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Appendix

Resources

Assembly Research

http://unitierra.blogspot.mx/
http://radicalimagination.org/free-school-2015/
http://thepublicschool.org

Bibliography

The Undercommons, Stefano Harney and Fred Moten
Caring for the network, Manuela Zechner
Imaginal Machines, Autonomy & Self-organization in the Revolutions of Everyday Life, Stevphen Shukaitis
The Radical Imagination: Social Movement Research in the Age of Austerity, Max Haiven and Alex Khasnabish
John Holloway’s talk part of the seminar Critical Thought Against the Capital Hydra, San Cristobal de las Cases, May 7, 2015, https://roarmag.org/essays/john-holloway-capitalist-hydra/
Case Studies gathered by SOLE group (including examples from the Zapatista Movement, Sociocracy, the Art of Hosting, etc.)

You can find the texts here:

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/0B0sBVUHGQzxERi1MSFdiYzhwY1k

Sources for Edition of Arts Collaboratory - Working Document

Feedback 2015 https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-ARsh8AvN7CMsiPDD5U3qtpdQf5xWzDHbxrOQnBYnc8/edit?usp%3Dsharing_eixpa_np%26ts%3D5852b5cd&source=gmail&ust=1481901998915000&usg=AFQjCNGa_q3s4966IIgt5RBV7RsSiIETjA
Feedback 2016
Metaharvesting from Kirgyzstan Assembly: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/0B3HvbM-bc3dHVURGWkE4UWRBVlU
Guidelines

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/0B1dvlBDD00WpOGVhMjJQNWVQZHM

Common language updated in Kyrgyzstan

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Aw4CZcOtCpCxEqjLBtkxQoyoIsQlglOt51Wd-IqhS_8/edit

Assembly & Bishkek info (includes the images) + Common Language (for the drawings)

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B2bYSqIN_KLrMEN6bk1FQmltUkk?usp=sharing

Budget

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SS6D-MyXI5AJsPEvDtLyVlcKubdnzhVvWtcKYcEW-LY/edit#gid=259931700

Study reference for digital platform:

http://www.resilience.org/stories/2015-03-06/barcelona-en-comu-the-city-as-horizon-for-radical-democracy

Study reference for Self-Organization:

Example of tools:

https://vimeo.com/125088390

http://www.enspiral.com/ Enspiral is a bold experiment to create a collaborative network that helps people do meaningful work.

http://www.enspiral.com/about/

Loomio is an online tool for collaborative decision-making, built by a team of technologists, activists and social entrepreneurs in New Zealand

https://www.loomio.org/marketing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1gLEAKPkOc (how Loomio works)

please also check this story:

http://www.mixprize.org/story/collaborative-funding-dissolve-authority-empower-everyone-and-crowdsource-smarter-transparent

Cobudget app:

https://vimeo.com/90498374 starting at 1:38 the explanation how the app works for collaborative budgeting

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/0B5Dm5HzA0x7GT1NSd0RwVXdLTTA

P2P ethnography

http://www.artisopensource.net/2014/07/30/communication-knowledge-and-information-in-the-human-ecosystem-p2p-ethnography/

Responding to the current shift of ethnographic research towards the investigation of mobile and multi-sited communities, it is necessary to look at social formations that are dynamic and fluid, in constant movement across space(s) (Marcus 1998). The ethnographic methodology is shaped by, and mirror, the networks, spaces, practices of co-creation and collaborative ethos of the “subject” communities. This ethnography needs to be collaborative and ‘peer to peer’ (p2p). In “collaborative ethnography”, researcher and participants will share observations and fieldnotes (Holmes & Marcus 2008). This will enable multiple voices to contribute actively in the making of the ethnography. Complementary to this is the p2p ethnography to enable each participant – as a node within the network - to know, reflect upon and react to the various positions of other individuals and groups within it. P2p ethnography (Iaconesi et al. 2013) can be considered as a space in which participants position themselves, and from which they are able to observe the dynamic, emergent transformation of the network and of groups and individuals that constitute it. Shifts of position and movement within the network can be recorded and charted as maps. This ethnography, which also involves a self-reflexive exploration of the researcher’s position within/across/in-between the field-site, approaches the ‘field site as a network’ in which the researcher moves and dwells (Burrell 2009). [15]

DIWO : Do-It-With-Others

DIWO: http://www.furtherfield.org/features/articles/diwo-do-it-others-%E2%80%93-no-ecology-withot-social-ecologyu

DIWO, the acronym for Do-It-With-Others, is a "contemporary way of collaborating and exploiting the advantages of living in the Internet age that connected with the many art worlds that diverge from the market of commoditized objects—a network enabled art practice, drawing on everyday experience of many connected, open and distributed creative beings." (http://www.Furtherfield.org/features/articles/diwo-do-it-others---no-ecology-without-social-ecology).

For DIWO, collaborating with others is, thus paramount. Creative practices thrive in collaboration rather than competition. DIWO is an “artistic co-creation” and a “decentralized method of peer empowerment.” DIWO is like a progression from the DIY which was a kind of maverick, pioneers, like Internet pioneers, “we can do it ourselves” which was a kind of autonomy. While DIWO is about combining forces with others to move on and make things together.

DIWO requires openness, spaces where components from different sources meet, mix, crossover, and combine to build a hybrid experience. It challenges and renegotiates the respective power roles of artists and curators. It brings all actors to the fore: artists become co-curators; curators can also become co-creators. The source materials are open to all, to remix, re-edit, and redistribute, either within a particular DIWO event/longer-term project, or elsewhere. Significantly, the process is as important as the outcome: these mutually respective engagements constitute relationally aware peer enactments.

