The TechSoup community represents the immense breadth of civil society, including thousands of arts organizations dedicated to sparking our collective imagination. These nonprofits challenge us to think critically about beauty and form, ultimately championing cultural values that help to define our society.
And yes, technology plays an important role here too!
Five Ton Crane (5TC) is a San Francisco-based arts collective and TechSoup member that proves "many hands make light work"—especially when that work involves multi-ton sculptures. From the iconic Raygun Gothic Rocketship to the Capitol Theater, 5TC specializes in "heavy lifting" projects that no individual artist could complete alone. They pool resources, talent, and technology to create massive, immersive public art.
But designing and building these kinds of pieces requires real physics, math and engineering skills. The bridge between a small-scale sketch and a massive public installation is design software and AutoDesk tools in particular are well-known in the arts community.
“As artists working to engineer large, heavy, complex objects, our digital tools are as important as our real world tools such as forklifts and welding equipment,” says sculptor Sean Orlando. “We can quickly prototype ideas and run the math to see if our concepts can become the real thing, or we can identify what needs to be solved to make an idea into a solid reality.”
When a sculpture weighs several tons and stands multiple stories high, "winging it" is not an option. Autodesk can help solve three critical challenges:
Product |
Use Case for an Arts Nonprofit |
| AutoCAD/ Inventor | Drafting technical 2D and 3D blueprints for permanent installations or gallery layouts. |
| Autodesk Fusion | Generating manufacturing-ready files for CNC machining, laser cutting, or 3D printing, for nonprofit makerspaces, labs, and small teams. |
| Media & Entertainment Collection | Creating high-impact visuals, animations, and video content to plan a live exhibit or engage donors. |
| AEC Collection | Designing large-scale "art-chitecture" structures and public pavilions. |
Most 501(c)(3) nonprofits with a budget under $10 million are eligible for Autodesk donations via TechSoup. This includes museums, community arts centers, and makerspaces.
Eligible organizations can request up to 10 Autodesk subscriptions per fiscal year (July 1–June 30).
Through TechSoup, nonprofits pay a small administrative fee (often a 70-90 percent discount off retail prices) to access full-version, one-year subscriptions.
Whether you are building a community mural or a five-ton masterpiece, the right tools allow your team to focus on the art, not the technical hurdles. Explore the Autodesk for Nonprofits program today (unfortunately we do not have access to AutoDesk Inventor at the moment) and see how your organization can create something great!