We Saved Our Studio!
We are thrilled to announce that, thanks to the incredible support of our community, we met the urgent $7,248 goal for our SOS emergency fundraiser this weekend! This campaign was launched when our property managers suddenly demanded the full amount by Monday, and thanks to everyone’s generosity, we were able to keep our studio space alive.
During this time, Jesenia was fully immersed in acting as the production manager for Mouthwater Festival, a disabled dance festival that marks the beginning of an arts hub centering Black and Indigenous Disabled artists. The festival stands for anti-capitalism, anti-fascism, pro-Blackness, Disability Justice, Afrofuturism, and sex-education, bringing practical and revolutionary values to the forefront of the arts.
Claudia was also busy at a three-day ArtSpark convening focused on accessible dance. With both of them tied up, Maiamama heroically stepped in to produce a marathon livestream fundraiser. Maia not only created original graphics and wrote a script, but coordinated an incredible online event featuring highlights from past productions like Producing in Pandemic, The Gaza Monologues, and Virtual Pride. Claudia jumped in during her breaks to share exciting Calling Up Justice projects, including AI experiments, pro-union speculative fiction, and Followers Forever and Early Words.
Catherine joined us to speak about Crip Create, and Maiamama wowed the audience with her Gaming4Justice content, playing Stray Gods, a musical video game featuring a diverse cast, land acknowledgments, and top-notch accessibility controls. Nathanael generously donated all proceeds from his bookkeeping class, and Neurovapor designed a special room inside the Digital Encampment to support the fundraiser. Our audience members rallied to keep Maiamama company as she livestreamed for nearly 72 hours!
Thanks to these collective efforts, we raised $2,500 in individual donations. Claudia’s disability justice work brought in an additional $1,500, and a generous collaborator allowed us to draw $5,000 from a future project. This outpouring of support raised our spirits and reminded us how much we love the work we do—and how much our community loves and believes in us!
However, we recognize that this fundraiser, while vital, was borrowing from our future to sustain our present. More fundraising will be necessary to achieve true financial stability, and we are committed to working toward that goal together.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for saving our studio and for standing with us as we continue our work. Stay tuned for upcoming events, projects, and ways to help us reach long-term sustainability!
In solidarity,
The Calling Up Justice Team
Archived request from Oct 3
Help Us Save the Calling Up Justice Studio & Quarantine Residency!
We’ve just received a 3-day notice demanding $7,248 or we’ll be forced to move out of our studio. This space isn’t just our home—it’s the heart of our work. For me, as a disabled and immunocompromised person, it’s not safe to move, and it’s not safe to be without a home. I can’t risk getting COVID.
Our studio is essential to producing our programming and generating the income that sustains us. That’s why we’re launching an emergency Marathon Fundraiser on Twitch or our YouTube! Starting October 5 at 9 AM PST, we’ll be livestreaming nonstop until we raise $8,000.
We’ll be sharing materials from all our past productions along with some fresh Gaming 4 Justice content. This fundraiser is powered by the generous and brilliant support of Maiamama.
Please support us now—every donation helps us keep our studio and our home.
Donate now: paypal.me/callingup
Thank you for standing with us!