A $5,000 Community Fundraising Campaign
An investment in artists, collaboration, storytelling, and belonging throughout the East Bay..
What is the Seed of Devotion?
The Seed of Devotion is a $5,000 fundraising campaign in which I am raising funds to continue producing work that uplifts and supports Black, Brown, and POC voices, including my own, throughout the East Bay community.
A Seed of Devotion is an investment opportunity. It is an invitation to be part of something that extends beyond one performance or one artist. It supports me in collaborating with other artists and co-creating more performance experiences rooted in storytelling, connection, and belonging.
This campaign is an investment in the kind of artistic community I want to continue building: one where artists have the resources, space, and support to create freely and authentically, share their stories, and experience the deeper ripple effects of collaboration.
Make your Tax Deductible Donation here
Why am I asking?
$5,000 means a lot to me. It may seem small to some, but for me, as a high-functioning and hyper-independent Black woman, this feels like I am asking for the world.
I have spent so much of my artistry and professional life figuring things out, producing my own work, and finding ways to make things happen with the resources available to me. I am proud of what I have accomplished on my own. However, I have also experienced deeper ripple effects through my collaborations, partnerships, and the support of others.
A Seed of Devotion is the audacity to have the courage to say, “I am still capable, and I can still ask for financial support.”
I am learning that I do not have to choose between being independent and allowing myself to be supported. I can acknowledge all that I have accomplished on my own while also recognizing that I cannot, and do not want to, continue building everything alone.
I have poured so much of myself into this work and production that I am now in a space of inviting myself to receive support. Whether that support is financial, emotional, physical, or spiritual, I welcome it all.
That is the heart and mission of this donation campaign for me. I am having the audacity to come to my community with an open hand to receive support and allow others to be part of what I am building.
Make your Tax Deductible Donation here
What will your investment make possible?
This campaign is honestly the beginning. I believe the Seed of Devotion will have great ripple effects, allowing me to continue producing, collaborating, and creating opportunities that support the artistic community around me.
With these resources, I will be able to:
Continue hosting Of the Flesh: An Activation of Devotion annually during the fall and winter months.
Fund and produce my own work while continuing to archive and preserve the integrity of my artistic practice.
Collaborate with a wider range of artists and have the confidence and resources to afford artists what they are worth.
Create more performance experiences rooted in storytelling, connection, and belonging.
Continue developing opportunities for artists to gather, collaborate, and share their work in a supportive and autonomous environment.
Funds raised through the Seed of Devotion will help cover the costs of future venue and theater rentals, rehearsal space, honorariums for participating artists, lighting design, photography, stage and house management, transportation for artists traveling via BART and AC Transit, and any other needs that the artists and I may have to create freely and authentically.
I want to continue producing my own work, but I also want to be a resource for other artists. I want to create opportunities where artists can bring their ideas to life, collaborate with one another, and have access to experiences and resources that may not otherwise be available to them.
Make your Tax Deductible Donation here
Why the East Bay?
This is my investment in the type of work I want to continue seeing in the East Bay community.
It is time to recenter the East Bay as an essential hub for supporting diverse and impactful artists and their experiences. I want to contribute to a creative environment where Black, Brown, and POC artists are not only welcomed, but supported, compensated, celebrated, and given opportunities to continue developing their work.
I believe in the ripple effects of investing in artists. When we support artists, we support the stories they tell, the communities they serve, the relationships they build, and the opportunities they make possible for others.
I want to be part of creating a community where artists do not have to wait for permission, recognition, or the perfect opportunity to make their work happen. I want us to have the resources to create, share, and invest in one another.
Make your Tax Deductible Donation here
An Invitation to Plant a Seed
A Seed of Devotion is also an answer to feelings of doubt. I am truly trusting the process of all of this and welcoming all divine forms of receiving.
For me, this campaign is about practicing what it means to receive the same care, support, and investment that I have spent so much of myself giving to others.
I am asking my community to help me plant this seed. Whether you are able to contribute $10, $50, $100, or another amount, every contribution makes a difference in moving this vision forward. If you are unable to donate, sharing this campaign, connecting me with others, offering your time, or words of encouragement are also meaningful forms of support.
Your contribution is not simply supporting a performance. It is supporting an artist, an artistic practice, a community, and the future opportunities we can create together.
Make your Tax Deductible Donation here
I want all of us to eat off of this investment of support.
Make your Tax Deductible Donation here
Thank you for believing in the work, investing in the vision, and allowing me to continue growing into the artist and woman I am becoming.
With love, devotion, and gratitude.
dominique lesleyann
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