About ArtZmosphere – ArtZmosphere

Onward….Deconstruction

from reconstruction

from the destruction

but with instruction

about construction..

Here+Now… is where we are…

Our Story

On the banks of the Macal River in Belize, ArtZmosphere has served as a vital, creative resource for the community since 2017. A versatile hub for theatre, music, and spoken word performances and art exhibits, ArtZmosphere has also been a welcoming space for community gatherings.

ArtZmosphere’s mission is to produce creative art projects and support artists who have “son’ting fuh seh” (something to say). ArtZmosphere encourages the creation and sharing of creative work that addresses climate change, poverty, infrastructure development, deforestation, international gentrification, and it offers outlets for a challenged generation of artists in Belize and communities around the globe.

Much of the local economy in the town of San Ignacio, which surrounds our home base, depends on eco-tourism which tends to box-in culture with its focus on traditional craftsmanship. Our focus on facilitating and presenting new, cutting edge work addressing contemporary issues at ArtZmosphere – encourages artists who need to express themselves in more exploratory, experimental, and self-determined ways.

da Journey

Following the isolation and resulting economic challenges that many of us felt during the pandemic, creatives in the community find themselves longing to gather again to share in creative experiences. Miraculously, ArtZmosphere still exists. The building’s owner graciously reduced the rent during the lockdowns and now, with a renewed determination to wake the place up, we are doubling our efforts to build a truly solid foundation.

Belize is at a critical stage in its history, as one of the spots on our planet that is particularly vulnerable to the effects of a changing climate, increased pollution, and capitalist market forces. In encouraging and facilitating creative work that reveals and addresses these challenges, Artzmosphere serves as an incubator for progressive, all inclusive, alternative thought and action.

An example of past work at ArtZmosphere that exemplifies this ideal, includes having held the first openly marketed Pride event; and that party hasn’t stopped! We also produced an innovative theatrical piece: a Kriol translated, steampunked adaptation of The Lorax (by Dr. Seus), for the sake of our youth, for the sake of the trees, and for the sake of art itself.

Our Gang… we are all Artists

stefani K Willis

Creative Director+Founder

Stefani (Stephanie Willis) likes to start things: all things creative, all things community, experimental, and spiritually fulfilling. Her projects are mostly labors of love, as she believes all folks on this planet deserve and need art. Stef operated her Design/Build business and freelanced with architects, Albuquerque community centers focused on youth artists, while also making her own art as an installation artist & theatre-maker (Directing plays+designing sets). Stefani has worked tirelessly to develop, invigorate, curate and sustain the following art space projects:

– Us’N’R’Art:

Womxn Artists of African Descent, Abq, NM

– Out ch’Yonda live arts, Abq, NM

– ArtZmosphere …makeARTZhappen,

San Ignacio, BZ

In terms of community engagement, these projects have been and are perceived by community members and participating artists as successful, necessary, inspiring, and meaningful. In terms of sustainability, all of these grassroots art space efforts have been challenging.

The communities these spaces and projects have served, generally focus on engaging and collaborating with people of color, queer folk and people with few means. Numerous folks who have felt marginalized have been inspired by these spaces; some are now thriving/working with their creativity as artists. They ain’t rich, but they make art with passion, curiosity and self-determination.

Working with very few material resources and often only her personal funds, Stefani remains committed to these efforts. After all, she is a daughter of the Civil Rights movement in her hometown, Memphis, TN. As she says, “I was raised as an activist and taught to stand-up, to believe in equality for all; access, self-determination, and mostly, to give back.”

Stefani earned a B.S. in Architecture (University of Virginia) and M.Arch (University of New Mexico). In her pursuit of this profession in academic settings, she felt intensely marginalized even with the access, means, and support to pursue this white male dominated field.

In 2010, Stefani, relocated to Belize to explore contextual connections among the African Diaspora, and is still learning to walk the line as a privileged American who carries the complexities of being an African American queer woman. In Belize, sexism and ageism practically stymied her architectural career even though she was one of just a handful of people there with similar years of experience and degrees. She has found herself learning deeply about the mechanics of oppression as this small, developing, 42-year-old nation makes efforts to decolonize itself in the 21^st century. Stefani is at home with and fascinated by the decolonization efforts unfolding before her eyes.

Raising her daughter in San Ignacio Town accelerated Stefani’s introduction to the fringes of the young folks who want art, who want to shift the general poverty and tourist-based economy, save the Barrier Reef and the trees, and who want to find creative ways to pursue their lives successfully (as she desires for herself). They are many artists. Some make visual art and music while some, through ArtZmosphere, have experienced experimental/political theater for the first time.

This next generation have inspired Stefani to continue to encourage the flow of creative energy, a must for a place infused with ancient Mayan culture, bordering on the Caribbean sea, with cool caves, clean rivers, wild jaguars, the rainforest, and colorful population.. a li’ dot on our weeping planet… a part of the global conversationZ.

Christophe Gordon

Operationz Tekky

Deborah Mashibini-Prior

Nonprofit Consultant

Rony Jobel

Artz Outreach BZ

Deyana Villanueva

Archivist/Global Outreach

I was born and raised in the developing twin towns of San Ignacio & Santa Elena,,Cayo. Due to the systematic inequalities, I was brought up in a household where art wasn’t embraced much; where art was and keeps being a luxury. My parents only had the capacity of channeling their exhausted energies into creating a sustainable home with the little funds they’d earned.

When it came to creativity, whether it concerned a school project or personal entertainment, it was our duty to be innovative. I would resort to affordable resources. As expected these weren’t much but it taught me to improvise. This is and keeps being relatable to many with artistic interests within the community I grew up with. None of us truly had support. Unfortunately, it became a ‘culture’, a dogma. High cost of living and life-sucking low income jobs didn’t do us any justice. It felt foolish to admit that one day you’d hope to be an artist. Personally, I struggled deciding what to do in life for this very reason. Everything I desired to achieve was so out of reach, at least so I thought. As a result, it was no surprise that there was a lack of affordable spaces hosting and sheltering artistic geniuses in my hometown.

In 2017, I discovered ArtZmosphere a remarkable and unique space. I was fortunate to attend a culturally relevant performance, an adaptation of the play The Mojo and the Sayso by Aishah Rahman. I was amused and amazed; there was a nifty atmosphere about the space! I became a fan but didn’t make much of it until later in life.

In 2019, I left my country to venture into new endeavors. Thanks to life’s unexpected turn of events, I ended up in London but eventually had to return to Belize for a span of 10 months. This happened post pandemic and shortly after experiencing an impactful financial loss. Throughout this period I was a freelancing photographer, and was struggling to find a temporary, affordable and accessible studio. Thanks to mutual friends, I was reintroduced to the space and managed to make use of ArtZmosphere as a studio while becoming part of the organizing group. This new opportunity allowed me to branch out my artistic roots, to expand within my hometown.

I connected with other creatives; it was mind expanding and an opportunity to engage in artistic enticement! Every event hosted within the walls of ArtZmosphere opened the doors to art, effective networking, further job opportunities, and impactful encounters. I even delightfully experienced and was keenly part of my first ever Pride event!

As a local, a witness and member of the growing artistic and more importantly, the non-conforming community, I extend my gratitude for the resilience of ArtZmosphere. The impact this open space has had on individuals such as myself, my Belizean community and beyond is most definitely making a difference. With the development of the Psynchedelic Shak artist-in-residency project, we will be nurturing broader connections that must exist within our communities, nurturing both local and international creative collaborations, and nurturing art for the sake of our world’s and earth’s healing.