by Molaundo Jones, Social Media Specialist at Fractured Atlas Candace Thompson-Zachery | Photo credit: Shoccara Marcus Candace Thompson-Zachery is the founder of Dance Caribbean COLLECTIVE, an organizing body of dancers, choreographers and educators driven to facilitate Contemporary Caribbean Dance Performance, preserve Cultural Legacy and promote Community Engagement in the Caribbean Diaspora with a focus on Brooklyn, New York. Candace has been a Fractured Atlas member since 2016. How has Fractured Atlas benefitted your artistic practice? As the founder of Dance Caribbean COLLECTIVE, an initiative that was and is morphing a lot, I knew that I wasn’t ready to go into non-profit status without understanding exactly how that organizational machine worked. Becoming a fiscally sponsored project meant that I could raise funds for our projects and have access to support and resources without the stress of non-profit governance. Basically, I could still be an artist and run my projects successfully knowing that fractured atlas would handle most of the paperwork associated with fundraising. Dance Caribbean COLLECTIVE | Photo credit: Shane Drumond How has Fractured Atlas benefitted your revenue/income generation? We have successfully ran two crowdfunding campaigns in 2016 and 2017 that led to production of our flagship event the New Traditions Festival. We’ve also been able to qualify for grants and funding through the fiscal sponsorship program. What specific Fractured Atlas services/programs have you used? I have used the event insurance for our productions, the fiscal sponsorship program and I have also been to one of their networking events. Why do you think artists and organizations should become members of Fractured Atlas? I think Fractured Atlas really puts time and effort into supporting artists. All of my interactions with the organization have been, professional and encouraging. The staff are willing to guide you through any processes necessary for you to achieve success. Also I appreciate how generous Fractured Atlas is with sharing the ins and outs of their organizational structure and their blog has a lot of helpful management tools and strategies. Dance Caribbean Collective | Photo credit: Shane Drumond Do you have any upcoming events that people should know about? I’ll be performing on January 4th for the Bronx Artists Now Showcase — http://www.hostos.cuny.edu/culturearts/events/Year2019/January/Bronx_arts_now/Bronx_arts_now.shtml. I’ll also be teaching for the Winter Intensive with Movement of the People Dance Company in January : http://www.movementofthepeopledance.com/bios-and-class-descriptions.php. What is your biggest accomplishment as a result of being a Fractured Atlas member? Our biggest accomplishment has been the creation of The New Traditions Festival- a series of performances happening during June in Brooklyn NY, in celebration of Caribbean-American Heritage Month. A full pre-festival season of public events including talks, dance classes, and film screenings lead up to the festival performance weekend. For the participating choreographers, we provide a residency and mentorship program to aid in the development of their work, and the culminating performance festival featuring their pieces. You can follow and learn more about Dance Caribbean COLLECTIVE at www.dancecaribbeancollective.com; on Facebook at @Dance Caribbean COLLECTIVE; on Instagram at @candancefit, @dancecaribbeancollective; on Twitter @candancefitt and dancecaribco; and on LinkedIn @Candace Thompson-Zachery. Join Us: Click here to become become a member. Fractured Atlas on Social: Instagram | Tumblr | Twitter | Facebook

by Molaundo Jones, Social Media Specialist for Fractured Atlas Melissa Dowler and Cynthia Siadat, LCSW, Co-Founders of She Sees Cynthia M. A. Siadat, LCSW, and Melissa Dowler are the founders of She Sees, a volunteer-driven organization dedicated to inspiring the next generation of diverse female filmmakers and empowering young women to tell their stories through film. They have been members of Fractured Atlas since 2016.

by Molaundo Jones, Special Media Specialist at Fractured Atlas Shawn Lent (photo: Benjamin Wardell) Shawn Lent is the founder of Dance Peace in Chicago and has been a member of Fractured Atlas for two years.

by Molaundo Jones, Social Media Specialist at Fractured Atlas Ayun Halliday & Greg Kotis Ayun Halliday & Greg Kotis are founders of Theater of the Apes. Theater of the Apes presents original, comic, theatrical oddities at affordable ticket prices. Ayun and Greg have been members of Fractured Atlas for three years.

by Molaundo Jones, Social Media Specialist at Fractured Atlas Arielle Nóbile of “Belonging in the USA” Arielle Nóbile is the creator of “Belonging in the USA: Stories from Our Neighbors,” an award-winning documentary series that seeks to uplift, inspire, and connect humanity. Her hope is that Belonging in the USA” helps to inspire a new vision for America where interdependence, self-reflection, and empathy defines us. Arielle has been a member of Fractured Atlas since February 2017.

by Molaundo Jones, Social Media Specialist at Fractured Atlas Licity Collins Musician Licity Collins is the creator of “One Girl Town” and “The Open Diary Project.” Licity has been a member of Fractured Atlas since March 2015 and wants to use music as her primary tool to heal the world.

