ABOUT BAD MILK PRESS //

Bad Milk Press (formerly the Feminist Union of Charlottesville Creatives) is an arts organization creating programming that compensates artists and writers in central Virginia, while also creating spaces that allow women, non-binary, trans* and gender-expansive creatives to share their work, develop their skills, build their artist resumés, and gain visibility within the larger local artist scene. Bad Milk Press is currently taking a hiatus, as of January 2025.

Bad Milk Press originally got its start as the Feminist Union of Charlottesville Creatives (FUCC). FUCC started in 2017 as a Facebook group for a progressive community of women, non-binary, and genderqueer creatives seeking a safe-space to share opportunities and aid one another creatively through supportive dialogue and action. Since its conception, we’ve recognized a significant need within the arts community for a non-competitive space for artists to support one another and grow through shared experiences. FUCC has since evolved from an online platform into Bad Milk Press — a community-building, grassroots arts organization that focuses on creating paid opportunities for artists and writers in Central VA.

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Our programming history has included:

  • Annual art exhibitions with CitySpace (2017), McGuffey Art Center (2018), Gallery at Studio IX (2021), WTJU - Dreaming Charlottesville Project (2022), Fralin Art Museum - Mini Museum (2023)

  • Artist salons, critiques, and discussions

  • Collaboration zines and programming with community organizations (such as Creciendo Juntos and Sound Justice Lab)

  • MALA LECHE, a radical art zine featuring the work of women, non-binary trans* and gender-expansive artists and writers from Central Virginia

  • Safe-space figure drawing classes

  • Semesterly class visits and lectures

  • Social gatherings and bonding opportunities

  • Zine & printmaking workshops with community members

OUR DIRECTORS //

Bad Milk Press is run by two Charlottesville-based artists and writers, Sri Kodakalla and Ramona Martinez. Serving as co-directors of BMP, they’ve charted new territories for the organization in becoming a more inclusive and supportive community through encouraging new platforms for supporting creatives. Recently, through MALA LECHE and open calls for creatives, Kodakalla and Martinez have sought to proliferate opportunities for women, non-binary, trans* and gender-expansive artists in the central Virginia community.

Sri Kodakalla, Co-Director

Sri Kodakalla (they/them) is a mixed-media artist, writer, engineer, and arts organizer based in Charlottesville, VA. They are a current graduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University and are pursuing creative work full-time. They have worked and volunteered in several Central Virginia arts organizations (Second Street Gallery, McGuffey Art Center, and The Bridge Progressive Arts Initiative), focused on serving the creative and equitable growth of BIPOC artists and youth.

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Ramona Martinez, Co-Director

Ramona Martinez (she/her) is a visual artist and writer whose work seeks to reclaim Christianity for misfits, radicals, anarchists, and outcasts of all types. She runs Bad Milk Press and MALA LECHE with Sri Kodakalla, and also writes and performs original Honky Tonk music with her band, Ramona & the Holy Smokes.