Self Organizations is a program that aims to provoke inventive ways of working and collaborating. The program offers support to projects where different arts practitioners join forces to define a mutual resource or interest that’s important for their work, and propose how to share or develop it. The overall purpose of the program is to incite productive conversations, encourage the development of bespoke protocols for collaboration, and push for new art experiences to take place. Through different experiments with self-organizing, the value of collective sharing and generosity amongst arts communities may show itself to be more relevant than funds and structures. The program will involve a diversity of participants working according to the specific guidelines below in order to try different formats and methodologies. The program support sprojects by informal groups or collectives across four different categories as follows:
- Informal Co-ops: Rather than replicating the same individual remedy for shared needs, this program supports imaginative practical solutions for a mutual concern of a group. A minimum of four practitioners need to take the initiative to come together and identify a resource that they can share for a period of six months to one year, that can help them develop their own work. Examples include but are not limited to: a shared work studio, a music PA system, a video editing suite, a 3D printer, or hiring an assistant for the group. It is necessary that all the collaborators are involved from the start, and articulate their need for this specific resource for their own practice.
- Private Audiences: As the use of public spaces and access to institutional venues becomes increasingly difficult, this program wants to make sure that practitioners can continue presenting and engaging with audiences. The program is designed for those interested in organizing art events in domestic spaces and workplaces or other temporary private locations, where people can come together in small groups of peers, neighbors, friends, family, etc. The organization of the event must involve at least three people working collaboratively as curators or presenters, and can be a one-time event or a series that presents, for example (but is not limited to): a small exhibition, a performance, a dance piece, a concert, etc.
- Topical Assemblies: This program supports access to specialized intellectual or vocational knowledge where formal structures or public platforms for such learning are lacking. This category is for a group that wishes to come together and organize a collective discussion such as a seminar or workshop, on a specialized topic of their interest. Depending on the needs, this can be online or in-person, with or without invited guest speaker/s. It must have a committed group of at least four people to develop it together, and the assembly can be public or limited to the group.
- Your Ideas: We are also open to ideas that we have not considered and that fall under the notion of self organization. We are keeping this category open to hear from potential participants on what they want to initiate as part of this program. At least three collaborators must make the proposal, and the budgets will be determined by the specificity of the proposal but should not exceed US$4,000. The timeframe will be agreed upon based on the proposal’s specific needs.