early this year, called Arts for Veterans, meeting three times a month.
The Art Room became more integrated in the Denton community in 2024 by supporting other organizations with public art projects, as well as our annual Community Art Project, where we give back to the Denton community by creating large-scale artworks that we donate to local nonprofits: 1000 Cranes for Peace, 2020; Roots and Branches, 2021; A New Day, 2022; Welcome Home, 2023; and currently we are working on our most ambitious project yet, Wonderful World, where we are decorating the new Health Services of North Texas Denton Pediatric Center, creating artworks for all 10 treatment rooms, hallways, and reception room, on the theme of animals and their biomes.
Continued needs included funding for the monthly costs of staff, rent, bills, and nonprofit corporate expenses, as well as to purchase a variety of art supplies, and promotional materials. We are also in need of storage shelving for supplies, and the means to create digital art, such as ipads.
Our mission is to encourage healing and recovery through expressive art experiences for people who face mental health challenges. We aim to promote art as a means of coping and as a method for creating greater resilience in managing emotions and stress.
The primary need of The Art Room is for financial contributions and recurring donors to help us pay for our new, bigger space and expanded programming.
The Art Room does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to, hiring and firing of staff, selection of volunteers and vendors, and provision of services. We are committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of our staff, clients, volunteers, subcontractors, vendors, and clients.
Organization name
The Art Room
Causes
Mental and Behavioral Health
Operating Budget
Less than $100,000
Counties Served
Collin, Dallas, Denton, Tarrant
BIPOC Leadership
Neither/None
Equity Statement
Equity Statement
Address
721 S. Locust St.