DIWO relies not only on skilled cooperation, but also on peer-to-peer (P2P) practices and Media Art Ecologies. [16]

Working Groups

Appendix I – Working groups: List & Guidelines

Administration Working Group or Attaya

Administration group contact details (email + whatsapp):

Yu Lan yu-lan@doen.nl +31 6 24 63 33 19

MHP mariehelene@rawmaterialcompany.org +221 77 560 61 83

Khaldun khaldun@riwaq.org +972 59 9887848

Farid fairdkun@gmail.com +62 878 76940554

Jagath jagath.weerasinghe@gmail.com + 94 77 778 0054

Vero prog@centredartwaza.org +243 820003973

Introduction

The Administration working group have decided to rename the group into Attaya (sing. Attiyya). Attaya is the senegalese word for the popular African tea ceremony around which care is given, information shared, and disputes are resolved. In Arabic, Attaya stands for “givings or offerings” that are necessarily unconditional. We will refer to our admin group hereinafter as Attaya and each member in the working group as Attiyya.

Attaya will admin the AC collective pot. The AC collective pot is made out from the sum of the collective activities’ budgets in each AC member individual budget. For the 2016/2017, the collective activities’ budgets were transferred directly from DOEN to each AC member at 21,000 Euros each. During assembly Attaya proposed to have a decentralized collective pot. So the AC collective pot is not in one place but it is being kept in 24 AC collective pots, each organisation being 1 pot.

From the collective pot, the AC will spend on collective activities, namely: AC Assemblies, Bangas, collective studies, expenses related to permanent working groups, savings, advance payments and time strikes. Bangas, collective studies, advanced payments and time strikes will be subjected to the AC members’ needs, urgency and the availability of funds in the collective pot. It is not about give and take; it is about caring and sharing as outlined in the AC ethical principles.

We are 6 attiyas in Attaya. In the spirit of sharing and caring, each attiya of us will directly communicate with 4 AC members. Each of us will be the link to each organization in order to gather information, reports… The Attaya team is divided as follows:

YU LAN

MHP

KHALDUN

FARID

JAGATH

VERO

Crater

Nubuke

Vansa

Lugar a Dudas

RAW

Ker Thiossane

Kunci

Centre Soleil

Riwaq

Al Mamal

Mas arte MA

Art group 705

Ruangrupa

Teoretica

Casco

C3P

Theertha

DARB

Ashkal

32 East

Waza

Platohedro

Kiosko Doual’art

To make it easy for us to admin the collective pot and to be able to share information with the whole AC in timely manner and to be able to provide needed care, we propose that each AC member opens a bank account that will only be dedicated to AC funds with three sub-accounts: the first for the institutional funds, the second for the collective funds and the third for the savings. This will help all of us keep track of all AC related common pot expenses. It will also be easier to know how much money is left by the end of each year, and therefore direct these leftovers to savings.

2016/2017 Budget:

Each institution has received 50’000€ as Institutional funds

Each institution has received 21’000€ as Collective funds

Each member can ask for an advanced payment of maximum 50’000€

Each member can call for a Time strike of maximum 32,000€

Each member needs to save 10% of the collective funds. For 2016 it is a min. of 2,100€.

1- Advanced payment

If you would like to ask for an advanced payment:

Send a written summary to your Attiyya, the summary is free of format but should specify:

The amount?
When do you need it?
What do you need it for? It should be related to your lifeline.
Triangle consultation: feedback is needed from each study buddy
How will you reimburse the advanced payment?
All advance payments need to be reimbursed before December 2019.

Attaya group will need 2 to 3 weeks to work on your inquiry and issue an open call for advancers to the whole AC members. When the advancers are found, a general communication will be done via email to get feedback.

If we all agree on the advance payment, we will start working on the practical level :

Attaya will make sure that the advance payment contracts are signed by all parties
Money transfers can be done after signing of the contracts
Attaya will supervise the process
Each party sending/receiving money should inform his Attiyya and he/she will update the excel sheet on google drive.
Attaya will make sure that the google drive sheet is being fed and updated with the proper information and numbers. Each Attiyya will follow on the 4 AC members.

2- Time Strike

If you would like to ask for a time strike:

Send a written summary to your Attiyya, the summary is free of format but should specify:

The amount?
The duration? When do you need it?
What are the activities that you will develop during the time strike?
What do the organization of your triangle think about your time strike inquiry? Feedback is needed from each study buddy
How will your time strike help you overcome your current situation?
What tools you will develop and provide AC with during or after your time strike?

Attaya will need 4 to 8 weeks to communicate with all AC via email and get feedback.

When your time strike inquiry is approved by all AC, Attaya will:

Find possibilities for the organization to get the requested amount
Institutions can offer to transfer money from the collective funds directly
Money transfers can be done after the institutions receive the invoice (check templates)
Attaya will supervise the process
Each party sending/receiving money should inform his Attiyya and he/she will mark it in the google drive sheet as receiving/spending from the collective pot

3- Banga meetings and Collective study

Each institution is free to organize a Banga or a collective study as decided during 2016 AC Assembly in Bishkek.

However:

Before doing a Banga or a Collective study, The organizer should check on funds availability with Attaya
After implementing a Banga or a collective study, each institution should send us a financial report in order to help Attaya keep track on the collective funds expenses. Your Attiyya will help you in the process. Banga meeting and collective study financial report template is available here

4- Savings

Driven by sharing and caring and by the idea of sustaining our AC network beyond the 5-year funding, a saving mechanism is hereinafter proposed:

Attaya suggests that each institution saves at least 10% of each year’s collective money.
From Bishkek discussions, Attaya thinks that we need to increase the percentage of savings to 15% for next years.
Each institution can decide to make extra savings from their own institutional budget. You need to inform your attiya and he/she will mark it in google drive sheet.
The leftovers funds in the collective pot will also be transferred to the savings at the end of each year. You need to inform your attiya and he/she will mark it in google drive sheet.

5- Invoice payment

Working groups might need to pay some invoices related to their tasks, in that case you should:

Notify Attaya via your Attiyya
Attaya will tell you who will be available to pay for that invoice
Use invoice template and send the final invoice to the institution that will pay the invoice. Always CC your attiya so that he/she can follow up
Payment should be done by bank transfer within two weeks after receiving the invoice
Inform your Attiyya when you receive the payment, he/she will inform the google sheet

6- Assembly expenses Reporting

Each institution should tell Attaya how much they have spent for the assembly in Bishkek. Send those information to your Attiyya by giving the amount in Euros for each line:

Deadline August 15th, 2016

Flights and transportation

Accommodation

Visas

Miscellaneous

You can also see how much have been spent by other organizations on this sheet.

