The Art Worker 004

01/28/2022

What’s Next
In this first quarter of 2022, we’re happy to be continuing the work we’ve been carrying forward since our formation in 2020. We’re particularly encouraged and energized by the feedback we’re getting from folks like you in the community and from like-minded organizations around the city, state, and country.

What’s coming up?

• Working Groups will start meetings later in the quarter; more on this below…   

• We’ll be announcing our first initiatives in collaboration with new partners in February. These initiatives will address the first of the four core concerns CAL is organizing around: access to healthcare. 

• We’re putting together a slate of public events throughout the year highlighting mutual aid efforts in the art world so that we can all get inspired to figure out what role we’ll each play in developing CAL and the next art world.

Thanks to Catherine Wagley for her two-part investigation into the past and present of the Artist Pension Trust in Artnet. We’re grateful that Catherine included mentions of a few efforts to improve working conditions for artists—including Contemporary Art League—with a few quotes from us in Part 2. 

This newsletter and our Instagram account are the primary ways we keep in touch with our community of artists and art workers in Los Angeles County, so please stay tuned and share widely; we need your help to get the word out about CAL!  

Working Groups are Now in Formation

We’re currently establishing platforms for volunteer working groups to research and plan future initiatives as we continue the operational work of establishing the Contemporary Art League as a cooperative. Volunteers will be asked to track their time in order to put this credit toward eventual membership in CAL. The three working groups now in formation are:

• Healthcare

• Capital

• Outreach 

We had a great response to our last email from willing volunteers, so we’ve got each of you logged and will reach out soon with schedules and details. Anyone else newly interested or just hearing about this effort to get more folks involved in defining and developing CAL on a volunteer basis, please email us directly and indicate if there is a specific working group you’re interested in joining.

Other ways to get involved

• Show up
  We’ll be hosting a series of events in the coming months and look forward to seeing you there.

• Spread the word
  Forward this newsletter to friends and colleagues.

• Volunteer
  Volunteer for one of the working groups above. 

• Follow, tag, comment, and share on Instagram

• Introduce us
  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.

• Fund us
  We need funds to grow and build CAL with our community. Donate by clicking the button below.