Sharing Visions for the Coop: Towards a New Internationalism – 1st online meetup
27 May 18-20h CET via Zoom
In the Shared Visions project, we build a sustainable and inclusive cooperative for visual artists throughout Europe. The cooperative aims to be an international cooperative based in the Balkans, i.e. in the periphery of the capitalist centres.
This internationalism is not self-evident. There are huge international cooperatives, but these are usually entirely aligned with the neoliberal economy. When we think about cooperatives within the solidarity economy, we usually think of (hyper)local forms of organisation, which allow more intimate, unmediated relations and exchange that bypass monetary exchange.
In this meeting, we will discuss possible structures and practices with which an international cooperative can sustain the trust relations that a local cooperative builds relatively easily. Taking into account the huge differences in earnings/cost of living ratio, how can this cooperative secure a minimal economic security net for all its members? Although there is vast experience in the Balkans in cooperatives, in the arts, it was not historically present as much as other forms of organisation. Therefore, it would be a great contribution to discuss it with more experienced actors from various places.
The purpose of this series of discussions is to explain the idea and the first draft of the proposed structure, and discuss its process from the cooperative sources of income both for individual members and for the enterprise as a whole, through its democratic governance, collaborative approaches to engagement between members, pooling resources, creating fonds as joint endowment for means of production, education, and solidary, and more.
This event is the first in a monthly series of public meetings to frame and structure the cooperative and its practices. Everyone interested in cooperative models, solidarity economies, and artist-led initiatives is warmly invited. Each following session will go deeper into each aspect to expand our horizon regarding the possibilities of the cooperative’s formation, practice, and impact, being aware of the risks and potential failures. As the cooperative is envisioned to be established in 2026, this process will lead us to a cooperative enterprise that is best suited for us and other future members.
Zoom link: https://zoom.us/j/94496713692
Pass code: 509249
Join us!