A New Future

Design: Allegra Ranelli

A New Future is Flux Factory’s new international initiative to combat xenophobia and conflict with creative projects that facilitate exchange and collaboration between artists and curators from around the world. Through residencies and collaborative projects, Flux Factory facilitates a dialogue and builds connections and understanding between international arts communities and Flux’s US-based arts community.  The program aims to provide opportunities for Flux artists to interact more closely with international artists and arts communities, learn about new practices and cultures, and build long-lasting relationships.

Russian Artist Residency

A New Future was launched in spring 2024 with a project bringing together twenty-four U.S. and Russian artists and curators in a year-long program of online and in-person meetings and creative residencies to discuss common concerns about our global future, build transnational relationships, and plan future collaboration. Thirteen Russian artists and curators  traveled to the US in September and October 2024 for month-long residencies with artists and arts institutions across the United States.  During the residencies, the visiting artists collaborated on exhibitions, created new films, conducted research, and built long-last relationships with their US peers. Five of the visiting artists and curators were in residence at Flux Factory learning about the New York arts community and institutions with local hosts Kendal Henry (Assistant Commissioner of Public Art, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs ), photographer Allen Frame, Clarinda Mac Low (Culture Push), and artist Will Owen.  Other hosts across the US included: Joshua Goode (Artist, Fort Worth, Texas), Tavia LaFollette (Art Up, Baltimore), Tom Pearson (Global Performance Studio, NY ) Lisa Marr (Echo Park Film Center, Los Angeles), photographer Farrah Karapetian (Los Angeles/ San Diego), Clare Dolan (Museum of Everyday Life, Glover, VT).

Flux Factory in Armenia

The Flux Factory – Armenia Artist Exchange aims to support a dialogue and build relationships between US and Armenian emerging artists.  The project focuses on the exchange of practices, which engage local communities and address socio-political issues.  During a two-week residency in Armenia in May 2025, five US artists and two Flux Factory staff will learn about the contemporary art world in Armenia, share information about their practice with local audiences, and build relationships with Armenian artists.  Contingent on funding, a second part of the project will bring Armenian artists to Flux Factory for residencies in 2026.

The US artists will spend one week in Yerevan exploring local art institutions, visiting artist studios, and learning about the nation’s history and culture.  During their second week, the artists will travel to a retreat outside of Yerevan for a one-week residency with five Armenian artists.   During the residency, artists will discuss their practices and work on a collaborative project in response to local needs and issues.

Indigenous Peoples’ Exchange

The Indigenous Peoples’ Exchange supports online and in-person exchange between Native American, Bashkort and Tatar artists and arts workers to share strategies for building national identity and visibility, preserving native culture, and supporting local cultural traditions.  The project brings together Tribal cultures and arts communities struggling to survive within systems of colonial governments, which have historically divided indigenous peoples, to facilitate mutual understanding and exchange.  Through a year-long project of online presentations and in-person study visits and workshops in 2025, the project aims to use collective arts practices as a tool to shed light on complex issues related to the impact of colonialism on indigenous groups. The project strives to go beyond cultural networking and delve into the study of intricate cultural traditions that have been marginalized, unlawfully appropriated, and distorted. Through collective research and analysis, we aim to serve as catalysts for creating a shared vision of a decolonized future and to build support networks for Bashkort, Tatar, and Native American arts communities.