Seventeen total creatives tackling major social issues like gender inequality, police performance, incarceration, clean water, date rape and more are heading to the nation’s capital to develop and amplify their message.

Washington, D.C. – July 6, 2017 – Halcyon, the newly launched nonprofit dedicated to the power of human creativity, today announces its new cohorts for the coveted Halcyon Arts Lab and Halcyon Incubator programs. Halcyon received an unprecedented number of applications across programs, and accepted eight ventures to the Arts Lab and nine ventures to Halcyon Incubator.

Halcyon Arts Lab: The newly launched Halcyon Arts Lab provides socially engaged artists with the freedom and resources needed to drive cultural shifts by shining a light on some of society’s most pressing issues. Adapting the well-honed methodology of the Halcyon model, Halcyon Arts Lab fosters self-efficacy for its artist fellows through an environment of learning, access, collaboration and support. Each cohort of fellows will receive studio space at the newly renovated Fillmore School and non- D.C.-resident fellows will be housed in off-site residential accommodations. Fellows also receive a competitive scholarship to support living expenses and artistic material costs.

Halcyon Arts Lab’s Inaugural cohort is composed of:

• Kristin Adair is a documentary photographer and multimedia storyteller advocating for incarcerated youth (kristinadair.com)
• Chloe Bensahel is a design thinker and textile artist highlighting immigrant narratives and collective cultures (chloebensahel.com)
• Antonius Bui is a hand-cut paper and community organizer empowering queer and trans people of color (behance.net/AntoniusBui)
• Hoesy Corona is a performative sculpture artist and organizer investigating alien tropes and combating xenophobia (hoesycorona.com/home.html)
• Stephen Hayes is a sculptor utilizing fabrication techniques and oral histories to change societal perfections of black identity (stephenhayescreations.com/enter) 
• Estefaní Mercedes is a multidisciplinary artist seeking to restore missing violent histories, namely actions surrounding the Argentine Dirty War (vimeo.com/207464694)
• Georgia Saxelby is a creator of interactive installations designed to investigate feminine mythology rituals and sacred spaces (georgiasaxelby.com)
• Sheldon Scott is a performance-based artist reimaging and reframing American childhood pedagogy (sheldonscottstudios.com) 

“I am proud to welcome the first cohort of Halcyon Arts Lab to the Halcyon family,” said Kate Goodall, CEO of Halcyon. “We are honored to help these artists shine a spotlight on some of the greatest truths and fears that we, as a society, struggle to confront and address. I look forward to seeing how each artist reaches their potential, and how their art helps to shape the larger cultural narratives that surround these critical issues.” 

Halcyon Incubator: Halcyon Incubator is a haven for social entrepreneurs who are driven to solve some of the most pressing challenges of the 21st-century that are affecting individuals and communities around the world. The 18-month fellowship supplies fellows with robust support from experts, alongside the resources needed to turn groundbreaking ideas into businesses that drive sustainable change. To date, Halcyon Incubator has supported 46 ventures and impacted 300,000+ lives. Halcyon Incubator ventures have collectively raised over $16M in funding in only 2.5 years. 

Halcyon Incubator’s cohort Seven ventures include: 

• Barakat Bundle curates a bundle of life-saving solutions paired with desired maternal and baby care items to support expectant mothers during delivery and infant care in underserved communities of South Asia (barakatbundle.org) KnoNap is a discreet, disposable device that detects the presence of date rape drugs. (knonap.com)
• TRAXyL lays optical strands directly onto existing roadway surfaces, bringing underserved areas affordable access to broadband (traxyl.com)
• Vibrating Therapeutic Apparel (VTA) offers drug-free, wearable devices that use vibration therapy to help amputees and neuropathic pain sufferers manage pain (wearvta.com)
• Onward Financial helps low-to-moderate income workers build their savings, access responsible credit, and engage with financial and educational resources to avoid and move past financial shocks (onward.financial)
• Raheem.ai is a Facebook Messenger Chatbot that listens to your stories about interactions with police— providing a more effective feedback loop between police and your community. (raheem.ai)
• VivaVax is making healthcare more accessible by protecting vaccines from increased temperatures during transport and storage (biomedicalzone.ca/ventures/vivavax/)
• Agri-Tech Producers are the creators of a patent-pending invention that cost-effectively cleans contaminated land and water (agri-techproducers.com)
• Spira grows microalgae to address food insecurity and malnutrition through products that promote a nutritious and healthful life while absorbing carbon from the atmosphere (livespira.com)

“The seventh cohort at the Halcyon Incubator represents the future of our innovation sector,” said Ryan Ross, Program Director of Halcyon Incubator. “We are past the time when our best and brightest seek only to enrich themselves; cohort seven shows that the innovators in our society are working to make the world a better place.”

The inaugural cohort of Halcyon Arts Lab and cohort seven of Halcyon Incubator will begin on October 1^st, and August 28^th 2017 at Halcyon’s Fillmore School and Halcyon House, respectively – both located in Washington D.C.

For full Halcyon Arts Lab fellow biographies, headshots and artwork, please click here. 

For full Halcyon Incubator fellow biographies, headshots and artwork, please click here. 

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About Halcyon: Halcyon is devoted to the power of human creativity to promote social good. Halcyon brings together diverse groups of changemakers in art and social enterprise and provide a safe haven for their bold ideas to take flight. Halcyon offers an ecosystem of advocacy that encourages socially engaged creatives to learn, freely experiment, sometimes fail, and advance their talents and visions. In doing so, we foster new pathways to knowledge and resources, and help innovators transform their inspiration into impact.

About Halcyon Arts Lab: Halcyon Arts Lab is a nine-month fellowship providing support and resources to emerging, civic-minded artists as they work to promote social impact and grow as leaders. Halcyon Arts Lab provides promising individuals the resources and guidance they need to bridge the gap between ambitious ideas and their potential impact.

About Halcyon Incubator: Halcyon Incubator is committed to solving 21st-century challenges throughout the nation and the world. By helping social entrepreneurs transform audacious ideas into scalable and sustainable ventures, the Halcyon Incubator acts as a catalyst for measurable social outcomes. It’s perhaps the most immersive incubator in the world that focuses on both social impact and profit.