Attention artists and arts organizations across New York State: the 2021 New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) application opened today! Before I share Fractured Atlas’s timeline, let’s go over some important details about the application process and eligibility:

As of January 1, 2020, Fractured Atlas has no physical headquarters, no home office, no official shared workspace whatsoever. As you can read elsewhere, the organization (for which I’m honored to serve on the board) decided not to renew its lease on its long-standing Manhattan office, instead embracing an entirely “virtual” workforce.

Last year I met Kristina Wong in Chicago at Fractured Atlas' Artist Campaign School, a program that offers trainings for artists and arts administrators interested in running for political office. Kristina is a comedian, performance artist, and actor currently serving as an elected representative of the Wilshire Center Sub-District 5 Koreatown Neighborhood Council in Los Angeles, California. Created to engage and educate young people in civic participation, "Radical Cram School" recently launched its second season. Kristina took the time to share some insight into her journey and the process for bringing the web series to life.

Every month we provide a list of upcoming grant opportunities for artists and arts-based projects. Here is the list for January 2020.

Merce, The Series, created by Fractured Atlas member organization Skipping Boyz Productions, was produced to create an entertaining web series that combats the stigma against HIV. The series shows the life of a person living with the illness who isn’t sad, sick, or dying. Through music, love, and laughs, Merce, The Series hopes to prove that “Life Can Be Positive When You’re Positive.” Skipping Boyz Productions has been a member of Fractured Atlas since 2014 and is based in New York City. Tyne Firmin, Producer and Director of Merce, The Series shared some of their process with us on bringing the web series to life.

In the fall of 2018, I learned my grandma had a brain aneurysm and needed to get surgery to remove it. My grandma raised me when I was young, so when I heard the news I knew I needed to go back home. The thing was my home is a long 15-hour plane ride away in South Korea, and I had just started a new job at Fractured Atlas after spending over a year in job hunting purgatory.

Kai Lumumba Barrow is a visual artist based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her creative space, Studio in the Hood, serves as a collaborative hub for interdisciplinary artists who travel to NOLA from all over the country. Kai works as a socially-engaged artist with her colleagues to create and curate what she describes as "large-scale visual operas." We sat down with her to talk about her work and vision, realities faced by artists in New Orleans, and how Fractured Atlas has helped on her journey as a creative professional.

Every month we provide a list of upcoming grant opportunities for artists and arts-based projects. Here is the list for December 2019.

Since we embarked on our new leadership journey, I (in my role as Chair of the Fractured Atlas Board) have been asked a number of times “Why take the risk?” As Fractured Atlas is in the risk business with regard to innovation and services for our members, the better question to me is why not take the risk – it's what we do. This brief post is an outline of the benefits thus far, as well as an honest admission about what we still haven’t figured out. (My fellow board member Chris Mackie will be writing on the detailed list of what we have yet to resolve and design – this will be a quick pass in anticipation of his contribution which is coming soon.)

Renting a studio often seems out of reach for artists, but there comes a point when you simply can no longer work or practice out of your home. For some artists, this might be about not annoying your neighbors or roommates. For others, it might be about stepping up your game as art takes up a bigger portion of your attention. It might be about creating better boundaries between your creative practice and the rest of your life so that you can focus better. It might be about building a creative community. For performers, it might be about putting on a play, concert, or screening that is accessible to a wider audience.