Cooperative and worker-owned enterprises in the arts and culture sector are gaining traction (again). In the financial crisis of 2008, the number of worker cooperatives doubled. The oldest Native co-op in the country, Qualla Arts and Crafts, is led by culture-bearers. The first democratically managed investment fund in the country, the Boston Ujima Project, places BIPOC arts and cultural organizing at the heart of its work. The oldest non-extractive venture capital firm in the United States, The Working World, was started by artists. The system culture-bearers and artists want is not only possible—it already exists and can be strengthened and cultivated with intention. This event brings together cultural cooperatives in a conversation about protocols that build shared political, economic, and cultural power. Computer scientist, game designer, educator, and co-founder of Emma Technology Cooperative Ramsey Nasser leads participants in a collaborative game designed for the seminar.
New York City, NY; NYC