For the third installment of Art.coop’s “Art Worlds We Want” at CTHQ, Creative Time’s new gathering space for art and politics, we spoke to organizers and activists in the world of journalism, media and entertainment who are not only resisting exploitative tendencies in these fields – from the ever consolidating media sphere, conditions in Hollywood which led to the #WritersStrike & #ActorsStrike and mass layoff of podcasters, writers and journalists happening currently – but actively building fairer systems for journalists, writers and entertainers. We got into the very real challenges of building cooperatively-rooted media organizations and institutions amidst late stage capitalism’s last gasps, learn about each person’s story of how they got on this path, while also hearing from these visionaries about what it means to them to work on these projects in the face of a David vs. Goliath-level fight. What lies beyond the status quo in journalism, media and entertainment?

Panelists (1 – 3 pm)

David Moore, Journalist – Founding Member of The Brick House Cooperative

The Brick House Cooperative, launched in 2020 through a Kickstarter drive, is a collective of independent publishers working to defend press freedom. Members of the Brick House include Popula, OlongoAfrica, and Tasteful Rude. In addition to publishing journalism and cultural writing, the Brick House develops tech tools in open library standards to support the historic rights of libraries to purchase works and lend to the public. David (he/him) is based in Brooklyn, NY.

David Moore is based in Brooklyn, NY and a founding member of The Brick House Cooperative and a co-founder of Sludge, a nonprofit newsroom covering money in politics.

Eric Phillips-Horst, Documentary Cinematographer – member of Meerkat Media Cooperative

Meerkat Media is a cooperative production company and arts collective that produces artful and impactful films with an emphasis on narrative storytelling, visual craft, and a dedication to the highest production value.

Founded in 2005 and based out of Sunset Park Brooklyn, Meerkat projects range from documentary features to web videos for foundations, news magazines, publishers and non-profits and ur work has been broadcast on HBO, PBS, and many other networks, and screened at festivals worldwide, including Sundance, Tribeca, Rotterdam and CPH:Dox. As a cooperative, we champion democracy, cooperation, and equity, aiming to disrupt traditional power structures in our industry.

Eric Phillips-Horst is a documentary cinematographer who operates out of New York City, with an artistic focus on verité documentary, and close collaboration with fellow filmmakers. He is a founding member of Meerkat Media.

His portfolio includes broadcast television (PBS, Netflix Originals, National Geographic, Viceland, Vox), film festivals (Sundance, Tribeca, New York Film Festival, HotDocs, DOCNYC), and online platforms (The New Yorker, The Atlantic, New York Times Op Docs).

Synead Nichols, poly-disciplinary performance artist and expressionist – member of Zeal Cooperative

Zeal Co-Op is a creative agency, created by the people and owned by the people. As Black creatives, we choose to value and deepen our principles through building movements towards owning the means of our own cultural production through creative capital. We choose to ground ourselves and our work in the legacy of Black aesthetics and create from a place of abundance and sufficiency. Our bodies of work are meant to be purposeful, evolutionary, and committed acts of liberation.

Synead Cidney Nichols is a poly-disciplinary performance artist based in New York City. Through visual art, conversation, music, movement, and performance, she explores various themes of the human condition and how it shapes her existence as a queer Black woman. Her inspiration is deeply rooted in her quest for collective healing, self-awareness, and the freedom and advancement of Queer, Black and Indigenous People of Color. Synead utilizes various movement-based somatic practices & healing modalities such as yoga, breath-work, and meditation to dismantle fear-based thinking around our identities in order to self-actualize our deepest creative desires. She continues her work against division, exclusion, and inequity by investigating the human experience and hosting movement wellness workshops. “You have to act as if it were possible to radically transform the world. And you have to do it all the time.” —Angela Davis. This is what inspires her to create.

Interactive Poetry Workshop (3 – 4pm)

Calling all poets, writers, and folks with things to say and needing ways to say it! Embark on a poetic journey crafting “found poems” and co-creating a collective masterpiece that embodies our collective vision, during a special hour of communal poetry-making centered on the theme of: “The Art Worlds We Want.” Our collaborative poem will transcend mere words; it will be typewritten and immortalized through photography — ensuring its place as a tangible archive to celebrate the art we’ll conjure together. Every participant will also be able to take home their own unique found poems as cherished mementos of this shared experience in creativity and unity.

Workshop Facilitator:

Togo-born, Jersey-bred, and now based in the vibrant city of NEW YAWK, Nunyala is an artist of many mediums and overall, a creative polymath. While drawing and painting were their initial passions, Nunyala has evolved into a modern-day Renaissance poet. Represented by Ars Poetica, a creative agency that is one-of-a-kind in its merging of subtle, experiential entertainment with interactive performance, Nunyala is “the people’s poet” — crafting on-the-spot poems for anyone curious and seeking a unique connection. Easily spotted with a vibrant seafoam green typewriter at events like weddings, Alicia Keys’ skincare launch, or by a fountain in the park, strangers are invited to exchange any story they wish to share for a sentimental, bespoke keepsake of their very own. Inspired by a blend of real-life experiences and fantastical radical dreams, Nunyala’s art is dedicated to communal preservation and liberation. After securing a degree in decolonial art therapy from New York University, her education continues in the communities she serves. Nunyala is actively seeking spaces that align with her mission to safeguard and elevate one of life’s most sacred treasures: the youth and their profoundly precious imaginations.

More about the Art Worlds We Want Series

Why are artists on strike right now? What do we want instead? How are artists using their collective power to resist dominant systems of exploitation and build what we need to support our creative practices with care at the center? Over the course of 10 weeks, Art.coop will be holding space at CTHQ for “Art Worlds We Want.”

We believe it’s clear that artists need an economy rooted in solidarity if we are to overcome our status as exploited workers. Likewise, the solidarity economy movement needs artists if it is to prevail. We believe that culture—visual arts, music, culinary arts, literature, theater, television, Web content, and more—is the key to sparking the collective imagination of what’s actually possible when there is community control of our economy, culture, and spirits. There have never been radical movements without radical creators at the helm— we need artists to lead us towards reimagining, resisting, and building.

Join Art.coop in person at CTHQ for collective inquiry, discussion, network building, and practical ways to shift from individualism towards solidarity in your lifestyle and creative practice:

September 30 – Resist & Build: Land & Space in NYC

October 14 – Resist & Build: Visual Arts & Music

November 18 – Resist & Build in Fashion

*Office Hours with Art.coop @ Creative Time (CTHQ) – weekly, Tuesdays from 11am – 3pm, beginning on October 24th until December 5th (no Office Hours on November 21st). Please email team@art.coop with the date and time you want to visit.*

About Art.coop

Art.coop is a hub for artists who are fed up with the current system who want to connect, get money, ideas, and tools to strengthen their communities. They exist to grow an arts/culture movement within the solidarity economy by centering artists and cultural workers who make systems-change irresistible. Art.coop core organizers are Ebony Gustave, Natalia Linares, Caroline Woolard, Robin Bean Crane, Marina Lopez, and Sruti Suryanarayanan.