We Are In This Together

Donate To Support The Crucible and Working Artists During This Crisis

For Already Vulnerable Artists, COVID-19 Hits Hard

Since closing on March 15, The Crucible is completely shifted our focus to how we can best support our community of faculty and staff—we have been distributing funds to our most impacted through our Emergency Relief Fund, collaborated with food providers to eliminate food insecurity by directing food donations to our community, worked to cover healthcare costs, and more.

Please donate to support these relief efforts and the future of The Crucible. Your gift will make a huge difference.

What Closing Means

730+

Cancelled Classes

Over 600 students and 130 faculty have had classes in welding, glass, ceramics, and more rescheduled or cancelled.

$1.6M

No Revenue

The Crucible is projecting over $1.6 million in losses for the remainder of the year—but our fixed monthly expenses don’t go away.

230+

Loss of Income

Our 230+ faculty members and staff are experiencing a February-June income loss of thousands of dollars each.

88%

Financial Insecurity

88% of surveyed staff and faculty reported they were worried about being able to afford their essential expenses while The Crucible is closed.

What We’re Doing To Support Artists & Staff

Your Support Is Key To Ensuring We Can Continue No Matter How Long We Are Closed

Community Emergency Fund

Through this relief fund, The Crucible has distributed roughly 100 gifts of $250 each to the most financially-impacted working artists and staff to support emergency food and housing costs.

Committed to Healthcare

During this public health epidemic, The Crucible is committed to covering the cost of healthcare benefits for all eligible staff. (And helping our faculty utilize our 3D printers to print face shields for healthcare workers on the frontlines.)

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Food To Most At-Risk

In partnership with Replate, Mandela Partners, and Prescott-Joseph Center, we are working to distribute weekly free groceries, produce, and pre-made food to members of our community who need it most.

We Need Your Help

Your support will ensure we can

Continue to cover healthcare costs for all eligible employees
Sustain our core costs necessary to survive, including our mortgage, worker’s comp, and insurance costs
Distribute $250 gifts to the most financially-impacted working artists and staff to support emergency food and housing costs
Actively fundraise, apply for grant support and government assistance to grow the Community Emergency Fund and help cover needed assistance for all vulnerable staff and faculty
Connect members of our staff and faculty with free produce and prepared food through partnerships with Replate and Mandela Partners
Build community through our Virtual Artist Talks and hands-on digital workshops for youth
Be ready to scale up to fully operational when the shelter-in-place mandate is lifted

Your messages of support keep us going!

“I love you guys, and so appreciate all you do for our community. I can’t wait to come back for my next class!”

“Hoping to help you continue to survive COVID-19 and to build a strong future here in West Oakland.”

“This money comes directly from my Federal Stimulus money. Better to The Crucible than to Big Business CEOs!”

“The Crucible is a haven. We all are in this to keep everyone going.”

“Thank you for hosting the live Virtual Artist talks. Here to supporting that!”

“Supporting you, for the love of creating that you have given my son. Good luck!”

“I know you will be able to weather this storm. The Crucible is special to so many artists and especially kids.”

“I hope you guys get to open again soon. I’m really looking forward to taking some classes there!”

“Even though I have never been to The Crucible, I know what you do is so important. Keep up the good work.”

“It’s not much but wishing you all the best during these times. Thanks for everything you provide to the Bay Area.”

“You have a fantastic facility that I have been thrilled to watch grow and thrive in the community.”

“I’m happy to be able to help support you, and when we’re eventually able to poke our heads out of our holes again, I intend to make the time to start doing some classes.”

“I’m so glad I can help out. Hope you guys are hanging in there and I look forward to helping in the future.”

“You have given me (and so many others) the gift of working with our hands, to become active creators and not just consumers in our world. We are forever in your debt.”

Supporting Artists by Celebrating Their Art—Virtually

Part of supporting our working artists right now is connecting them with you. We are working to bring the magic of The Crucible artistic community online with bi-weekly Virtual Artist Talks, opportunities to buy art directly from our artists, future hands-on youth virtual workshops, an updated list of artist resources, guides to local public art, and more.