Fractured Atlas member Renegade Performance Group at Brooklyn Bridge Park Attention all presenting artists and arts organizations: If you’re fiscally sponsored by Fractured Atlas and interested in applying for the MAP Fund, keep reading to find out important grant review deadlines, and how to apply.

Fractured Atlas is excited to host four free workshops for artists and creative organizations in the Cleveland area on November 15 and 16, 2018. Through a generous grant from The George Gund Foundation, Fractured Atlas will share with Cleveland’s creative communities a business bootcamp; workshops on conflict resolution and diversity, equity, and inclusion; and a discussion of the intersection of arts, policy, and activism.

Fractured Atlas is thrilled to be hosting the second Artist Campaign School which will be held in May 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. This program is a series of all-expenses-paid trainings to recruit and mentor artists and arts administrators for elected office. Artist Campaign School Chicago will bring in top-tier campaign veterans from across political parties and ideologies as trainers for approximately 100 accepted applicants. The intense two-day session will cover topics including voter targeting, message and policy development, media training, fundraising, and social media strategies. Travel, hotel accommodations and meals for the trainees will all be funded through a generous donation from The Joyce Foundation. Applications for Artist Campaign School Chicago are currently being accepted until January 14th, 2019. Applicants will be reviewed on a rolling basis and those selected will be notified in mid-February 2019. Fractured Atlas will be working with the various other arts service organizations and one Super PAC, all of whom share a vision of seeing a greater representation of artists in the political process. Cloud Gate, a Chicago public sculpture by artist Sir Anish Kapoor Lauren Ruffin, Chief External Relations Officer of Fractured Atlas explained, “Artists are exactly the kinds of people we need to run for office. Being an artist is all about creative problem solving, innovation, and collaboration — perfect skills for making change in local communities. When artists see something wrong in the world, they want to get involved and fix it. But when that something is politics, it’s hard to figure out where to begin. So, we decided to join with other dedicated partners to launch ‘Artist Campaign School’ to support first time candidates who want to impact policy decisions which have direct implications for the arts and cultural community — and shape the kinds of neighborhoods they live in. Specifically, we are grateful to partner with the Arts Alliance to bring this program to Chicago.” Claire Rice, the Executive Director of the Arts Alliance Illinois added that, “The Arts Alliance is pleased to partner with Fractured Atlas on the next iteration of Artist Campaign School, with thanks to The Joyce Foundation for their support of this program. This non-partisan effort, taking place in Chicago for its second iteration, offers Illinois creative practitioners the opportunity to join national colleagues to deepen their civic engagement and learn how to have a direct impact on policy change. We urge our talented, committed, and incredibly civically active Illinois creative community to apply to join us for this unique offering in May of 2019!” This program would not be possible without the generous donations of The Joyce Foundation. The Joyce Foundation is a nonpartisan private foundation that invests in public policies and strategies to advance racial equity and economic mobility for the next generation in the Great Lakes region. The Director of The Joyce Foundation’s Cultural Program, Tracie Hall notes that, “The siting of an Artist Campaign School in the Midwest, and in Chicago, more specifically, feels timely. Some of the most critical community advocacy efforts in the region have artists and cultural workers at their centers. Supporting Arts Alliance Illinois in hosting this important program aligns to the Joyce Foundation’s longstanding commitment to bolstering artists’ capacity as civic leaders and stewards.” Joining Fractured Atlas in this effort are The Joyce Foundation (Chicago), Arts Alliance Illinois (Chicago), Alternate Roots (Atlanta), Art Up (Memphis), Creative Capital (New York), Creative Many (Detroit), For Freedoms (DC), The Laundromat Project (New York), National Performance Network (New Orleans), and Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (San Francisco). Additional partners are also expected to join the effort. To learn more, please visit www.artistcampaignschool.org. Join Us: Click here to become become a member. Fractured Atlas on Social: Instagram | Tumblr | Twitter | Facebook

Paula Tejeda (Photo: Kevin N. Hume/S.F. Examiner) by Molaundo Jones, Social Media Specialist at Fractured Atlas Paula Tejeda is founder of the project Cine Chileno in San Francisco, an annual film festival celebrating Chilean filmmakers, and the traditional Chilean-style delicatessan Chile Lindo. Her work seeks to create community through the sharing of Chilean film, cuisine, and culture. Paula has been a member of Fractured Atlas since January 2018.