The Art Worker 001
05/01/2021
What is Contemporary Art League?
Founded during the summer of 2020, CAL is a cooperative trade organization of artists and art workers building unity, solidarity, and equity within and across sectors of the contemporary art field in Los Angeles County. Our goal is to build and foster community and belonging by providing services, support, and advocacy opportunities to our members online and—eventually!—at our community center. CAL is a unique effort to create a member cooperative where art workers from all sectors of the contemporary art field and at all stages of their careers participate in a solidarity economy.
We envision our website and community center as places of connection for our community to give and receive, share and participate both directly and indirectly in our three areas of focus:
01 Services
CAL will build up our offerings of an array of community services over time. Services we envision for CAL members include assistance accessing healthcare and financial tools; childcare; and business planning.
02 Support
Professional growth is essential at all levels of accomplishment. At CAL, we envision members both offering and receiving professional growth support and mentorship in an intergenerational, cross-disciplinary conversation in an affirmative environment.
03 Advocacy
At CAL, we believe in the power of art to open minds and transform lives. We also see our field struggling to reckon with a shift of focus from culture to market, leaving many devoted practitioners behind. CAL will be a place where we can come together to advocate for ourselves and each other with a unified voice.
What’s happening at CAL now?
We are currently engaged in three main endeavors:
Research
Our research includes learning about the possibilities of cooperative enterprise; following along with the present-day cooperative movement; and compiling stories and information about artists’ and art workers’ lives and working conditions.
Outreach
We’ve been talking with individuals in the field, letting folks know about our early notions and dreams for CAL and listening for feedback and input. Our next steps include reaching out to formal and informal groups of artists and art workers to discuss shared needs and goals; a series of weekly online “open house” events; and this newsletter.
Grantwriting
We chose the cooperative model for CAL because it embodies our three core goals: unity, solidarity, equity. We were just granted fiscal sponsorship through Fractured Atlas, which will help us access grant funding, and we’re in the running for a LA2050 grant to help move CAL into its next phase. Finalists will be announced on June 1, and if we’re selected, we’re going to need your help!
How can I get involved?
We know we’re not the only ones who want to do the work we’re called to do—to make and work with art—in an atmosphere and environment that is as inclusive, supportive, and equitable as it is creative and rigorous. If you share our vision, here’s how to get involved:
Forward this newsletter to friends and colleagues
Do you have a formal (gallery, museum, art advocacy organization) or informal (crit group, studio mates) group you’d like to connect with CAL? Let us know.
Stay tuned to this newsletter and our Instagram feed for remote open house meetings in June
Get in touch with us directly to share ideas and resources