7- Reporting and feedback from Attaya to all AC

Attaya will update the TAM TAM every 3 months.

Attaya will report annually on the status of the collective pot during AC assembly.

Assembly Working Group

Current members:

Barto (ruangrupa), Ana Maria (KIOSKO), Raquel (KIOSKO), Aline (Al-Ma’mal), Lauren (VANSA), Malika (Art Group 705)

General questions we need to address:

What is an Assembly?
Who makes up the Assembly group? How do members enter/change?
How is an Assembly chosen?
How is the Assembly organized?
How is the Assembly facilitated?
How do we ‘document’/’harvest’ the Assembly?
How do we ‘tool’ the Assembly?
What is an Assembly?

Assembly is the main space for the AC organisations to gather, share experiences and

collectively engage in decision making processes. It also plays a crucial role as a laboratory for

studying together on how individual organisations navigate local dynamics while collectively

envisioning ways to deal with unfolding challenges in and beyond the networking of AC.

Main Objectives

Studying the Sustainability Lifeline Plans and visiting our Ethical Principles;
Meeting with the Lifeline Triangles;
Engaging in collaborative projects and exchanges;
Developing tooling methods for sharing what we learn with others;
Evaluate Banga Meetings and tooling generated by them, and addressing possible future meetings;
Visit communities and organisations in the local environment as a means for extending our affinity lines;
Engaging in non-discursive and non-verbal moments where our emotions and bodies are directly involved, experimenting communication methods. This could be in a form of party, dancing, picnic, or ‘emotional assembly’;
Evaluating the common resources that are tangible, intangible, imaginary and material;
Dedicating part of our time for updating and fundraising new resources.

Documentation and archive

(TEMPORARY) GUIDELINE

Working Group: Breyner, Ferdi, Jumana, Sally, Ying

This is a temporary proposal on how to document and archive AC’s working process. The goal of having clear guidelines about documentation is to create a common ground for what kinds of things are important to be documented. We like to think through a common digital space with a clear archival structure that working groups can use to archive their working processes and materials. An accessible archival structure can help to make each other’s work internally transparent, make our knowledge easily transferrable to new members and smoothen the working process.

This proposal is temporary, as ideally, this archival structure would become part of the website. Until that moment comes, we like to reorganize the google drive.

Click here to access the AC Documentation & Archive at Googledrive:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B8pqeUYqSVX_ODdZNzd5aGotUVE

We see this drive as a pilot to exercise how to collectively document and archive. As soon as the website is up, we can learn from this process to habituate the practice.

GENERAL INFO

The capacity of Googledrive free service is very limited, so make sure that the documents you upload is not too large in terms of size and file types (see below for details).
As we agreed, the network working language is Spanish, English and French. So try to provide translations for the archive that you upload (even if it is just a summary of the document).

WHAT TO DOCUMENT

General

Photographs/Images (Jpeg. format, max. File size each: 500 kb).

You may use our AC flickr account (Yahoo ID: we@artscollaboratory, password: Artscollaboratory123) and archive the link in the folder. Heads Up: Please note there is a difference between images of your harvests/working materials and images of activities like Assemblies, Banga’s or group (selfie) pictures. Upload your working materials in your working group folders. Upload the activities images on the Flickr.

Audio (mp3 format, max file size: 4 MB)

Another option is to use your own soundcloud account (but mind you that the capacity is only limited to 3 hours for a free account).

Video

Due to the limited capacity of the google drive, we propose the following: upload your videos on your own channels, for example: youtube or vimeo. Then archive the link in the folder.

Reading material (Articles, Books, References, Models of working etc.) (In pdf.)
General AC information, including general info of all members (logos, mission statements, etcetera) and documents related to the network life (Resource map, AC Future Plan etc.)

Working groups

Meeting minutes
Meeting harvest (if it was harvested)
Process materials: sketches, diagrams, doodles, etc.
Working documents: concepts, proposals, budgets, schedules, etc.
Financial documents, in collaboration with Admin group: budgets, invoices, bank information, taxes

Activities

Lifeline Triangle
Banga
Assembly
Collaborative projects (for now Minga, Schoolaboratory & Territories)

HOW TO STORE ARCHIVE ONLINE

The documentation WG had initiated a simple and general archival structure, where each working group can adapt to fit their own working process.

Working groups are responsible for their own documentation and archiving. The documentation WG has created some basic folders for a start but all the other working groups can add more based on their specific needs.

Save all your material in the digital archive!

Digitalize whatever you can! Meaning: type out your notes, photograph your harvests, scan your diagrams.

The Map for AC Documentation & Archive @Googledrive

There are six main folders provided (see diagram in dark grey box for details), and each folder contains several subfolders depending on the complexity of the informations documented.

In the future website, it should be much easier since the different subfolders can be marked and managed by clicking certain bulletpoints.

But due to the limitation of googledrive appearance (you may get lost in different layers of folder!) we limit the maximum amount of subfolders to the third layer only (such as in the blue box related to working group documents and the red box related to activities).

NOTES

In general, to simplify the process of migrating existing documents from google drive to the website later on, make sure that each document that you uploaded has a clear heading.

For example, if you want to upload a note during one working session on Website on in Assembly 2016, during day 2 in Issykul, then put the document in the folder assembly under a title. Please also mention the language of the document:

File name: Working Session-Website-Note-Spanish- Issykul Day 2

In case you have many things to document, like a set of images that you want to upload, place them together in one folder and name it accordingly based on the name of the events-time-location, such as: Assembly 2016 Bishkek

You can name the photographs as you wish. If there are many, please make a small selection of your favourites (about 20-30) by adding a star. It’s an option in Googledrive, that you can get to by right clicking on the file.

Calm down!

We understand the detailed naming of the files can be jarring, but this is important for future use and hopefully after the website is done we can assign different archive automatically.

Guidelines – Editing of AC Documents

This document has been developed based on the experience that we (Marie-Nour, Ana, and Tony) had in editing the first version of the AC Future Plan into the second version (from Dec. 15 to Feb. 15).

It could be extended to any editing process realized for AC documents.

