Leaving The Fold

Rachel Bancroft created the concept for Leaving the Fold and serves as its project coordinator. She is an artist, calligrapher, graphic designer, and writer who has lived in Portland for 30 years. Rachel earned a B.A. in Design and worked in graphic design before focusing on calligraphy and painting. She has extensive experience in volunteering, event planning, grant writing, project management, and nonprofit leadership. Rachel currently works for a nonprofit arts organization and volunteers as a grant writer for Bridging Voices, Portland’s queer youth choir. Her work is guided by a deep love of the arts, empathy for others’ stories, a strong sense of justice and a lifetime of spiritual seeking. Through her art and curatorial work, she seeks to transform painful experiences into connection, beauty, and shared understanding. Rachel is the mother of two young-adult children who inspire her with their strong integrity, empathy for marginalized people, creativity and neurodiversity. See more about Rachel’s work at rachelbancroftstudio.com and her Substack writing at https://rachbancroft.substack.com/

Chloe Benson (they/them) is an auDHD artist, musician, and spreadsheet wizard with a B.A. in Interior Design and an insatiable desire to learn. They have years of experience in music composition, production, and performance, having written and produced 5 albums under the moniker Hello Mind. After spending 7 years in a secular high demand group and escaping the abuse, Chloe rebuilt their life from the ground up and went back to school, earning an M.Sc. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. With a passion for intersectional advocacy, they have been a guest lecturer at the University of Phoenix and given multiple presentations on topics such as counseling considerations for survivors of cultic abuse, autism and trauma, and the intersection of autism and gender. As a volunteer project administrator for Leaving the Fold, Chloe seeks to combine their artistry, technical prowess, and counseling knowledge to support and uplift survivors of high demand groups.

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