Theresa Koon is the creator of “Mother of Exiles,” a choral project committed to motivating people to discuss and address the complexities of immigration in America. Theresa is based in Portland, Oregon and became a member of Fractured Atlas last year in her efforts to raise the funding necessary to bring her project to life. She hopes that “Mother of Exiles” will ultimately be performed by choirs around the world and used as an anthem for organizations and campaigns that seek to support asylum seekers.

Andrew Purchin is the founder of The Curious Project, a series of visual art installations designed to confront and explore individuals' political and ideological differences. The project has taken place at various locations and events across the country, including the 2016 Republican and Democratic National Conventions. In 2018 it was installed during the 2020 Santa Cruz County elections and will be in five swing states in the months leading up to this year's presidential election. Andrew is based in Santa Cruz, California and has been a member of Fractured Atlas for four years.

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.