Note: Google doc is currently AC preferred mode of working collectively on a document, as it allows several people to work simultaneously on it while viewing live the changes that are being made.

A process should be determined to identify the editorial group for each version of the AC Future Plan.

I- Planning

1/ Delimiting the goals of the editorial project with the agreement of AC members. These goals can include, but are not limited to, simple spelling and grammar corrections as well as more substantive changes that reflect new or changed processes or dynamics in the AC ecosystem.

2/ Identifying exactly what would need to be done, i.e: the missing points that need to be developed; the paragraphs that need to be reviewed to reflect the change of tone/ the recent practices of AC, etc.

3/ Agreeing on a general timeframe.

4/ Dividing the tasks between the members of the group.

5/ Planning weekly or bi-weekly skype meeting to check on the progress, plan the next steps, and talk about the difficulties encountered.

6/ In order to keep track of the progress and the upcoming tasks, after each skype meeting a member should send by email the notes of the skype and/or a list of the upcoming tasks to do to the group.

II- Working on the document

1/ It is preferable to use the suggestion mode so that previous texts don’t disappear.

2/ In general one or more persons are solely responsible for a section, this doesn’t mean that the section can’t be reviewed by other members of the editing group. They are more than welcome and encouraged to comment on the changes, raise a question and/ or suggest edits.

3/ The person working on a section could also actively ask for help, by adding a comment and/ or bringing up the issue during a skype meeting.

4/ Every once in awhile, it is preferable to review the whole document and read the comments that are marked.

III- Incorporating comments/ accepting the changes

1/ It is better that the person in charge of a certain section is the one accepting the changes, and reviewing the comments made by the others

2/ Make sure that previous sections are not deleted before they have been included elsewhere or it appears clearly that they are not relevant anymore

IV- Highlighting unclarities

1/ If questions arise during the editorial process regarding processes, policies or principles, it is recommended to create a section or sub-section highlighting the unresolved questions and/ or future suggestions that arose during the editing process and that should to be further discussed with all of AC. These can then be addressed in the next assembly or perhaps in consultation with a working group who is familiar with the question.

V- Review and Finalizing

1/ After the bulk of the work has been done, it is recommended that the document is reviewed by members of AC (one or two people max.), outside of the Editing group, that could have a fresh perspective and give their comments. At this point in the process the task is to continue to check details such as spelling and grammar, and also to add comments regarding the organization of the document, the importance and clarity of each section, the accuracy of the incorporation of the decisions that were made prior to the edition of the document and the adherence to the original philosophical and ethical principles.

2/ After the outside review is completed, the document should be returned to the Editorial Group in order to incorporate the suggestions made in the review. It is recommended that these comments and suggestions be done in the ‘Suggesting’ mode and by using ‘comments’ in Google docs.

VI- Translation

1/ In line with our principles, AC documents should be translated as often as possible into Spanish and French.

2/ This step should happen only after the final edits have been made, in order to have a clean version and not duplicates in process.

3/ The Editorial group should suggest names for translators and supervise the process.

4/ It would be helpful to also be able to review the translations for accuracy. This could occur if some of the members of the Editorial groups are fluent, or native Spanish or French speakers or by asking other AC members to help or by contracting with outside reviewers.

Experimental tooling projects

Guidelines

Working group: Gita, Binna, Yollotl

This guideline tries to create a common language and understanding of what tooling is and offers a way for (1) sharing your tools with others and (2) doing a collective tooling in experimental tooling project.

What is tooling?

Tooling is a process of generating tools that have been (consciously or unconsciously) used in our practices.
Tooling is a way of practicing our radical imagination not only for making artworks but also for supporting the way we organize our daily life resistance.
Tooling is a method for reflecting / making sense of the way we do our (im)material labour.
Tooling is a strategy for sharing knowledge inside and outside AC ecosystem, as well as building a solidarity/interdependent relations based on our open ethical principles beyond AC ecosystem.
Tooling is a mechanism to sustain openness.

Why tooling?

Tooling relates with our common interest in practicing AC (open) ethical principles.
Tools made from tooling process form the important part of the AC common resource, which consists not only of (1) money, space, infrastructure, facilities but also (2) ideas, thoughts, affect, and knowledge. Tooling makes (2) shareable and accessible within and outside of AC ecosystem.
Tooling also supports the sustainability of ideas and there’s a process of learning and unlearning when we form, share, test and give feedback to the tools.

What are tools?

Tools are different from products. Tooling shows the structure and the entire image of our working process.

For example: You made a book in a collaborative project. The book is a product. Inside the book there’s knowledge. But the way you make the book (e.g. how you collect resources, how you do collaborative editing, how you deal with conflict in collaborative process, how do you fundraise the project, how you make a DIY printing machine, how do you circulate that knowledge, hot do you circulate the book) is also knowledge, and that is what you can share as a tool, the methodology of that process.

Tools can be theoretical knowledge, practical knowledge, or both.

For example: Theoretical tools can be an argument about subverting the notion of School in conventional sense. This theoretical tools (the new notion of “School”) will feed to the growing knowledge of our (open) ethical principles and common languages.

Meanwhile, an example of practical tools can be about how to create a new setting of learning environment by changing the arrangement of chairs and tables in a classroom.

The example of practical tool that was given above can be generated into a theoretical knowledge, for instance about the politics of spatial division.

Tools should be replicable, in a sense that at least it can be applied or tested in different contexts. However, it doesn’t need to be a super mechanism or determinative algorithms.

Perhaps your tools won’t work in other contexts, but the process of testing the tools also form or add new knowledge to your initial tools. Tool is always in the process of becoming. For example: you share your tools of doing a collective making decision that you learned from a collaborative project with Indonesian migrant workers in Hong Kong. Could we use the tools to work with undocumented migrant workers in the Netherlands? It should be tested; and the person who try to use/apply the tool should give feedbacks and report their experience upon using the tool. This way, tooling replaces reporting and demonstrational practice of superficial publicity. All the tool need to pass through a process of contextualization that gives meaning of using that tool that comes from other place.

Tool is a cycle of sharing, it’s always working for and from inside and outside.

