Every community has stories that deserve to outlive us.
The elders who remember how a neighborhood was built. The names that never made it into the history books. The places that changed before anyone thought to record what happened there. Once those stories are gone, they're gone for good.
Art is Cool exists to make sure they aren't lost. Based in Austin and Los Angeles, we partner with museums, conservancies, cities, universities, schools, churches, and community organizations across the country to research, record, and share their history through oral histories, documentary films, digital heritage tours, and community screenings.
Meet the founder
Art is Cool was founded by Funmi Ogunro, a director, producer, and editor with more than 15 years of experience in documentary and television. Her work has appeared on Hulu and PBS's American Graduate, earned Emmy nominations, and includes Parker, nominated for the Sundance Grand Jury Prize and acquired by The New Yorker.
Funmi is a lifelong Austinite with deep roots in East Austin. Growing up, she never learned about the Black freedom communities that shaped her own city. That discovery became RISE, a documentary that grew into an oral history collection, an annual festival at Pease Park, and a heritage organization that continues today. It's the reason she does this work: history is closer than we think, and the people who hold it deserve to be heard.
How we work
We listen first
We learn your community, your history, and what you want people to understand.
We do it with care
Research, interviews, filming, and editing handled with the respect these stories require, especially with elders, descendants, and difficult history.
We bring it home
Screenings, events, and digital experiences that bring the work back to your community.
It keeps living
We build work that lasts long after the premiere, for classrooms, archives, and future generations.
Our partners include Duke University, Pease Park Conservancy, the Webber Family Preservation Project, and RISE ATX, with support from the Mellon Foundation and the City of Austin.
