Art Enables was born from the simple but powerful belief that artists with disabilities are artists first. What began as a small studio in 2001 has grown into a nationally recognized model for inclusive arts practice. Each year, some 42 artists grow their practice at its professional studio, creating work at their own pace and receiving 70% of the price of each piece sold at exhibitions in its galleries and off-site shows. Staff provide targeted coaching and access to materials, and promote their work locally, nationally, and digitally. Welcoming thousands of in-person and virtual visitors last year, Art Enables generated more than $57,000 in sales for its artists, directly increasing their incomes. Community-based workshops create opportunities for them to collaborate with other local artists and the public, building relationships and celebrating diversity of ability and artistic expression.

WISH LIST: $100: 1 month of studio supplies for one resident artist; $500: scholarship for a Fellowship Artist for 1 month; $1000: 1 Art Enables Saturday Workshop

Founded in 1993, Theater Alliance has always produced work illuminating the experiences of DC’s diverse community. It champions DMV-based artists, especially historically excluded artists, presenting socially conscious theater rooted in justice that sparks dialogue and civic engagement. Theater Alliance serves its community through live performance, community dialogue, and creative expression, creating platforms for voices at every level: a DC teen playwriting program (ENOUGH! Plays to End Gun Violence), a Howard University Learning Site, early-career artists at the HotHouse New Play Block Party, and its mainstage season. Through its pick your price model, Radical Neighboring, it amplifies underrepresented voices and welcomes all. An alliance by design, Theater Alliance unites artists, organizations, and neighbors in a shared home in SW DC, grounded by the belief that the arts are essential to a flourishing society.

WISH LIST: $100: tickets and snacks to a professional production for 5 students; $500: a post-show talkback; $1000: one week of rehearsal for local cast and crew

As the only art museum in the region founded by contemporary artists, MoCA Arlington builds meaningful connections between artists and the public. It presents some 16 exhibitions annually, each with public programs and artist talks that provide residents free access to art while spotlighting artists. Regional emerging and mid-career artists advance their careers across 13 annual residencies. Throughout the year, residents also engage in free outdoor art-making, wellness offerings like yoga and sound baths, and Art After Hours events. Beyond traditional arts audiences, MoCA Arlington offers after-school classes, weekend workshops, and summer camps taught by working artists, and partners with organizations to use collaborative art-making to support employee wellbeing. Serving 20,000 residents each year at its museum and free Innovation Studio space, MoCA Arlington ensures everyone can enjoy contemporary art.

WISH LIST: $100: art supplies for four students in the youth program; $500: one week of camp for a student receiving tuition assistance; $1000: artists’ honoraria for exhibitions

Rooted in the belief that artmaking and community-building work best together, CHAW has been building community through the arts for over 50 years. Classes for children and adults nurture arts literacy and include everything from visual arts to dance, music, theater, ceramics, and photography. Small arts camps encourage learning and connection in children. Special events (like a two-woman Hamlet or an evening pot-throwing class) happen across the year, and an open darkroom is available to area residents. The CHAW gallery is a true community resource: it features a range of established and emerging local artists in shows and residencies, encouraging artists and lifting them up through commissions, exhibitions, showcases, and professional development. Through it all, a community comes together, gives rise to a multiplicity of voices, and enables more dynamic and diverse arts experiences. What does better art engender? A more just community.

WISH LIST: $100: supplies for an after-school arts class for a year; $500: a week of summer camp for a student in need; $1000: 1 year of private music lessons for 1 student

Story Tapestries removes barriers to arts experiences so that all communities across Greater Washington can engage with the transformative power of the arts. Professional artists work with educators, students, and families in artist-led, community-designed residencies, workshops, performances, and exhibits. Preschoolers of all abilities build language skills and confidence through movement and storytelling. Latino youth find their voices in slam poetry workshops. Teachers and librarians learn to integrate the arts into their instructional practice. Older adults engage in arts and storytelling that reduce isolation and support healthy aging in place. These programs often culminate in free public performances, bringing communities together across generations and cultures. Reaching more than one million people annually (including tens of thousands of students in high-poverty schools), Story Tapestries elevates local stories, strengthens learning, and builds a thriving and sustainable creative workforce.

WISH LIST: $100: supplies for 1 mental health arts workshop; $500: 1 workforce development workshop; $1500: 5-session Write Your Story literacy residency for 1 classroom