WHAT WE'RE UP TO

The Strange Foundation exists to offer forward-thinking creative practitioners a space to rest, focus, and think expansively. Located in West Shokan, NY, Strange HQ is a mini compound nestled in the mountains between a spring-fed pond, a rushing river, and the forever-wild Catskill State Park Forest.

Through our Decelerator residency program (2019–2020), we supported ambitious practitioners working in service of a more equitable, imaginative, and sustainable future. Residents were offered a week of uninterrupted alone time to refocus on their vision and impact from our beautifully regenerative location.

After the COVID-19 pandemic, our circumstances evolved (we had a kid and both went freelance, gulp), and are currently unable to host dedicated, free-of-cost residencies. However, we are thrilled to be back in the swing of offering low-cost, self-hosted creative retreats by application.

Since The Strange is not formally incorporated, we're happily able to shape-shift our offerings to fulfill our mission in various ways. In January of 2024, Willa launched an editorial project, Dark Properties, which brings the spirit of The Strange to a newsletter format, with an emphasis on gardening and other ecological, regenerative practices. 

We recommend subscribing to The Strange's newsletter to learn about new open calls and residency opportunities as we continue to evolve our offerings. <3

WHO WE ARE

The Strange is the project of Willa Köerner and Daniel Morgan.

Willa is a writer, editor, creative strategist, and gardener. She's currently a freelance creative consultant, and focused on developing her newsletter project, Dark Properties. Previously, she developed strategic projects and practical resources for The Creative Independent, directed editorial initiatives at Kickstarter, worked on digital content strategy for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, was a founding member of Gray Area Art & Technology's Cultural Incubator, and freelanced for a wide range of cultural organizations and publications.

Daniel works to develop and sustain thoughtful web-adjacent technologies, writes about blockchain, and volunteers for various non-profits—including the leadership program Global Glimpse. He is currently the Education Lead for Tumult Inc, a small company that makes the interactive HTML5 animation app Hype.

We are excited for The Strange to evolve based on the needs of the artists and thinkers who come here, and hope the project inspires people to contemplate what's possible when the internet, nature, and our collective imaginations come together.

Photo of Willa and Daniel by past Decelerator resident Yumna Al-Arashi.

CONNECT WITH THE STRANGE

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