Axis of Culture is an interdisciplinary public platform examining how art, architecture, and cultural narratives shape identity, diplomacy, and collective understanding. Through research-driven programming, critical writing, and public dialogue, we explore how visual culture, built environments, and intellectual histories function as conduits for connection, revealing the shared human experiences that bridge disciplines, geographies, and political realities.

The platform aims to make rigorous cultural inquiry accessible beyond academic institutions, fostering informed public dialogue at a moment when cultural narratives increasingly shape political, social, and international realities. Through essays, interviews, and collaborative inquiry, we foster nuanced perspectives that challenge dominant narratives and open new avenues for dialogue.

Initial funding will support the production of inaugural editorial pieces, recorded conversations, and the platform’s first public programs, including research-driven interviews, critical writing, and public dialogue. Funds will also be used to support operational needs, such as:

• Contractor & Staff Compensation
Web design and maintenance; marketing support; grant writing

• Space Rental
Live events and public programming

• Guest Honoraria
Compensation for contributing scholars, artists, and thinkers

• Digital Infrastructure
Website hosting, domain registration, Google Workspace, and design/marketing tools (e.g., Figma, Mailchimp)

• Legal & Accounting
Compliance, governance, and financial management

• Program Research
Current journals and books supporting research into contemporary cultural discourse

Chennie Huang is a cultural researcher, writer, and nonprofit leader. She holds an MA from CUNY with a thesis in modern Chinese art historiography focused on cultural narratives during periods of political transformation. Before founding Axis of Culture, she founded and led an international contemporary art magazine, and her interviews and criticism have engaged artists including Isaac Julien and Barbara Chase-Riboud. She has worked with nonprofit cultural institutions like Lincoln Center and the New York Historical Society, served as President of Artists Talk On Art—a legacy arts organization whose archives are held by the Smithsonian Institution—and has written for artist-centered organizations such as the International Studio & Curatorial Program (ISCP) and Flux Factory. She serves as the Executive Director of Axis of Culture.

Becky Brown is an Assistant Professor of Painting at the University at Buffalo. Her work and scholarship explore materiality, language, and the handmade mark as alternatives to screen-based culture; she has exhibited at The Drawing Center, the Queens Museum, and PS122 Gallery, and her writing has appeared in Art in America and The Brooklyn Rail.

Milène Guermont is a French artist, inventor, and engineer whose practice integrates sculpture, architecture, and materials science. Her public artworks include installations at Place de la Concorde and Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, as well as the INSTANTS monument at Utah Beach; she is a Knight of the French National Order of Merit and an Eisenhower Fellow.

Jen Mazza is a New York City-based contemporary artist, writer, and educator whose practice draws on philosophy, literature, and visual culture. Her work has been exhibited at Tibor de Nagy Gallery, Ulterior Gallery, and the James Gallery at CUNY, and she has been written about in The New York Times, Hyperallergic, and Art in America. She teaches at Pratt Institute and The New School Parsons.

Caroline Lucas is a New York City-based multidisciplinary artist working across acting, directing, and sound design. Pittsburgh-raised and collaboration-driven, she brings a creative, people-first approach to storytelling and communication. She helped us during the final refinement stage of the logo design.