651 ARTS’s mission is to deepen awareness of and appreciation for contemporary performing arts and culture of the African Diaspora, and to provide professional and creative opportunities for artists of African descent.

To fulfill our mission we:

• Present live dance, music, theater, and other performance-based art
• Invest in artists in a variety of ways, including professional and artistic development, commissions, and residencies
• Support cultural exchange between US-based and international performing artists in both the United States and abroad
• Produce programming for our immediate community and the general public to participate in intergenerational lifelong learning, civic, and social engagement through meaningful exposure to art, artists, and ideas
• Provide young people with educational arts programming

To be a leading institution in the performing arts ecology that illuminates the evolving stories and varied cultural experiences of the African Diaspora, an institution whose impact and influence transforms individual lives, neighborhoods, and global communities.

In the pursuit of this mission, 651 ARTS believes in the following values and principles to guide our work and inform our relationships.

Diverse African Diaspora

Artistic Excellence

Knowledge

Integrity

Community

Strategic Risk