The Penelope Project

The Penelope Project, inspired by the character of Penelope from Homer's epic poem Odyssey, brings together women artists to create a musical film of Cecilia Livingston’s song “Penelope,” under the leadership of soprano/project producer Heather Fetrow, pianist Mila Henry, designer Katy Fetrow, director Frances Rabalais, and the composer of "Penelope," Cecilia Livingston. Penelope is a character of the past who is relatable to the modern woman because of her tenacity in the face of separation and isolation, and The Penelope Project aims to explore this relationship through visual, dramatic and musical elements.

A study conducted by the National Museum of Women in the Arts found that although women earn 70% of bachelor of fine arts degrees, only 46% of working artists across all arts disciplines are women. By hiring and expanding our team of women artists, we weave together these broken threads to create a tapestry of work that will illuminate the progress made, and inspire more for the future.

With the funds raised, we will investigate the ways that film can celebrate connections between women, many of whom continue to face inequitable financial burdens and social limitations. Overfunding the project would allow us to provide internships in film production, direction and design for women artists and musicians.

A donation of $25 helps us with high-quality audio editing of Livingston's Penelope. A donation of $100 helps us pay the leading artistic team. A donation of $200 helps us with contracting the rest of the talent (all women artists) needed to complete the vision of the project. A donation of $500 ensures we can meet our goal of filming in the spring of 2024. Thank you for being a part of the Project!