When do you have to do tooling?

Tools should be generated from:

Study Buddy triangle
Experimental tooling projects
Banga
Assembly
AC organizational works like Fundraising, Financial Admin, Website and Tam Tam (Internal communication)

Tools could be generated from:

Lifelines (individual organizational projects)
Each organizational works

How to do experimental tooling projects?

Experimental tooling projects should be based on affinity of minimum three organizations (the triangle!), with involvement from minimum two members of AC. Inviting other organizations outside AC is therefore allowed or even recommended in order to keep our network open.
Funding for experimental tooling projects can be taken from the collective pot. However, you may also consider the project as a strategy to get funding from outside for AC collective pot. Therefore experimental tooling projects can also be a form of fun(d)raising.
Experimental tooling project proposal does not need to be agreed by the Assembly. As long as two members of AC are involved, the project can be conducted. This is also an exercise of practicing our autonomy.
The accountability of experimental tooling project will be assessed in Tam-Tam and should be presented in the next Assembly.

How to do tooling?

Tools should be based from our own experience.
Before doing tooling, consider the existing tools that have been made by others. Therefore your tools won’t be redundant. If you have similar concept with other tools, you may just add your tools to the existing one.
As a start, think of comprising a “How To” “Why to” “When To” instruction based on things that you consider can be used by others (particularly when you’re going to write about a practical tool). However, remember that the instruction is not a universal mechanism. Therefore you should give a context of your particular situation and how you came up forming the tools. Giving concrete examples are also an effective way to give a clear understanding of how to use the tools.
When creating a theoretical tool, referring to the style of our Common Language is helpful as a loose guideline.
Tools are created for the commons and belong to the common resources. When it is go public in our website, it is not longer “Riwaq’s tools” or “Art Group 705 tools”, it’s only tools, that can be shared and used for everyone. We let go the ownership of the tools to disrupt the prevailing capitalistic paradigm of property and sharing. (tools are not signed)
When you do tooling, you should consider that the way you communicate the tool need to be understood by others.
Tools can took the form of diagram, video, writing, audio, everything you think can effectively communicate your tools.

Technicality:

The tooling process should start at least one month after doing events/activities/projects. The tools should be shared with the rest of AC members maximum 3 months afterwards.
When tooling is going to be done collectively within AC (for example from Banga, Assembly), form a temporary working group and appoint a guardian of process within the group.
The procedure for sharing tooling need to be discussed with the Internal Communication and Website working group. Proposal: We can share it through our Tam Tam newsletter for internal reading and then share it in our website for public under the section of Tooling.

Examples of Tools (or almost tools) from the Assembly:

Cascade of coherence

Cascade of coherence is a tool that works for checking correspondence and coherence between rooted struggles, ethics, activities, delivery mechanism and resourcing (labour, affect, money, time.

(1) The rooted struggle is a point of embarkation, the main reason behind our practices. The struggle can be identified as something that we want to tackle, for example: the prevalent neo-liberalist paradigm.

(2) Ethics is an open principle and an orientation, it serves as an objective that aims to shift the paradigm in our rooted struggle. Ethics should be the antithesis of our rooted struggle.

(3) Activities are the materialization of ethics through collective practices.

(4) Delivery Mechanism details the activity.

(5) Resourcing is the material and immaterial support for delivering activities. For example, if an exploitative oil company wanted to support our activities, the cascade of coherence will show that the resource contradicts our rooted struggles and ethics. Should resources follow ethics or ethics follow resources? Or, can resources and ethics create a productive conflict? When there’s a contradiction in the cascade of coherence, we will start to question all elements that interact in the cascade of coherence (and that’s good).

Triangle

Mechanism/guideline proposed by the Lifeline group can be a tool for sustaining self-care within a network.

Collective pot

Mechanism/guideline proposed by the administration working group can be a tool for radical decentralization of sharing money.

Please add more, anyone! :)

Fund-raising working group

Odile – Nubuke Foundation

Marion - Kër Thiossane

Diana – 705

(Gertrude – DOEN – Associate)

WHAT FOR ?

Fund-raising Working Group has to coordinate, strategize and facilitate contact and relation with external organizations to find financial resources for AC Ecosystem and projects within AC ethical principles. The group will provide guidelines to member organisations to identify and harness potential funding sources within their own networks.

Fund-Raising Working group is not responsible for directly fundraising but will follow different leads that could become sources for the network or for projects within the network.

GUIDELINES

Habitual process

Within member’s network

Every member organisation will present AC with identified possible funder.

They will always inform other fund-raising group members of discussion with potential funders.

Always make a small written report of meeting with potential reports and archive it in the website document section.

The Fund- raising working group will:

Identify potential funders from member’s resource maps.
Analyse the potential fundraising opportunity ie. In accordance with AC ethical principles1 or related to any practice.

In that sense emphasis will be put on finding financing or donors within the countries/regions that AC organisations are based to develop funding mechanisms acceptable with our ethos.

Develop rough guidelines on the different ways to establish relations with funders: when do they become part of the ecosystem, when do we work on a project together, when are they just outside funders?
Make available a revised AC Presentation and AC ethical principles.
Be abreast with local organisation negotiation with a potential funder.

In presenting negotiations back to the rest of the members :

- Open up a window for member’s feedback. [2weeks]
- If agreed, passed on to Administration group
  - Not agreed then-update guideline
- If there are objection – Discussions to be organised
- If stronger objection – Brought to assembly

Keep record of all decisions with each funder and AC members in negotiation.

We will identify potential options we have now and follow through.

We are the point of contact for external request about support.

We are point of contact for and will give guidelines for individual members so they can harness (exploit) their own potential networks.

Find potential funders to collaborate within the fields of:

Travel Technology

Residency Education

Regional/ Geographical Location Ecology

RAISING FUNDS WITH EXTERNAL PUBLIC

Identify and analyse the needs within AC ecosystem through resource map/projects.
Research and collate information about potential funders based on the needs identified.
Go to represent AC at international conferences.
Research and collate information on existing calls in region- share its in newsletter.
Consider other forms like sponsoring or selling our “tools’’ or our knowledge on “intercultural collaboration/radical imagination”.
Launch a Call for Donors to apply to fund AC.
Add a donation button on website.
Explore how to promote and present AC and sell art works at commercial art fairs.

