A collaborative workspace for independent media, art and design, FATWOOD hopes to cultivate a space for both making things, and for making things happen.

Founded in 2021 by Christopher Allen who spent his teenage years instigating events at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro and then his adulthood in Brooklyn growing UnionDocs from grassroots, the mission of FATWOOD is to support multi-disciplinary co-creation, craft and community on the local level, while inviting international inspiration and input.

The property has a mix of commercial and residential structures, with a camp-like feel. The studios now available are just the beginning. As FATWOOD develops over the next few years, we hope to make the entire lot resonate with creative, playful spaces.

fat·​wood | \ ˈfat-ˌwu̇d  \
chiefly Southern
:wood used for kindling, especially coniferous wood abounding in pitch

UnionDocs Center for Documentary Art (UNDO) presents, produces, publishes, and educates. We bring together a diverse community of activist artists, experimental media-makers, dedicated journalists, big thinkers, and local partners on a search for urgent expressions of the human experience, practical perspectives on the world today, and compelling visions for the future.

Each year, we organize over 100 public events and distribute 8 online programs, showcasing powerful works of nonfiction and curating rigorous conversation; we design 28 workshops on the most quickly evolving disciplines and strongest traditions of documentary; we host 36 artists in collaborative laboratory environments to develop original projects; we pair 4 of the top experimental documentary artists with 4 top critical writers in a fellowship to research a big thorny question.

UnionDocs enthusiastically pursues this work because we believe that documentary art, when paired with thoughtful context and open debate, is an invaluable tool for understanding the complexities of contemporary life and creating a more compassionate, engaged, and integrated society.