Book of the Day: Alternative Economies Resource Guide

A guide to alternative and sustainable urban living and livelyhoods by the Alternative Economies Subgroup of OWS Arts and Labor.

The official title is: What Do We Do Now?

The group writes:

“This list has been compiled collaboratively by members of the OWS Arts & Labor Alternative Economies group to increase the visibility of and access to existing cooperatively-owned resources and alternative networks available to our community.

Arts & Labor is a working group founded in conjunction with the New York General Assembly for #occupywallstreet. We are artists and interns, writers and educators, art handlers and designers, administrators, curators, assistants, and students. We are all art workers and members of the 99%. Arts & Labor is dedicated to exposing and rectifying economic inequalities and exploitative working conditions in our fields through direct action and educational initiatives. By forging coalitions, fighting for fair labor practices, and reimagining the structures and institutions that frame our work, Arts & Labor aims to achieve parity for every member of the 99%.

The Alternative Economies subgroup of OWS Arts & Labor explores new methods for sustaining the livelihood of artists, art workers, and other low-income populations. We view the concept of labor through the lenses of time, choice, and value, and we research the ways in which ideas such as the commons, solidarity economies, precarious worker centers, and participatory budgeting can nurture more sustainable art worlds. Believing that vibrant creative communities come from the bottom up, we encourage relationships based on mutual aid rather than competition, and we advocate for cultural institutions rooted in a framework of social, economic, and environmental justice.”