DNAWORKS IS 20!

As DNAWORKS completes its 20th year, we are so grateful for the well over 100,000 people in 39 states and 18 countries with whom we have collaborated, danced, sung, moved, and shared stories—all of whom have inspired us. This was a global effort, co-created with an immense village of people who are committed to a better future for the interdependence of humanity and the planet.

To reflect on all the work we have done is humbling and there is no way that we could have accomplished all this without YOU, our core supporters, donors, advisors, funders, dreamers, revolutionaries, and DNAWORKS family. Each time we planned a trip to a new place to film HaMapah/The Map: A genealogical dance-journey and we sent out a call for support, you answered. Each time we planned a developmental residency for The Secret Sharer, from Texas to Canada to Berlin to Pittsburgh, we sent out a call, and you answered. HaMapah/The Map has now been screened at film festivals around the world and The Secret Sharer will have its world premiere at ArtsEmerson in April 2026.

In every location where we lead our unique art and dialogue programming, which includes storycircles after art-offerings instead of Q&As with the artists, we have heard repeatedly how meaningful it is for people to have a mindful place where they can slow down and hear community stories. One audience member in Dallas called it, “getting to know their neighbors.” We have accomplished SO MUCH TOGETHER.

Earlier this year the Mellon Foundation invested in the continued success of these programs by awarding us a two-year grant to experiment with a shared leadership model. We now have three co-directors, each deeply creative people, co-leading all the areas of DNAWORKS. Mellon’s grant has also allowed us to offer commissioning funds to other artists as our cohort of Co-Curators. If you have been following our newsletters and social media, you have met these amazing world-makers.

In recent years, we have distilled DNAWORKS’s values and culture into three areas:

1. “Health and family first.” It may sound strange, but sometimes art institutions fail to put people and their wellbeing first, focusing efforts and resources on productivity. Yet our commitment to health and healing has only increased the quality and level of work and collaboration through ease, grace, and deep listening to the needs of all involved in the work.

2. “Slow life, slow art.” Something we reference almost daily. It is, without a doubt, a challenge in this super-fast, super-stressed, and chaotic world. We are practicing this precept—we don’t always get it “right”; but we do better and better every day.

3. “What goes in the batter comes out in the cake.” As you will all know by now, we are advocates of the healing power of art – which means it can also cause harm. We work to ensure that every step of the process and the people involved are cared for, supported, and competitively compensated so the work we create – and then offer to others – has the values, energy, and vibration of care and healing as part of it. The corollary to “What goes in the batter…” is that we check and double check our ingredients and our processes so that we are not poisoning or retraumatizing our audiences. When we serve people healthy, healing art, it calms the nervous system – they breathe easier, listen more clearly and patiently, and open their hearts more to themselves and to one another.

YOU make this possible – our ability to take a heart-forward approach to creating as well as modeling for others how this is possible. We hear time and time again: “I have never experienced a process like this before. I am going to take it into my own work and communities.”

Please support us on this Giving Tuesday and throughout our End-of-Year campaign so that we can continue to “feed good food” to others. A monthly donation helps us plan for additional staffing to support our work! One of my earliest memories is my parents telling me to “make a difference.” We are doing this together.

Thank you profoundly for your faith in our vision, in our work, and in our contribution to the world.

With love and appreciation,

Daniel Banks, Co-Founder & Co-Director of Artistic Visioning

---

DNAWORKS

3945 Forbes Avenue #452

Pittsburgh, PA 15213

T: 866-394-6033

E: info@dnaworks.org

DNAWORKS is powered by the Producer Hub.