The Eisemann Edge Initiative at Communities Foundation of Texas (“Eisemann Edge”) uplifts nonprofits and projects that explore the intersection of technology with performing and visual arts. Launched in 2019 through support from Charles and the late Ann Eisemann, the Eisemann Edge encourages the growth of tech-based arts internationally. In 2022, CFT began partnering with the Eisemanns to manage and support its grantmaking process.
OutLoud was the 2024 recipient of the Eisemann Edge Initiative grant and was awarded $100,000 for the development and premiere of See Me. In collaboration with Chicago-based artist Ruben Carrazana, a series of workshops at schools across North Texas guided high school and college students through exercises in personal identity exploration using writing, spoken word poetry, and theater to create an original script. Paired with original music, choreography, lighting, holograms, and projections fabricated with the help of professional artists, this piece is one-of-a-kind.
This groundbreaking project challenges audiences to ask why stories are important to us, and how technology has changed the way we share our stories. Utilizing cutting-edge technology, See Me immerses audiences in the diverse stories of community members, focusing primarily on youth voice.
Following its premiere at the Eisemann Center, OutLoud plans to tour See Me to several out-of-state fringe festivals beginning in the summer of 2025. This touring opportunity will enable youth performers to share their voices on a national stage, highlighting the power of their stories and expanding their impact as artists and changemakers.
For more information about OutLoud Dallas, please visit their website at www.weareoutloud.org.
History of the Eisemann Edge
In 2019, the City of Richardson and the Eisemann Center for Performing Arts partnered with The Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities and Technology at UT Dallas to create the Eisemann Edge Endowment Fund. This innovative program empowered Richardson residents and students to explore how technology can enhance arts experiences.
Early projects supported by the Eisemann Edge include MotherBoard, a modular sculptural installation that celebrated the City of Richardson’s history and pioneering embrace of innovative technology, and 20 Years in 20 Minutes, a projection experience that highlighted the Eisemann Center’s first 20 years and impact on the arts landscape.
In 2023, Eisemann Edge awarded a $100,000 grant to SciArt Exchange, to support its upcoming Sensing Deep Space: Pandora's Cluster exhibit. The installation interacted with visitors’ senses, creating an immersive and engaging experience that explored the deep space galaxy cluster. Projections and sounds were generated using data from the Hubble, Spitzer, Chandra, and James Webb space telescopes, which could be manipulated using a touch panel in the center of the room.
Now housed at CFT, the Eisemann Edge continues to offer grant funding to nonprofits and projects that:
- Apply innovative technology to the presentation and experience of performing and/or visual arts. Examples of technologies include artificial intelligence (AI), augmented and virtual reality, digital media, immersive installation, and more.
- Apply innovative technology to the presentation and experience of performing and/or visual arts. Examples of technologies include artificial intelligence (AI), augmented and virtual reality, digital media, immersive installation, and more.
- Demonstrate a track record of creating innovative projects that merge arts and technology.
- Share detailed plans for marketing and publicly presenting the project at the Eisemann Center for Performing Arts.
- Challenge the stereotypes and siloing that are characteristic of technology institutions and the performing/visual arts.
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