by Molaundo Jones, Social Media Specialist at Fractured Atlas Nicole DeMaio and members of Black Sheep Contemporary Ensemble Nicole DeMaio is the founder of Black Sheep Contemporary Ensemble, a collaborative project dedicated to performing music by living or recently deceased composers throughout the Greater Boston Area for a variety of audiences. The ensemble accomplishes this through their Four Core Goals: Perform, Collaborate, Commission, and Educate. Over the past four years, the ensemble has worked with visual artists, dancers and choreographers to create new works. Black Sheep Contemporary Ensemble has been a Fractured Atlas member since July 2017.

Applying a Lovingkindness Lens by Tim Cynova, Chief Operating Officer at Fractured Atlas Remember when it seemed like everyone was trying to achieve “work-life” balance? More recently, perhaps in a nod to the challenges of balancing “work” and “life” in an always-connected world, or maybe because for those searching for meaning and purpose in their activities there’s not always a bright line distinction between “work” and “life,” the phrase has shifted to “bringing our whole selves to work.”

Note: The librarian’s last name is Reading. How awesome is that?! (Also note, my mom saved everything.) Around Memorial Day each year when my sister and I were kids, our parents would take us to the McCollough Branch of the Evansville Public Library. It was that annual rite of passage — the summer reading challenge! We’d select a hefty stack of books, and then hope to God come Labor Day we’d have read enough of them to earn that sweet certificate for a free scoop of Baskin Robbins ice cream.

by Lauren Lattimore, Program Associate at Fractured Atlas The Syndicate is a fiscally-sponsored project who has been successful at using our program to advance their mission. We talked to Megan Paradis Hanley of The Syndicate for our monthly “Meet the Project” interview series. They shared some project developments and how their work has impacted the communities that they serve.

by Nicola Carpenter, Associate Director, People Operations at Fractured Atlas Full team photo from All Hands 2019 At Fractured Atlas, about half of our team work fully distributed so we started having full staff events 6 years ago when we realized that there are conversations and activities that are better to do in person. We originally called these week long events “OkTECHberfest” but changed to “All Hands” last year. Through these years, we’ve found ways of creating an event that supports our organizational shared purpose.

by Molaundo Jones, Social Media Specialist at Fractured Atlas A. Laura Brody, founder of Opulent Mobility and one of her sculptures Opulent Mobility has been a Fractured Atlas fiscally-sponsored project since September 2017. Its mission is to re-imagine disability, mobility, and access as opulent, powerful, and personal. Based in Altadena, California, Opulent Mobility produces art, mounts group exhibits, and holds workshops that start conversations about new ways to approach disability and its devices. The project has been hosted in Ventura (2013), Northridge (2015), and Hollywood, California (2018). The next two exhibits will be in New Jersey (2019) and Culver City (2020).

Back in the fall, we started this #BeExcellent blog series to provide tips to help artists engage more mindfully with all members of our communities. We’re back today with a primer on event planning using universal design thinking.

by Molaundo Jones, Social Media Specialist at Fractured Atlas Elina Akselrud | Photo by Marc Serhan Elina Akselrud is founder of Intertwining Arts and creator of CROSSOVER ART PROJECTS- piano performance blended with other visual and performing art genres. Intertwining Arts has been a member of Fractured Atlas since 2016 and is based between New York and Lucerne, Switzerland.

From time to time, we feature a fiscally sponsored project who has been successful at using our program to advance their art/cause/career. This month, we interviewed Taylor Bailey of Play On Shakespeare.

by Molaundo Jones, Social Media Specialist at Fractured Atlas Ashleigh Gordon and Anthony R. Green Ashleigh Gordon and Anthony R. Green are the creators of “Castle of our Skins.” Born out of the desire to foster cultural curiosity, “Castle of our Skins” is a concert and educational series dedicated to celebrating Black artistry through music. From classrooms to concert halls, “Castle of our Skins” invites exploration into Black heritage and culture, spotlighting both unsung and celebrated figures of past and present. They have been members of Fractured Atlas since 2013 and operate in the Greater Boston area.