Today we’d like to introduce you to Teri Drake-Floyd.
Hi Teri, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Nuçi’s Space is a Musician’s and Community Resource center in Athens, GA. Founded in 2000 by Linda Phillips, after the death of her son Nuçi by suicide, Nuçi’s Space seeks to provide musicians and other creatives in the Athens and surrounding area with resources they might not be able to afford or qualify for elsewhere, including subsidized therapy and counseling, health clinics, musician’s services like affordable and safe practice rooms, gently used musical equipment and recording services, and youth-oriented programs such as Camp Amped and Pre-Amped. Nuçi Phillips, who suffered from depression, was often deterred by not having access to consistent, affordable mental health care and safe, affordable practices spaces to play music with his peers. After his death, Linda formed the Nuçi Phillips Foundation with a view to alleviating these barriers to young creatives suffering from brain illness. 25 years later, Nuçi’s Space is a mainstay of the Athens Music scene, still offering affordable practice rooms, equipment and other resources for musicians, as well as helping creatives all over Athens achieve affordable mental health care. The Camp Amped program has taken off significantly, offering dozens of teens and pre-teens access skills in musicianship and self-advocacy while nurturing their musical talent.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
We have been open for 25 years, and during that time, have seen our community go through hardships, including the COVID pandemic, financial hardships, upheaval in times of political and cultural uncertainty, and have lost several members of our community through the years, including the death of our founder, Linda Phillips, in 2021. Throughout these difficult times, we have remained open and committed to serving the most vulnerable in our community, providing them with the resources, care and compassion they need.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
My title is Communications and Special Events Manager. I handle marketing, communications, outreach and some development tasks, as well as coordinating our two signature events, NuçiFest (formerly known as Athens Business Rocks) and Athens Uncovered.
In my personal time, I am a writer and the published author of seven novels with bylines in several publications, am a genealogist and historian with a Bachelors of Arts in History and English Literature.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
I love Atlanta! It has such a great beating heart. As a proud Georgian (born and raised), I will always love HotLanta!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://nuci.org
- Instagram: @nucisspace
- Facebook: @nucisspace
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/nucisspace/
- Youtube: Nuçi
