Collaborative Economics, Take One

I met with the Pathways Arts Council board of directors today in Kalkaska, to talk with about the possibility of taking a position on the board when their elections come up in September. Sharyn Susinko had approached me with the idea some time ago. So, she and I got together this morning before the meeting to discuss my interests and the needs of the Arts Council. They're looking for someone to organize shows and exhibits and I have been wanting to do more curatorial work, so I have a feeling this will work out quite well for all.

I'm also feeling a strong need to do what I can to facilitate a deeper sense of community among artists in the area, which I think the board position would help me to do. I've noticed that in most sparsely populated areas there is not as much collaboration and interplay between artists as I had become accustomed to in Chicago... The tendency seems to be that in a more limited economy, artists (and other business folks as well) come to believe that if they help another person out, they will be taking money out their own pocket down the road. My Chicago years really deeply convinced me that this is just not true. The more people work together to create a scene that enriches their ability to produce (through collaboration, criticism, education, whatever) and to thrive (monetarily and otherwise) the better off everyone is.

I've been wanting to write about this for some time, and will probably post on the subject from several different angles in the next few months, because the more I think about it, the more aspects I see of  collaboration as an economic tool. I asked my friend Neil verplank to write up a description of his woodworking shop, which is shared between a small group of artists, furniture and cabinet makers: they originally went in together to save on rent, which is common enough, but they soon found that by sharing the different tools they had each brought with them, sharing the costs of buying expensive machinery they didn't yet have, and sharing work and clients they were all able to make far more money while occasionally taking vacations without closing the shop or turning down work. Nor did they have to spend a month getting back in the groove and seeking clients when they got back to town, because there was already something new to do waiting for them. I'll post his description of the situation tomorrow. I also want to describe some of the other arts groups I've observed firsthand, usually as a participant. I can think of about 5 absolutely dissimilar groups, with different goals, motivations, ideas and practices who all manage to get much further ahead in the arts by banding together. I'll be laying out some case studies for the nonbelievers...

I feel very fortunate to have begun my arts career in Pilsen, a small Chicago neighborhood which was home to several hundred working artists. I arrived on the scene with maybe a dozen pieces of work, no exhibition experience and no idea at all of how to pursue a career in the arts. I found the artists of the community extremely open, friendly and giving: to the last, they were willing to share knowledge, tools, lend a hand or point each other towards opportunities. People who had been total strangers a day before took the time to give me solid career advice, suggestions of shows and galleries which might be interested in my work; and technical assistance. Many neighborhood artists routinely helped each other with the creation of work, either through direct collaboration or by opening up their workshops and studios to allow others the use of tools and knowledge that might have been inaccessible otherwise.

Was the end result that we saturated the market and all subsequently starved to death? Actually, no. Because we all worked to further each other, we all managed to get a lot more sales, attention and experience than we could have done working on our own. The nature of community is reciprocity, giving back when people give to you. And so instead of working in isolation, unknown, perhaps angry, and with no contacts for sales or shows... instead, I had a couple dozen people promoting my work for me in addition to my own efforts. And in return, I represented them to anyone who seemed like a good bet. It worked out.

We get blinded by our myths sometimes: ask almost any artist and they will admit that at some point they've wished they had been a part of the artists' communities of 1930s Paris or New York in the 50's. Many still dream the big dream of becoming a part of the NYC scene, or LA, or Chicago... They long for the excitement and challenge of a community of like-minded others. And yet most, wherever they live, do not actively seek out their own kind. I lived in Pilsen for at least two years before I realized that I was really, actively deep in the thick of it. that the scenes I dreamed of in history were no more vibrant than the one I was immersed in. Not that we all became Picassos or Rembrandts, or Rauschenbergs or Warhols, but that what made those times really meaningful was the communication and spark between a group of bright people working their butts off. And I bet you they had no more idea than I did of just how amazing the way they lived was, not really. They were just living and working and sharing. You don't have to go back in time to do that. All you have to do is open the door.

More later on this.

Archived Comments:

by: johntunger on: 24/07/04 22:30 Thanks for the kind words, Bluemidnight. Stay tuned for some really innovative approaches to collaboration.Thanks for the kind words and double sweeties, Bluemidnight. Stay tuned for some really innovative approaches to collaboration... One of my side projects at the moment is a collaborative arts site based on the open source model. It's still in beta, but I'll be posting about it on the blog when it goes live.

Shadowboxer: Glad you're finding my little screeds encouraging. I was up all night last night planning future topics, and it looks like we'll all be in for a fun ride.

by: theshadowboxer on: 24/07/04 09:23 Great site! Since I've joined this blog community, I've been exposed to some wonderfully talented people and I have to add you to that list. I look forward to exploring your site and checking out your portfolio. Also, your information and encouragement...the advice to reach out and advertise one's art etc., I have to say it was some of the best advice period. This is going to be a great site to come back and visit! Thanks for sharing your knowledge! B!~

by: Bluemidnight on: 21/07/04 22:42 Love your work, John. I agree with you when you say, So much can get accomplished when people work together".
Good Luck in everything you do.