Dear Comrades,
In 2022, Pro Arts embarked on a bold transformation, shifting from merely holding space to actively making space. We've strategically positioned the independent art scene as a platform for exploring the nuances of immaterial labor within the arts. As a result, we're pioneering a new infrastructure and delving into subversive forms of institutional practice that intersect with technology, law, and the commons.
Despite our proximity to Silicon Valley, the epitome of hyper-capitalism, we founded the first art commons in Oakland, California, back in 2019. This commons operates as a participatory, decentralized, networked, and autonomous organization—a collective of diverse voices and perspectives.
For the past decade, within our space at Oscar Grant Plaza in downtown Oakland, we've fostered a culture of sharing and collaboration. We've supported collectives and artists dedicated to empowering the community, experimenting with participatory governance and radical hospitality. Our programs and projects advocate for collectivity and universal access as fundamental principles of an ethical art economy. We've hosted residencies, published works, and created alternative spaces for art production and presentation, all while questioning how we can collaborate, value, and organize art labor within the context of the emerging economy.
In recent years, artists and social justice organizations have undertaken extensive work on decentralizing power and leadership in the arts. Through our efforts, Pro Arts has contributed to this global discourse, influencing emerging models and methodologies for decentralizing institutional power.
In 2024, Pro Arts will continue to serve as an umbrella for organizations and projects dedicated to empowering communities above all else. With initiatives like the Teaching Institute for Art & Law, we're establishing training sites worldwide, using radical imagination, collective authorship, and commoning as methodologies to combat oppression and alienation within the art labor force. Our aim is to foster commonality amidst diversity and provide agency to a broader community of creators.
We invite you to invest in the infrastructure of an ethical art economy—a system that fairly rewards art labor and mobilizes social capital for the common good. As part of this endeavor, we're developing the Pro Arts DAO, or Decentralized Autonomous Organization, a member-owned community that blends blockchain technology with decentralized governance. This DAO is shaping new global social contracts, addressing institutional injustices and promoting transparency and accountability.
Your support is crucial in advancing our mission and creating a more just and equitable future for the arts. Together, let's build a community where creativity thrives, voices are amplified, and art becomes a force for positive change.
In solidarity,
Natalia Ivanova
Director
Pro Arts