WHO DO WE NEED ?

AC representation
Website updated with AC info and our programmes.
TamTam : newsletter
Admin group.
Central repository (répertoire central).
Resource map.

WHAT ARE WE DEPENDENT ON ?

. Legal entity : We need the entity registered or have some AC members functioning as legal entity for AC.

. AC Presentation : We will work with the AC Presentation team.

Website : We need an address for external communications . A place/ server / cloud to store our records.

. News : We will use guidelines from Communication team.

. Resources : Resource maps harnessed with funder identity available by region, interests , etc

Internal Communication

Internal Communication Guidelines

Working Group

Lina, Luciana, Oscar, and Teesa

==================================================================

1. Email Formatting

Email Subjects

[Name of the Working Group or Activities] Concrete Subject
Use a relevant and descriptive subject line that adequately describes the content of your message.

For example:

[Resource Map] New name for Resource Map

To make email conversations easy to follow, stick to the subject of your email

For example: [Internal Communication] How to make decisions using our Google Group

[Internal Communication] Survey Results

If you feel the need to discuss a topic that is no longer directly relevant to the original subject of the email conversation, consider starting a new email with a new subject line that is more relevant.

Content / Body of the Email

Use short sentences.
Put them in short paragraphs.
Clear and simple English so your email is easy to understand and translate.
Feel free to use bullet points.

Translation

The language used in Google Groups is English but when a decision needs to be made, or the content of your email MUST be understood by every AC member, then it is the responsibility of the person initiating the email conversation to translate its main points.

We suggest using Google Translate as the first step for translation.

You can then reach out to someone in the AC network who is:

Fluent in the languages you need to be translated.
Able to respond to emails quickly.

They can then look over the translation for any major errors.

Then send out the email, with translations of the major points in French and Spanish.

2. Email Replies

When to reply all vs. replying directly to the original author of the email

Before you reply, ask yourself if this is something that everyone needs to be aware of.

Reply all when your response can help move the conversation forward, or provide clarity for.

Example:

“How many books can we print with that money?”

“Is it possible to make this transfer from your country?”

“When is the deadline?”

and so on.

Avoid "me-too" and “thank you” replies

It's rare that these add much to the discussion. You can still be kind <3 but just to the person who wrote the initial email (reply to the sender).

Quotes and Between lines answers

This makes replies easy to follow and helps get to the point quickly. So instead of replying with a long response like: “I hear what you’re saying about this proposal but regarding the budget issue I believe that...” you can just quote the specific section of the email that you are replying to and then add your comment.

You can also use a different colour for your reply, in order to make it more visible for all readers.

Example:

1. Is AC in agreement that we all begin working in some way (starting small) with Lambent based on our affinities.

Yes.

2. Is AC okay with us all opening banga and assembly to lambent in a limited way and where mutually beneficial?

Yes.

3. Is AC okay with us all opening banga and assembly to lambent grantees in a limited way and where mutually beneficial?

I am not so sure about this yet. We should know some more about these grantees.

3. Decision Making over Email

Whoever needs a decision made by AC will initiate the email chain. This person will be the host and harvester and shall also appoint a Guardian of Process to help moderate the conversation. The guardian should be mentioned in the body of the email.

Subject: [Name of working group or activities] Decision on….x

How to communicate your proposal for a decision

Describe your question/proposal and the context
Be as clear as possible about what you are asking and the kind of decision to be made
Ask questions that people can answer with yes (agree), no (disagree), stand aside
Also add the possibility to insert comments or ask more information
Use a survey tool like Google Forms, here's a template that you can copy and adapt to your needs

Timing for Decision Making

Urgent decisions > 4 days (96 hours from when email was sent)
All other decisions > 10 days (240 hours from when email was sent)
The person calling for a decision prepares a simple survey like this and includes the survey link so that people can vote
You can use this template, copy it and add to your drive, then adapt to your content
During that period people ask questions in the list in order to clarify
When the deadline is near (48h) Guardian of Process sends a reminder to the group so that people remember to vote/share their thoughts

Results

When the 4 days or 10 days are up, if you have not responded, it is assumed that you are standing aside
The initiator of the decision making process is responsible for harvesting the results and will share with the AC Google Group
In case of decisions that are not urgent: after sharing, if nobody blocks after 48hrs the decision is made.
If decisions are urgent, the decision is made after 96 hours. The decision is urgent after all.
We suggest that more than one person in your organization is available to make decisions over email, in case you are offline and unable to share your vote.

Example:

[Internal Communication] Decision on Dissolving Google Groups

Hello Everyone,

Google Groups has become irrelevant because it is the future and we are all communicating telepathically. I propose that we dissolve emails for good. Please share your thoughts through the survey here

Guardian of Process: Luciana

Looking forward to having received all of your responses in 10 days.

Peace!

Note: these guidelines are inspired by the decision making process during the AC Assembly in Kyrgyzstan

Proposal
Clarifying questions + friendly amendments
Time to reflect (if needed/asked) > smaller groups to discuss and think inside each organization < if you don't understand and want more clarification / if you don't agree / if you don't have the capacity to do it.
Block > you definitely disagree.
Stand aside > you are ok with the proposal but will not block it.
Any other friendly amendments?
Any other reflection needed?
Decision making.

More information on stand aside and block: http: //www.seedsforchange.org.uk/consensus

4. AC Whatsapp Group

Whatsapp group is great if you’re missing some AC love and also for building/maintaining relationships beyond “work”.

If new people are added, please introduce them to the group
If you have something specific to bring up with one person, consider having a separate chat outside of the group.
If you feel that there are too many messages, you can mute the notifications of the group.

Malika and Rima from Art Group 705 are the current admins.

5. Internal Communication within Working Groups

Be self-organized!

Here are some suggested tools, so you can choose the ones that best suit your needs. If you find others that work better for you, go ahead and use them! Then please share with the AC internal communication working group so we also get to know them ;)

> Working Group Mailing List

In order to have an archive of the emails that can be seen by new members that can join the group in the future.

