Villalobos International Arts Foundation — Art With Purpose. Impact With Structure.

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit expanding access to arts education, supporting working artists, and building cross-cultural creative exchange.

Our Mission — Art builds what systems overlook. Community through creativity.

The Villalobos International Arts Foundation is a U.S.-based nonprofit initiative committed to expanding access to arts education, supporting working artists, and building cross-cultural creative exchange.

We help support and activate programs that use dance, music, and the performing arts as tools for transformation, healing, cultural preservation, and community development — both locally and internationally.

Through our initiatives, we support artist exchanges, youth programs, and community-based arts education, connecting creators across borders while helping nurture the next generation of artists.

Villalobos International Arts Foundation operates under the fiscal sponsorship of Fractured Atlas, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts service organization. The Foundation is a program of the Villalobos Performing Arts Association (VPAA), enabling U.S. tax-deductible donations that directly support our programs and global initiatives.

Based in Medellín, Colombia and Texas, USA. Fiscal sponsor: Fractured Atlas. Founded by working artists.

Our focus: Underserved Youth, Working Artists, Arts Education, Cultural Exchange, Community Creative Programs.

Our Programs — We operate at the intersection of culture, community, and sustainability.

From Medellín to the world — our initiatives provide infrastructure for artistic growth, youth development, and cultural storytelling.

Villalobos International Arts Center (Medellín, Colombia)

Where art, movement, music, and community converge. A multidisciplinary space integrating dance, music, visual arts, wellness, and community activations, with foreign exchange opportunities for local and international artists. Programs include free and sliding-scale arts classes, artist residencies, youth programming and community workshops, cultural exchange initiatives, and access to instruments and creative materials.

Born to Perform (Youth Initiative)

Youth arts, training, and competition fund. Born to Perform exists to help ensure that talent is not limited by economic circumstance. Through competitions, training, storytelling, and mentorship, it helps young artists grow not only as performers, but as future creators, leaders, and cultural ambassadors. Includes competition and performance funding, training and mentorship, storytelling and cultural exchange, and US–Colombia youth development. "Talent is everywhere. Opportunity is not."

Wings of Medellín (Local Initiative)

For underserved youth who deserve creative opportunity. A community-driven initiative where professional local and international artists, choreographers, instructors, and musicians give homeless and underprivileged youth access to the arts, healthy meals, mentorship, and a path forward. Includes dance and music education led by working professionals, visual arts programs, healthy meals and nutrition, mentorship and creative guidance, business mentorships that help artists build sustainable careers, and teaching roles — the youth we serve return as instructors. "Art is not a luxury. It is infrastructure for resilience."

Rescued Through Rhythm (International Campaign)

An international film and storytelling initiative produced in collaboration with Frontline Films, documenting the transformative power of rhythm, dance, and creative expression in communities facing hardship. Cultural preservation through storytelling, global awareness for sustainable funding, and amplifying real stories of transformation. "The arts change lives. Documentation ensures those stories travel."

One Mission, Four Doors

Every initiative shares the same studios, mentors, and mission. The Arts Center trains the youth. Wings of Medellín takes them in off the streets. Rescued Through Rhythm documents their growth on film. Born to Perform gives them a stage and a path forward. A gift to any one of these moves all of them forward.

Inside the Villalobos Performing Arts Center — Artists and Cultural Exchange

Wings of Medellín runs inside the Villalobos International Arts Center, where professional local and international artists, choreographers, instructors, and musicians teach, perform, and open doors for the youth we serve. The same studios that train the youth also sustain the working artists who mentor them.

Two continents. One creative pipeline. Our foreign exchange programs connect performing artists and students between the United States, Colombia, and across South America through residencies, performances, and co-productions — moving talent, craft, and opportunity in both directions.

How We Operate — We don't own spaces. We activate them.

We don't replace local organizations. We strengthen them. The Foundation raises tax-deductible donations in the U.S., applies for grants and cultural funding, sponsors international and local arts initiatives, supports artist stipends and community programming, and builds sustainable cross-border partnerships.

Why it matters: When artists are supported, communities stabilize. When youth are engaged creatively, outcomes change. When culture is valued, economies grow stronger. Access to the arts shapes identity, discipline, confidence, and opportunity. VPAA exists to fund, structure, and expand that impact.

Support the Mission — This is more than performance. This is cultural infrastructure.

As a 501(c)(3) organization under Fractured Atlas, your donation is tax-deductible in the United States. Your support funds youth arts access, instruments and materials, artist stipends, community meals, cultural programming, and international exchange.

Donate online (U.S. and international cards accepted): https://fundraising.fracturedatlas.org/wings-of-medellin-rescued-through-rhythm/general_support

In-Kind Gifts

We welcome donations of equipment, instruments, dance flooring, shoes, apparel, supplies, meals, and other goods that support any of our initiatives — in the U.S., Colombia, and across South America. Examples: dance shoes, musical instruments, art supplies, food and nutrition, costumes and performance gear, educational materials, dance floors and studio equipment, meals and event supplies, sound, lighting and tech gear.

In-kind gifts are accepted at the discretion of the Villalobos International Arts Foundation, a program of VPAA fiscally sponsored by Fractured Atlas, a 501(c)(3) public charity. Contributions of goods may be tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. Donors will receive a written acknowledgment describing the items received; we cannot assign or appraise their value. For non-cash gifts over $500, donors may need to file IRS Form 8283, and items valued over $5,000 may require a qualified independent appraisal. Please consult your tax advisor.

Get Involved — Help Shape the Future of Arts Access

The Villalobos Performing Arts Association (VPAA) is expanding its leadership network and welcoming individuals who want to help shape the future of arts education, cultural exchange, and youth programs in the United States and Colombia.

Volunteer Contributors — support programs, events, youth initiatives, and community outreach.
Advisors — experienced professionals providing strategic guidance in arts, nonprofit development, philanthropy, education, media, or international partnerships.
Board of Directors — we are actively seeking mission-aligned leaders to help guide the long-term vision, governance, and growth of the organization.

Whether you are an artist, educator, philanthropist, strategist, or community leader — your experience can help expand access to the arts and strengthen our global impact.

Visit Us

The Villalobos International Arts Foundation is based in the United States and funds programming at the Villalobos International Arts Center in Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia.

Key Facts

4 Active Initiatives
2 Countries Connected
501(c)(3) Tax-Deductible Giving through Fractured Atlas
100% Directed to Programs

Contact and Links

Website: https://villalobosarts.org

Donate: https://fundraising.fracturedatlas.org/wings-of-medellin-rescued-through-rhythm/general_support

Verify our nonprofit status: https://www.bizapedia.com/tx/villalobos-performing-arts-association.html

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christianvillalobos — YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@christianvillalobos — LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christian-villalobos-5290991b4