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Collected Objects Inc
Brooklyn, NY · EIN 473741636 · Form 990EZ · FY2025 · NTEE A60 · Arts, Culture & Humanities · Micro (<$100K) · objectcollection.us
revenue
$83K
expenses
$86K
net assets
$4K
employees
—
mission · from form 990

Collected Objects Incs mission is to combine techniques and methodologies from experimental music and theater into a single interdisciplinary performance model. Collected Objects Inc puts this mission into practice by programming original and innovative new pieces that take the shape of fully staged experimental operas and to a lesser extent small-scale informal performances.

profile · synthesized from sources

Brooklyn-based performance group Object Collection creates interdisciplinary works at the intersection of experimental music, theater, and opera. Founded in 2004 by Kara Feely and Travis Just, the company produces original, large-scale performance projects and experimental operas that challenge conventional notions of time, narrative, and virtuosity. Their work has been presented internationally and at prominent New York venues including La MaMa, Roulette, and National Sawdust.

named programs · 5 · from sources

What they call their work

ACTUA 1
Live-film performance piece named after a lost film from the 1968 Paris uprisings, involving performers behind a movie screen using slogans, objects, and projections to evoke a missing revolution.
Automatic Writing
Staged adaptation of Robert Ashley’s seminal studio composition, reinterpreting the unperformed recording as a live, immersive performance with four performers and a layered sound environment.
Experimental Operas
Creation and performance of original experimental operas such as "You Are Under Our Space Control," "It’s All True," and "NO HOTEL," blending music, theater, and text in unconventional formats.
Suppose Beautiful Madeline Harvey
Stage adaptation of a text by Richard Foreman, directed by Kara Feely with music by Travis Just, combining theatrical performance with experimental composition and multimedia design.
Zero Zero Land
Monthly radio program broadcast on Resonance FM (London), featuring radio-theatrical experiments, sonic detours, and experimental sound works, accessible online worldwide.
activities · 6 groups

What they do

  • Original Music-Theater and Opera Production 2 activities
    • Live adaptation and staging of Robert Ashley's "Automatic Writing"
      Produces and stages live interpretations of Robert Ashley's composition "Automatic Writing" as an immersive theatrical and sonic experience without a traditional performance score. The production was revised and updated in 2022.
    • Production and presentation of experimental operas and performance projects
      Creates and presents original, fully staged experimental operas and small-scale informal performances, including works such as "Zero Zero Land," "Suppose Beautiful Madeline Harvey," and six premiered original operas. These productions are performed at major New York City venues such as La MaMa, Performance Space 122, and National Sawdust, and have toured internationally across Norway, Denmark, the UK, Japan, Canada, Italy, and the US.
  • Experimental Circus and Immersive Theater Production 1 activity
    • Production of the live-film performance "ACTUA 1"
      Produces and presents "ACTUA 1," a live-film performance piece that reconstructs a lost film from the May '68 uprisings in Paris. The work had earlier gallery performances in 2011 and 2013 and received a revised and expanded theatrical premiere in 2026.
  • Podcast and Radio Production 1 activity
    • Production of the monthly radio program "HOUSECONCERT"
      Produces and broadcasts a monthly radio program titled "HOUSECONCERT" featuring radio-theatrical experiments, sonic detours, and experimental sound works. The first episode was broadcast on June 26, 2026.
  • Musicological Research and Scholarly Editions 1 activity
    • Publication of critical essays and scripts on experimental art and music
      Publishes scholarly and critical writings on experimental art, opera, and music, including essays such as "Four Words" and "Experimental Art-Political Art" by Kara Feely, "After Opera" and "NO VAMPIRE" by Travis Just, and the script "cheap&easy OCTOBER." These have appeared in publications such as MusikTexte, Experimental Music Yearbook, Arcana VII, and PLAY: A Journal of Plays.
  • Nonprofit Music Recording and Distribution 1 activity
    • Release of experimental music albums
      Releases experimental music recordings through independent labels including Slip Imprint, Infrequent Seams, and khalija, including the double-album "Possible Thieves," which features live-recorded ambient music using vintage synths, 808 percussion, vocals, distortion, and guitar-pedal woodwinds, recorded without edits or overdubs.
  • Professional Theatrical Production 1 activity
    • Staged adaptation of original and existing works under artistic direction
      Produces stage adaptations of original and existing compositions, including a 2026 theatrical premiere directed by Kara Feely.
financials · form 990EZ · fy2025
revenue
Total revenue$83K
Contributions & grants$48K57%
Program service revenue$35K42%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$448
expenses
Total expenses$86K
Program expenses—
Admin / overhead—
Fundraising—
Salaries & benefits$0
Grants paid out—
balance sheet
Total assets$4K
Cash—
Investments—
Liabilities—
Net assets$4K
4 years on record · 2022–2025 · YoY revenue +34.9%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2025

