{"id":101,"date":"2026-05-30T21:45:58","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T02:45:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.animefusion.net\/?page_id=101"},"modified":"2026-06-15T07:29:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T07:29:24","slug":"chairstatement","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/animefusion.net\/index.php\/chairstatement\/","title":{"rendered":"A letter from the Convention Chair"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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A letter from the Convention Chair
(Anime Fusion\u2019s 2026 Closure)<\/strong><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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As I write this, I am internally submerged in a deafening amount of quiet. It\u2019s a bit like a sensory deprivation chamber: Your senses are there. They work. If you intentionally trigger one, you are aware of what\u2019s going on\u2026 but it\u2019s muted. Subdued. It feels small and distant.\u00a0<\/p>

I\u2019m sure that\u2019s attributed in part to emotional self-preservation and work-brain trying to push forward. But it certainly feels like a strange place to write this from.\u00a0<\/p>

It is unfortunately real\u2026 there will not be an Anime Fusion next year (in 2026).\u00a0<\/p>

I\u2019m so sorry. I\u2019m sorry to those who love us and wanted to see us succeed. I\u2019m sorry to those who have supported us earnestly and given their hearts. I\u2019m sorry to those who have enjoyed being with us and experiencing all we have to offer. I\u2019m sorry to those who have dedicated their time, minds, and selves to this organization over the years.\u00a0<\/p>

Why am I sorry? Because we couldn\u2019t quite get there, to where we needed to be. Get to where we wanted to be. Get to where you expected us to be. Get to where we should have been. Despite all of the above.\u00a0<\/p>

We went through so much; some of it the same tribulations as other conventions and events, some specific to us.\u00a0<\/p>

We had tens of thousands of dollars stolen from us. We\u2019ve had core\u00a0materials neglected by those responsible. We\u2019ve had people who did not fulfill their obligations or stewardship duties. In general, we\u2019ve been trying to construct a home on shaky foundation that lacked proper structure and procedure for far, far too long.\u00a0<\/p>

Despite all of that, we really did try. So many of us dug deep, gave it\u00a0everything<\/i>\u00a0we had, and have stuck through thick and thin. And it has gotten us so far; the fact that we were able to get to this point, to our thirteenth year having accomplished as much as we did\u2026 we should all be\u00a0unwaveringly\u00a0proud of that.\u00a0<\/p>

But ultimately, the trials we\u2019ve faced were just a little too big\u2026 a little too constant. Insufficient staff, capacity, money, attendance, structure, etc. Too much chaos, infighting, barriers, and draining of our time, energy, and selves.<\/p>

More literal blood, sweat, and tears went into this convention and keeping it going than you will ever know. Because we wanted to give you something that mattered. Something that was sincere, accessible, inviting, unique, and real. Something that came from the heart.\u00a0<\/p>

Because we\u2019ve all been touched by these types of events in our own lives. Some of us have been very literally saved by the friends, experiences, and purpose we\u2019ve found in fandom. And all we ever wanted was to provide that for all of you.\u00a0<\/p>

We don\u2019t know what the future will hold; on so many levels that is true. Part of the reason for this decision is the incredibly volatile uncertainty of the future, and the turbulence of daily life we\u2019re all already experiencing.\u00a0<\/p>

Trying to carry the amount of work and demand it takes to make Fusion happen on top of constant daily struggles, fear, anxiety, and just trying to survive is a lot to ask of anyone: And so many of our staff are directly, personally affected by any number of policies and occurrences that are going on around us.\u00a0<\/p>

A slight tangent, but please get involved in some way! Doing things like conventions and other social activities are wonderful and important, but so is enacting tangible impact in our other communities and aspects of government. There\u2019s a thousand ways to participate \u2013 find the one\/s that work for you and dig in where you can.\u00a0<\/p>

As I said, we don\u2019t know what will happen in the future. Trying to build the bridge\u00a0as\u00a0<\/i>we\u2019re crossing it has absolutely not worked, and only serves to make the work harder. Maybe, with enough time and the ability to come up for air, we could revive her after 2026. It\u2019s just so impossible to say, as it relies on such a myriad of factors we can\u2019t predict, including the involvement and investment of the community.\u00a0<\/p>

Which brings me to this.\u00a0<\/p>

If you\u2019ve ever experienced joy at our convention; if you\u2019ve ever discovered something new or been exposed to something you weren\u2019t familiar with; if you have felt alone, discarded, or outcast and then come to Anime Fusion and felt included, accepted, or safe; if you\u2019ve ever taken the opportunity to extend a friendly hand to someone you didn\u2019t know; if you took the leap and tried your first cosplay at our con; if you\u2019ve ever given your time and volunteered with us out of generosity and love; if you look forward to us each year and anticipate walking through those halls; if you\u2019ve ever felt the impact of our little event on your life and been happier for it: Thank you.\u00a0<\/p>

Thank you so, incredibly much. Thank you for everything, and for changing\u00a0our<\/i>\u00a0lives.\u00a0<\/p>

Shit.\u00a0There<\/i>\u00a0come the tears and the wave of emotions.<\/p>

Anyway\u2026 if you\u00a0have<\/i>\u00a0ever felt any of those things, please keep your eyes and ears open going forward. Fusion\u2019s parent corporation Quad Cities Anime Inc. (NOT Kopf-affiliated) may change or develop going forward; we may slowly put feelers out there as time goes on and see if we can build something meaningful and special, even if it\u2019s different.\u00a0<\/p>

We truly don\u2019t know what the future holds, but if there is a future, we\u2019d love for you to be a part of it.\u00a0<\/p>

I love you all. I love you and I cannot express how much\u00a0all<\/i>\u00a0of this has meant to me.<\/p>

We\u2019ll see you at this year\u2019s convention, Mechs and Madness. Let\u2019s make it the best damn year we\u2019ve ever had \u2013 together.\u00a0<\/p>

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u2013\u00a0 \u00a0 Damarra Atkins, they\/them
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Convention Chair & Executive Director, QCA Vice President, and Giant Geek
\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 September 12, 2025<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n<\/div>\n

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A letter from the Convention Chair(Anime Fusion\u2019s 2026 Closure) As I write this, I am internally submerged in a deafening amount of quiet. It\u2019s a bit like a sensory deprivation chamber: Your senses are there....<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-101","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/animefusion.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/101","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/animefusion.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/animefusion.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animefusion.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/animefusion.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=101"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/animefusion.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/101\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":202,"href":"https:\/\/animefusion.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/101\/revisions\/202"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/animefusion.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}