Ivy McLendon
ivy sole is a black southerner turned philadelphian, born and raised in charlotte, nc/new afrika’s borders. ivy is a working artist––thus far, they have released three full length albums, three EPs, two documentary shorts, and is in the writers room phase of a webseries. ivy plans to keep exploring and producing music, film and design in collaboration with their loved ones until we can’t anymore because we say what we mean and mean what we say; we want to contribute to the cultural revolution necessary for Black/African liberation and self determination with special regard for trans/queer/disabled Africans and African children. ivy is a member of subvert Coop, the united musicians and allied workers union, and is currently building a cooperative label/production agency model called For The Good of All.
Awarded Grants
2025
Art and Change Grant (ACG)
Overview
Ivy McLendon’s project, Nu-Patakís, is a multimedia oral history initiative that will celebrate and preserve the experiences of queer and trans practitioners of Philadelphia’s African Diasporic Religions (ADR). Through recorded interviews, sound, and video, Ivy will collaborate with members of Orisha CDC and broader ADR communities to uncover how these spiritual traditions continue to evolve amid histories of colonialism and gender erasure. The project will culminate in an audiovisual installation and a short documentary screening.