A participatory art workshop series that invited artists to explore the question - “how can we expand our imagination of an economy where all can thrive while spotlighting examples already happening in our communities?”
Through political education and highlighting examples of the solidarity economy, we guided artists to create art that can serve to visualize these tangible ‘alternatives.’ We interviewed organizers stewarding projects that show the many different shapes of the solidarity economy on Turtle Island. We invited them to share a moment where they experienced the future economy they dream of alive in the present. Artists participants created 2D visual art inspired by these short stories.
Bringing people into these moments emphasizes that the future of our dreams doesn’t have to be this far out destination - the solidarity economy is ancestrally rooted and happening all around us, ready for more to join. Please take a slow scroll through the audio/visual gallery below!
CO-CREATING SOLIDARITY ECONOMY ART
Canticle Farm is an urban garden, educational center and intentional community. There are eight houses around a large garden on Ohlone Land in Oakland, California. They are working to heal and transform historical and present-day trauma across differences, especially that of race, gender, class, religion and age.
CANTICLE FARM - OAKLAND, CA
COMMUNITY DEMOCRACY PROJECT
OAKLAND, CA
Promotes active citizenship, community learning, and direct democracy by putting the people in charge of the budget. They envision empowered neighborhood assemblies throughout Oakland where people can come together to discuss community issues and determine public priorities by directly voting on the city budget.
EAST BAY PERMANENT REAL ESTATE CO-OP
EAST BAY, CA
East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative facilitates BIPOC and allied communities to cooperatively organize, finance, purchase, occupy, and steward properties, taking them permanently off the market. Residents, investors, community members, and EB PREC staff then co-own and co-steward the property. It creates a shift toward community controlled assets, and empowering their communities to be ecologically, emotionally, spiritually, culturally, and economically restorative and regenerative.
Development Without Displacement
Noni Session shares how EB PREC embodies transformation, structures their board to be representative of the community, and values transparency.
East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative on Baking Transformation into the DNA
Shreya Delgado-shah Flores (they/them)
"Baking Justice
Into Housing 1"
Kate Morales
(they/them)
"Baking Justice
Into Housing 2"
COALICIÓN FORTALEZA
SOUTHERN OREGON
Coalición Fortaleza is a Latino/a/x (hispanic/latino)-led, inter-generational coalition of community members, leaders, volunteers and organizations in the Rogue Valley, formed in the aftermath of the Almeda Fires. Our coalition seeks to weave a tapestry of many colors from many directions that will lift our peoples’ hearts up in this recovery, that will center healing, seed hope for our youth, and will give us the strength we need to prepare collectively for the climate challenges that are ahead of us.
PIONEER VALLERY WORKER CENTER
NORTHAMPTON, MA
SEED COMMONS
NATIONWIDE
Worker Power
Kate Khatib shares how cooperatives value the underestimated power and intelligence of workers.
Pace Ford (they/them)
"Taking Stock & Making Stock"
Río Beltran (they/them)
Seed Commons on Seated at the Non-Extractive-Finance Table
MUTUAL AID NETWORK
ST. LOUIS, MO
Meeting Basic Needs Through Community
Members Carmen Ward, Julia Ho, and Marcus Hunt share how mutual aid can allow for healing from within, collectively fulfill our needs without waiting for external aid, and bring the practice of solidarity in our daily lives.
Activating Individuals
Sharing Resources
Julienne Kaleta (she/her)
"I See a World that I Dream Of"
Luis Cisneros (he/him)
"All We Need Is Already Within Our Community"
St. Louis Mutual Aid Network on What Do We Mean by Mutual Aid?