Cooperatives for Creatives [Online]

After years of participating in an unjust economy, artists and culture bearers are searching for viable alternatives to the traditional models of cultural production. Cooperatives and the solidarity economy are gaining traction as a values-aligned solution. But what's the difference between a worker-owned cooperative and a purchasing cooperative? Is an ensemble a cooperative? Is talking about ownership inherently capitalist? In this workshop, participants will learn about the fundamentals that define cooperatives and how they differ from other types of collectives, explore case studies of cooperatives in the arts and culture sector, and brainstorm how a cooperative could meet their needs and the needs of their communities. Participants are welcome to join as individuals or alongside their collaborators, and will receive resources for further study into various cooperative models.

Who is this workshop for?

The Co-op Curious - Any individual or group that is curious to learn more about cooperatives in theory and in practice.

Community Builders - People who value the things we can do together, that we can’t do alone.

Irrepressible Artists - Artists who have felt the pain of our current economic systems, and know that something better must be out there.

Location:

Zoom

Date and Time:

Monday, May 4th, 2026

5:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Facilitator:

Daniel Park - Daniel Park is a queer, bi-racial, theatre and performance artist, movement facilitator, and organizer for racial and labor justice in the cultural sector. Through all of the above, his work brings people together to understand and experiment with their individual and mutual roles in bringing about the liberation of all people. Since moving to Philadelphia in 2014 Daniel has become a leader for radical thought in the local creative ecosystem and a trusted national source for guidance on the intersection between cooperatives and the arts. Daniel has self-produced multiple major works, co-founded the worker cooperative Obvious Agency (www.obvious-agency.com), created commissions for institutions such as the Barnes Foundation and Moore College of Art and Design, and taught anti-oppressive creation methodology at the University of the Arts. He was the recipient of a 2024 NTP grant from the New England Foundation for the Arts and a 2022 Art Works Grant from the Philadelphia Foundation and Forman Arts Initiative. Daniel has provided his services as a facilitator and consultant nationally with organizations such as Creatives Rebuild New York, The PA Governor’s Commission on Asian American Affairs, ArtPlace America, and many others. Daniel was also instrumental as an organizer and recruiter for Philadelphia Asian Performing Artists, a community group that brings together folks of pan-Asian descent involved in the performing arts.

Rate Description

Obvious Agency offers tickets to our workshops at a variety of price points:

Solidarity Rate - We offer five heavily discounted Solidarity Rate tickets for all of our workshops. This is a way for Obvious Agency to bridge the gap between our goal to support working artists who are systemically under-resourced, and our need to support ourselves as working artists under capitalism. 

Discount Rate - Acknowledging the reality that many arts workers cannot afford our sustain or actual cost rate, we also offer a Discount Rate. This rate is available if you bring a friend or colleague with you, or if you purchase tickets to multiple workshops. This act of solidarity allows us to not undervalue our own work, and to help us achieve our goal of having a robust community in each workshop. We ask that you only pay this rate if you are unable to afford purchasing at our sustain rate or above for one or multiple workshops.

Sustain Rate - Paying our Sustain Rate helps us cover the bare minimum expenses that come with developing and offering workshops.

Actual Cost - Our Actual Cost is the real price for a workshop ticket, and allows us to continue to build a dignified workplace, providing salaries and benefits to our hard working artist staff.

Redistribution Rate - Paying the Redistribution Rate allows us to offer Solidarity Rate tickets. The cost of a redistribution rate ticket is one actual cost ticket plus the difference between a solidarity and actual cost ticket.

Discounts

Tickets at our discount rate of $40 are available for anyone purchasing tickets to more than one workshop, or any groups of 2 or more attending a single workshop. Email Daniel at Obvious-Agency dot com to receive a discount code that you can use at check-out.

COVID Policy

Obvious Agency strives to create COVID-safer spaces in solidarity with immunocompromised and working class people. We require all participants to wear high filtration masks (KF94/KN95/N95) during our workshops, except when actively eating or drinking. For workshops longer than three hours, we also require proof of a negative COVID test from all participants. Obvious Agency will provide high filtration masks and COVID tests at all of our workshops for attendees.