Support

THANK YOU for being a part of KST’s community! Your support helps KST artists and community members envision and create a better future. Will you donate today to help us reach our year-end goal of $20,000?

We want to express our heartfelt gratitude for all the times you’ve supported KST by making donations or attending our events. Your contributions and presence mean a lot to us. They help both artists and community members envision and create a better future, especially in a world that can be so challenging. Like the wise words of prolific author bell hooks, “To be truly visionary we have to root our imagination in our concrete reality while simultaneously imagining possibilities beyond that reality.” So, THANK YOU for being visionary with us and embracing the transformative power of imagination. 

By making a donation today, you’ll help KST continue to be a home where artists and people from all walks of life in Pittsburgh can thrive. Our goal is to raise $20,000, and thanks to a matching grant of $5,000 from Arts, Equity, & Education Fund, new donors can have their gifts doubled. With your backing, we can keep delivering bold programs that inspire families like Laurie Trok’s and amazing artists like Andraya Rand-Mathis, who proudly call KST their artistic home. My recent conversations with Laurie and Andraya revealed how your support has helped them, or folks close to them, explore new possibilities.

Laurie Trok is a multidisciplinary artist from Pittsburgh who lives with her family in Penn Hills. She and her partner found KST’s Alloy Studios during the pandemic, where their niece took virtual dance classes and found joy in a challenging and confusing time. Recently, Laurie spoke with KST about how your support for The Alloy School opened up new possibilities for her and her family:

Laurie: It started with a virtual class during the pandemic – as soon as we could, my mom and I started bringing my niece to class in person. Mr. Simon and Miss Aubrey were so welcoming and warm to the students, including my curious but very anxious son who just observed. They made a point to make him feel included and welcome to join on his terms – and he always looked forward to coming to watch

The following season, my niece’s confidence soared, and we enrolled her and my son in The Alloy School’s Hip Hop class. Though he really wanted to dance, he mostly found himself next to me, watching. We drew pictures of the dancers and of the songs while she practiced. Each week the teachers would encourage and build him up, and Mr. Simon even brought him a cool book to look at as inspiration for drawing until, finally, my son decided he was ready to join. No pressure, only respect and patience. It paid off, and he even ended up dancing in the showcase on the big stage with his awesome cousin. They both grew so much from the experience. I feel so lucky to have been able to give them the experience of a warm and loving dance community. 

Andraya Rand-Mathis is a choreographer and KST Freshworks artist in residence. Her productions have won Gene Kelly Awards for Best Choreography. Since hitting the dance scene, Andraya has worked with amazing artists such as Greer Reed and Staycee Pearl. Recently, Andraya reflected on how your support for KST’s Freshworks program has enabled her to imagine and create:

Andraya: The residency has been going great. KST staff has been very helpful and affirming. I appreciate them for being honest and open-minded with me and letting me know when to edit — because I dream big and I imagine big. So, it’s been nice to bounce ideas off them and to be educated about the production process. It’s teaching me how to adjust to my environment while staying open to the process. I’m so grateful for the program because this is the way I’ve always wanted to create — especially with dance. It has the opportunity to be more intentional than just aesthetically pleasing. I’m grateful for the opportunity to use my voice and challenge myself

Laurie and Andraya are two incredible folks who have been touched by your support of bold programs at KST that reach more than 20,000 each year. In this time of strife, Laurie and Andraya have turned to art and culture for solutions. Imagination is the technology we need right now. We need to cultivate big imaginations in order to envision big futures where we thrive in peace with each other, the land, water, and animals. What other options do we have? How do we get to a better future if we can’t first imagine it?

Your donation champions KST’s work as we build the imagination of our community with friends like Laurie, her niece and son, and Andraya. Will you make a contribution today?

Thank you for all you have done in support of KST!

 

 

 

Joseph Hall
Executive Director


P.S. All donations from new donors will be matched up to $5,000 through a matching grant from Arts, Equity, & Education Fund. Tell a friend!