We know that artists are not always budgetarily-inclined. Some try to avoid the whole process and others protest that budgeting inhibits the creative process. But failing to set a budget can lead to your project falling short of the masterpiece you're capable of.

You’ve just signed up for membership to Fractured Atlas and now have questions. Maybe you’re a fiscally-sponsored project who needs our credentials to receive a nonprofit rate discount on a venue ASAP. You quickly submit your request to our support email address and wait for a reply. The rest of the day goes by: you’re wondering if your message was received and if a solution will be provided in enough time. Alas, on the next business day, you receive an email from a Fractured Atlas Program Advisor. If you’re wondering what happens from the time you hit ‘send’ and our first response, here’s a quick breakdown of your email’s journey!

This is the first of four posts: post #4 is co-authored with our Board Chair, Russell Willis Taylor. Each tackles a piece of the elephant that is the recent Fractured Atlas move to a four-person “Chiefs Executive.”

Cole Bankston is the creator of "Donnie from Death Row," an autobiographical short film project designed to change the way Americans view prisoners and the prison industrial complex. Cole is a designer and multimedia artist based in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a very new member of Fractured Atlas, having joined this year. His recently launched campaign on Fundraising by Fractured Atlas seeks to raise the funds needed to bring his film to life. Cole shared with us some of his story, inspiration, and the impact that he hopes his project will have on its viewers.

Every month, Fractured Atlas provides a list of upcoming grant opportunities for artists and arts-based projects. As a fiscal sponsor of 4000+ artistic projects, we provide access to grants for artists in every discipline. Are you new to grant-seeking? You should check out our grants webinar. If you're ready to apply (and you aren't already fiscally-sponsored), learn more about our fiscal sponsorship program here. If you are fiscally-sponsored, be sure to review our grant application process. Here are the upcoming opportunities for February 2020.

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.