SOZO Announces Ten Inaugural Fellows for 2024 SOZO Fellowship Pilot
Aug 22, 2024 | SOZO STAFF WRITER
SOZO announces the selection of ten inaugural fellows for its SOZO Fellowship Pilot Program. This groundbreaking coaching program is designed to equip full-time working, mid-career independent artists with sustainability and entrepreneurship training to reach new heights in their careers and creative endeavors. By providing guidance, tools, and community, SOZO aims to empower artists and address critical gaps in existing support systems.
SOZO received over 450 applications from 45 states, and after a rigorous selection process, SOZO proudly introduces the ten inaugural fellows:
AnAkA (Los Angeles, CA) - Holistic World Builder, Story Doula, Archivist, Alchemist, Artist.
Michele Byrd-McPhee (Jersey City, NJ) - Dance Artist & World Builder.
Thais Francis (Los Angeles, CA) - Multi-Passionate Artist.
Molly Joyce (Charlottesville, VA) - Composer / Performer.
Olivia Komahcheet (Austin, TX) - Music Producer.
Samora Pinderhughes (New York, NY) - Composer, Lyricist, Filmmaker, and Multidisciplinary Artist.
Samita Sinha (Jackson Heights, NY) - Artist, Composer, and Educator.
Siciliana Trevino (Richmond, CA) - Designer.
Nadhi Thekkek (San Francisco, CA) - Dancer / Choreographer.
Ixchel Tonāntzin Xōchitlzihuatl (Pahoa, HI/Mountain View, CA/Brownsville, TX) - Peace Builder, Eco-Social Acupuncturist, Intergalactic Scyborg, Cultural Strategist.
The fellowship is anchored in a unique framework developed by SOZO in collaboration with a group of experts from the Wellness, Finance, and Startup business world: Artists & Producers as Entrepreneurs and Changemakers (APEC). APEC is a response to the nonprofit industrial complex in the US, which has perpetuated funding inequities, power imbalances between institutions and artists, and prioritization of established art forms. Artists and creative producing entities running as small businesses from traditionally marginalized communities have been disproportionately impacted, making them particularly vulnerable. The process of developing and distributing new work is often unsustainable, undermining their impact and artists’ wellbeing. APEC centers diverse artists and creative producers working side by side to break down cultural hegemony, build personal and business resiliency, and innovate a new economic paradigm for independent artists. APEC helps artists map their journey towards self-efficacy.
"I believe in a world where artists are compassionate and effective leaders in society. Artists are natural entrepreneurs and world builders, helping us imagine a new future. But there’s a problem: our society has normalized the struggling artist myth, extractive systems that center major institutions, and homogenization of works,” said Rika Iino, SOZO Founder and Fellowship Pilot Lead Designer. “We at SOZO are invested in cultivating a diverse creative ecosystem, normalizing the voices of the global majority, and asking ourselves, ‘How do more of us show up with our whole selves with creative agency?’ The fellowship expands the definition of ‘artistic excellence’ to include cultivating equitable and sustainable practices and leadership capacity of artists.”
SOZO Impact, Inc. is dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment where artists and cultural leaders can thrive. The selection of these ten fellows marks the beginning of an exciting journey toward empowering the next generation of cultural innovators.
Applications for 2025 SOZO Fellowship will be announced in Spring 2025 and the program is scheduled to run from June to December 2025. For more information and updates please visit http://www.sozofellowship.com.
This program has been developed with generous support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.