PRESENTED BY OBVIOUS AGENCY

After years of participating in an unjust economy, artists and culture bearers are searching for viable alternatives to the traditional models of cultural production. Cooperatives and the solidarity economy are gaining traction as a values-aligned solution.

But what's the difference between a worker-owned cooperative and a purchasing cooperative? Is an ensemble a cooperative? Is talking about ownership inherently capitalist?

In this workshop, participants will learn about:

• The fundamentals that define cooperatives and how they differ from other types of collectives

• Explore case studies of cooperatives in the arts and culture sector, and brainstorm how a cooperative could meet their needs and the needs of their communities.

• Participants are welcome to join as individuals or alongside their collaborators, and will receive resources for further study into various cooperative models.

Who is this workshop for?

• The Co-op Curious - Any individual or group that is curious to learn more about cooperatives in theory and in practice.

• Community Builders - People who value the things we can do together, that we can’t do alone.

• Irrepressable Artists - Artists who have felt the pain of our current economic systems, and know that something better must be out there.

Members of CultureWorks get a discount code - check out the announcement board in the member portal to learn more, or reach out to a member of the team.