Who runs it

paid leadership · 3
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
Travis Just co-director 25 $6K
Shannon Sindelar Producer 5 $2K
Daniel Allen Nelson Production Manager 8 $1K
relationships · 24

Who they work with

  • Abrons Arts Center Partner — Presenting venue for Object Collection performances.
  • Borealis Festival Partner — International festival where Object Collection has performed.
  • Chocolate Factory Theater Partner — Presenting venue for Object Collection performances.
  • David Pym Partner — Created video design for the production.
  • Issue Project Room Partner — Presenting venue for Object Collection performances.
  • Kara Feely Partner — Collaborated as director and adapter for the stage production.
  • Karen Boyer Partner — Designed costumes for the production.
  • Kate McGee Partner — Designed lighting for the production.
  • La MaMa Partner — Presenting venue for Object Collection performances, including world premieres.
  • National Sawdust Partner — Presenting venue for Object Collection performances.
  • Performa Partner — Presenting venue for Object Collection performances.
  • Performance Space 122 Partner — Presenting venue for Object Collection performances.
  • Peter Ksander Partner — Designed scenic elements for the production.
  • Resonance FM Partner — London-based radio station that broadcasts Object Collection's monthly radio program Zero Zero Land.
  • Resonance FM Partner — Radio station that broadcasts the monthly program Zero Zero Land.
  • Richard Foreman Partner — Authored the original work and contributed voice performance.
  • Robert Ashley Partner — Adapted and performed Robert Ashley's composition Automatic Writing in live stagings.
  • Robin Margolis Partner — Provided sound design for the production.
  • Roulette Partner — Presenting venue for Object Collection performances.
  • SPOR Festival Partner — International festival where Object Collection has performed.
  • Shannon Sindelar Partner — Produced the theatrical production.
  • The Collapsable Hole Partner — Venue hosting the theatrical run of ACTUA 1 in March 2026.
  • Travis Just Partner — Composed music and performed as musician in the production.
  • ffm.to Partner — Streaming partner for the album "Possible Thieves"
strategies · 5

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Immersive and Nonlinear Form
    methodology: nonlinear_accumulation
    By rejecting linear narrative and cohesive structure in favor of accumulation and atmospheric depth, the organization generates psychologically and emotionally resonant performances because prolonged exposure to layered, unresolved stimuli evokes deeper introspective states.
  • Interdisciplinary Performance Model
    methodology: interdisciplinary_performance
    By integrating techniques from experimental music, theater, and projected media, the organization creates performances that produce unconventional audience experiences because the fusion of disciplines disrupts traditional narrative and sensory expectations.
  • Live-Recording Integrity
    methodology: live-recording_without_edits
    By recording music live without edits or overdubs, the organization preserves the authenticity and spontaneity of improvisational performance because the absence of post-production maintains the emotional and atmospheric immediacy of the moment.
  • Radio-Theatrical Experimentation
    methodology: radio-theatrical_experimentation
    By combining radio formats with theatrical and sonic experimentation, the organization produces an unconventional listening experience because the format enables nonlinear, imaginative engagement that challenges conventional media structures.
  • Theatrical-Pedestrian Hybrid
    methodology: theatrical-pedestrian_hybrid
    By merging theatrical performance with everyday, pedestrian activity, the organization creates disorienting yet revealing viewing experiences because the juxtaposition destabilizes audience expectations and heightens awareness of the mundane as performative.