Google groups

> Video/audio conferences: Skype > (we all have already used it)

Google Hangouts (works better with unstable internet connections)

Jit.si Meet (easy to use, works fairly well with unstable internet connections, and it is a free software tool! better using google chrome browser)

> Instant messaging - useful for reminders and very urgent messages

Whatsapp (you can use it in your mobile phone and also in your browser with Whatsapp Web)

Telegram (free software tool, you can both use it in your browser and mobile phone)

> Setting the best date/time for a grupal meeting

Doodle

>Once the meeting day/time is settled, add in a calendar for sending reminders to all the participants

Google Calendar

During the meetings, please remember the facilitation method > have a host, harvester, guardian of intention/process.

6. Adding new people in the AC general list

For adding new people please get in contact with the current administrators of the list:

Teesa Bahana teesa@ugandanartstrust.org Luciana Fleischman residenciasplatohedro@gmail.com

Legal entity working group

LEGAL ENTITY WORKING GROUP

Marie-Nour Hechaime (Ashkal Alwan): Harvester

Molemo Moiloa (VANSA): Host

Paula Piedra (TEOR/éTica): Guardian of process-intention

The decision on Legal Entity is related mainly to AC need to distribute and receive money. Once it is defined, it can also affect some of AC self organization mechanisms. The legal entity decisions we make also are related to what we call the AC Myth (how we define ourselves inside and outside AC).

Legal Entity Working Group Guidelines are divided in two stages: research and legal entity constitution. (We can’t make guidelines for Stage 2 Legal Entity Constitution before we accomplish Stage 1: Research).

Stage 1: Research

This research is to find out what is better to fulfil AC need to distribute and receive money according to our values, principles and ethics.

Guidelines for this research

Structure (registration option) should be the one most close to AC ethical principles
Place of registration/account should also be measured against ethical principles
Financial sustainability should be primary driver of registration decision. Eg. funder, banks/accounts, currency.

To consider for this research

We have two options: REGISTRATION or NON - REGISTRATION.

For Registration:

Best location
Least bureaucracy
Ease of registration
Ease of financials (strong currency, strong banks, cheapest)

Non-Registration:

Shared bank account
Modalities if possible
Once clear, decide next steps

Legal Entity affects Admin/Bank and Fundraising:

Documents of legal entity and bank account
Governance checks & balances guides
Communicating legal entity clearly to funders

Legal Entity affects Newsletter (TAM TAM):

Governance checks & balances guides
Communicating our Myth

Legal Entity affects Website:

Communicating legal entity clearly to funders
Communicating our Myth

2. Stage 2: Legal Entity Constitution (PENDING)

Network health group

Network health group (Guardian of Process/Intention)

Aline Khoury, Lina Mejia and Gertrude Flentge

Guidelines

Intervene mainly on invitation
Identify gaps between working groups, but does not solve the problem
Receives questions that are not answered by anybody
Checks dynamics of Working Groups/Triangles/network
Proposes techniques and solutions, when needed, that help in inclusive communication, planning and decision making, problem solving and habitualization methods.

Tasks

Read all working group documents and identify gaps between them
Answer upcoming questions and distribute to right person
Research and share tools for working process, like f.e. EBS, to Lifeline Triangles and working groups
Be available for skype coaching in these tools on demand
After 4 months we check how healthy network/triangles/working groups are, by checking in which each individual (one per organisation)
If symptoms arise we actively start conversation
Develop strategies for serious problems (Banga, independent mediator, friendly supporter)
For assembly: make sure there is time for care taking + inclusive discussion/decisionmaking methods. Advice and develop tools + training in this.

Habits

Collect tools and share them amongst us and then whole group

Before end august (is not realistic!)

After 4 months and one month before assembly individual check-up. We will divide the group amongst us.
Read working group plans and newsletters to identify problems/gaps
Make digestible material to share in newsletter to remind on humanity, inclusiveness etc.
Develop tool for this group to track our progress (Lina I forgot what this is exactly)

Concrete planning:

Beginning August: work on guidelines
Beginning of September (start tools collecting etc.)
End october/beginning November: individual check-in with everyone
End November skype meeting to analyse all this

Assembly

II. ASSEMBLY GROUP MEMBERS

Who makes up the Assembly working-group?

Members of this group will include members from the new host organization as well as anyone interested in facilitating the upcoming Assembly
We advise members from the previous assembly working group and/or host organization to participate in the planning and organization of the upcoming assembly, either for advice and consultation or as an active member;
Preferable that each assembly working group members are responsible for the full process of an Assembly: planning, organization, facilitation and ensuring documentation/tooling is completed, facilitating choice of next Assembly host;
During every assembly a new working group is devised who will take on the tasks and process of organizing the next assembly
*Please note that there will be a period of time where 2 assembly groups are overlapping: as one Assembly ends, the initial working group continues following up until the documentation and tooling is complete (also a reflection / evaluation of what went well / what was important / what didn’t work …); while the new working group begins planning for the next Assembly.
It is important that we challenge the boundaries/distinction between the AC host and AC members to allow equal participation and engagement with the Assembly program. The hosting team creates a schedule allowing for the rest of AC members to take part in coorganising during the Assembly, especially the reproductive labour such as cooking, cleaning, taking care of each other.

III. CHOOSING A HOST FOR ASSEMBLY

How is an Assembly chosen?

NOMINATION

During an Assembly, any member can nominate itself to host an Assembly having considered the areas for consideration below. There will be a dedicated time during the Assembly schedule to share and discuss ideas, as well as making the decision. If there are more than one organization that want to host, the nominated organizations should discuss among themselves by reviewing the considerations alongside a facilitator of their choice (either a working group / an individual / selected members) to help with the decision making process.

AREAS FOR CONSIDERATION:

WHO

Any AC member can nominate themselves based on their availability, level of commitment, and/or context relevance to the progression of AC’s development.

LOCATION

It is advisable that the location of the Assemblies change over the years to diversify the schedules, visits, contexts and content of the Assembly; thus to change over different countries as well as allowing different partners to get the chance to host;
To ensure that all partner organizations are able to travel and obtain visas to attend the host location for the Assembly;
To take into consideration that the location may be dependent on the nature of the assembly; this may change over the years to focus more on collaborative projects rather than administration of AC.

