Marcus & Grace Take the Next Step: From Taos to France

Dear friends, supporters, and fellow dreamers,

A little over a year ago, I asked for help pursuing a life-changing artist residency in Taos, New Mexico… and you showed up for me. That experience at the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation was transformative in ways I’m still unpacking, not only for my art, but for my spirit. It gave me time, space, and clarity; and more than anything, it reminded me that I’m not on this journey alone.

While in Taos, I met singer-songwriter Grace Pettis. Grace is a gifted songsmith and traveling troubadour whose work fuses folk, Americana, and soul with lyrical acuity and emotional fearlessness. She’s the recipient of many of the country’s most prestigious songwriting awards and residencies, including NPR’s Mountain Stage NewSong Contest and The Buddy Holly Educational Foundation. Her music has been recorded by celebrated artists such as Sara Hickman and Ruthie Foster, with three co-writes on Foster’s Grammy-nominated album Healing Time (2024), featuring guest appearances by the Indigo Girls, Dar Williams, and other icons. Her work has been praised by Rolling Stone Country, Under the Radar, American Songwriter, CMT Music, and Pop Magazine, to name a few.

But long before all those accolades were bullet points on a bio, Grace was my first friend in Taos.

We spent nearly every day together — walking through the high desert landscape, hiking to hot springs, gallery-hopping, attending university lectures, and laughing over boxed wine while trading heartbreak stories and listening to '90s R&B. What began as mutual admiration quickly blossomed into something much deeper: a collaboration rooted in curiosity, vulnerability, and a shared belief that storytelling is a force for repair and transformation.

Somewhere between the long walks, late-night karaoke, and countless creative conversations, we began to dream about a future project. Now, that dream is taking root.

We’ve been invited to participate in a joint artist residency at La Maison de Simon in Normandy, France; a residency designed specifically to support interdisciplinary collaborations across cultures, disciplines, and lived experience. We’ll spend several weeks working on a new project that lives at the intersection of music and theatre; one that draws from our respective traditions and personal histories, and one that we hope will resonate far beyond the two of us. This invitation would not have happened without Taos. One residency made the next one possible. And as much as I wrestled with the decision to launch another fundraiser, I realized that growth is not something to be ashamed of; it’s something to build on, especially when it’s built on community.

So here I am again… asking for your help to take this next leap. While at La Maison de Simon, I’ll be focusing on two major creative works that are currently in active

“Untitled Queen of Sheba Project”

A new musical / play with music by Marcus Scott & Grace Pettis

Genre: Fusion of R&B, folk, blues, soul, and traditional Arabic and African music

Setting: Ancient Jerusalem and the Kingdom of Sheba

Synopsis: In a world divided by borders, belief, and power, two sovereigns from opposite ends of the earth find themselves on a collision course with fate. King Solomon—gifted with divine wisdom yet burdened by it—welcomes Queen Makeda of Sheba, a radiant and sharp-witted monarch from a powerful desert kingdom. What begins as diplomacy becomes a high-stakes dance of wit, desire, and legacy. Blending historical and mythical storytelling with diasporic modernity, this musical reimagines an iconic meeting through the lens of Black excellence, Afro-Arabic musical heritage, and the politics of intimacy and leadership.

Untitled Black Expats Play

A play by Marcus Scott

Pitch: In addition to continuing the development of Stranger Danger (another project I’m developing), I’m also in the nascent stages of a new project exploring the Pan-African experience; specifically, the dislocation and yearning for freedom that marginality often demands. This work will look at the complicated journeys of Black expats who seek liberation abroad, including the gentrification of spaces like Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria, and Jamaica by Black Americans in search of home. At its core, the piece examines transgenerational collective trauma experienced by descendants of the Atlantic slave trade, touching on histories of segregation and Jim Crow in the United States, apartheid in South Africa, and the Scramble for Africa. It’s directly inspired by conversations around the legacy of Black American artists who found sanctuary and creative refuge in France during the 19th and 20th centuries; visionaries like Josephine Baker, James Baldwin, Richard Wright, and Loïs Mailou Jones, who left the U.S. in pursuit of personal and artistic freedom. Through this project, I want to interrogate the myth and reality of France—and other so-called “racial havens”—as spaces of liberation. What did it mean for these artists to be seen first as creators, not curiosities? What can we learn from their search for belonging? This is a story rooted in historical memory, but deeply resonant with contemporary conversations around exile, diaspora, and survival through art.

Your donation will help bring these stories to life; not just on the page, but eventually to audiences who need them. It will fund travel, groceries, and allow us to focus deeply on the creative process without being derailed by financial precarity. Yes, La Maison de Simon is generously offering us a place to stay, but it’s up to us to get there; and to keep ourselves fed and fueled while we’re in the lab. As full-time artists with day jobs and side hustles, Grace and I are resourceful; we are used to stretching every dollar and hustling hard. We are rich in ideas, community, and opportunity, but less so in disposable income. And we are deeply grateful for any support you can give.

If you’re able to contribute, I’d be beyond grateful. If not, sharing this campaign and helping spread the word is just as meaningful.

Thank you for helping us say yes to this next chapter. Thank you for helping us make space for this work. And thank you, as always, for believing in our stories.

With love and deep gratitude,

Marcus Scott