WHEN

Preferably Assemblies should be held within 12 months of the prior Assembly;
Preferably not during a ‘high-season’ to avoid high costs of travel and accommodation;
Not to overlap with a partner organization’s major project i.e. a member is hosting a biennale in a certain month and cannot attend an assembly at the same time.

*If there are months that are known before-hand that organizations cannot commit to at all, this should be announced during the assembly or communicated to the Assembly working group as soon as possible to take it into account.

DURATION

In the past, assemblies have varied from 10-12 days. Length could change depending on the content/nature of an assembly and availability of members. Preferably assembly group should discuss with partners beforehand on the length and content to get everyone’s approval and commitment levels.

IV. PLANNING AN ASSEMBLY

How is the Assembly organized?

PRE-PLANNING

Pre-planning is key for organizing an Assembly to ensure that everything passes by smoothly. The preparation should begin at least 8 months before the Assembly takes place. The Assembly working group must ensure devising a feasible work-plan that covers the following:

Logistical Planning: visa documents, arrivals/departures, transportation, accommodation, to be planned ahead of time and be cost efficient;
Schedule: this will include both visits organized by the host as well as working sessions, ensuring positive energy, momentum and a good flow of the meetings. The WG tries to find the balance and harmony in the schedule.
Host Visits: these will vary from artist talks, site visits, walks, events, etc. that are particular to the host context as well as to AC.
Working Sessions: the Assembly working group will have to gather information from all the working groups and collaborative projects to see how much time is needed for discussion and any necessary tools/equipment for sharing.

*Advisable for Assembly Working Group to arrive a few days before the start of the Assembly to finalise the program schedule and ensure tasks are covered.

COSTS

Each organization will pay for its own flights, visa, accommodation, per diem, from the collective pot. The Host can pay for 1 or 2 people from the collective pot, the remaining amount is covered by assembly budget.
The host organization will be allocated a certain sum of money (TBC) to organise the Assembly, which will cover meals, transportation and programming.

V. FACILITATING AN ASSEMBLY

Facilitation literally means ‘making easier’. In the case of the Assembly facilitation group, it means they would make the process of discussion, overall program and schedule run smoothly. The group keeps an eye on the informal (and formal) hierarchies in the group to maintain the horizontality of the network.

Each working group will organize and facilitate its own sessions, as well as any decision making processes with consideration of the Facilitation Guidelines (still to be created.) Throughout the year, each working group has one or two facilitators as the contact person for the Assembly working group (the group can decide to rotate this role).

TASKS

Before an assembly

Create preparational working document(s), that include:
- Schedule for the assembly;
- Working group proposals that AC has to make decisions on;
Contacting all working groups to:
- Ask for desire, time and content for the assembly;
- Collect proposals for decision making;
- Collect information on materials needed for assembly (e.g. material for printing, some special stationery, etc.)
Needs to decide in coordination with the harvesting team (see below): what we document and how?
Building the assembly schedule in collaboration with the host of the assembly, including energizers;
Share draft schedule to AC for suggestions;
Process suggestions, finalize and share final schedule;
Share working document within a reasonable amount of time allowing AC partners to read and study before the Assembly.

During an assembly

Facilitate the overall Assembly schedule, ensuring that the Host isn’t overwhelmed with organizing and planning the schedule. Allowing other AC members to rotating roles: guardian of intention, guardian of time, collecting harvests from plenary sessions.
Follow up with working groups and host in case of changes/additions to the schedule, and adapt accordingly;
Follow up with AC members ensuring the general momentum, energy and flow of program is going smoothly, and adapt accordingly.
Each Working Group will be responsible for:
Documenting, analyzing and archiving their harvests;
Facilitating their own sessions during the Assembly;

After an assembly

Reflection document that includes:
- Summaries of all plenary sessions;
- Decisions made through the assembly;

HARVESTING ASSEMBLY

Documentation group (to be discussed with the WG): needs to organize a harvesting team for the assembly, who will be responsible for gathering harvests from plenary sessions and summarizing them. In addition, harvesting team should be able to advise or suggest relevant materials needed for documenting Assemblies, i.e. video sessions, audio recordings etc.
What do we document and how? - needs to be decided prior to assembly by assembly WG and harvesting team (see ‘tasks’)
Summary of the Assembly would be shared in the upcoming Tam-Tam following the Assembly.
Tooling will be shared by participants of AC.

Facilitation

PLEASE NOTE THIS DOCUMENT IS A WORK IN PROGRESS AND NEEDS ADDITIONAL MEMBERS TO CONTRIBUTE!

Facilitation Process

Facilitation of meetings is focussed on the process of the meeting. This process is both for plenary sessions and working groups. Depending on who is preparing a session, a working group or the facilitation group itself, these are the proposed responsibilities:

Before a meeting

Create an agenda, ideally to be shared before the start of a meeting to create time for thought through feedback from others
Proposed time schedule
Collect proposals on which people are to take decisions
If applicable, share action points from the previous session

During a meeting

Creating space for all voices to be heard (including sometimes implementing step up, step down principles when people are not doing it themselves)
Keeping conversation on topic
Recap opinions when necessary to focus conversation
Keep time
Vibe watching
Stack taking (keep track of who wants to speak)
Harvesting the discussion
Clear minutes, including an action list (meaning, dividing the brought up tasks immediately)
Facilitate decision making processes
Recap full conversation at the end of a meeting
If necessary: plan date and location next session and appoint host

Roles: Host, Guardian of intent, Guardian of Process, Harvester, Minute taker

After a meeting

Sending around the minutes, including analysis of the harvests
Archiving the minutes
Archiving documentation and analysis of harvests

Tasks for after this specific assembly

Create and share manual for facilitation for working groups to refer back to in their own working processes
Create and share manual for decision making process
Create collective agenda, to have overview about when working groups are meeting
Create and share list of working groups, participating members and contacts overview
Facilitation participants are advised to arrive earlier to the host country to help in the preparations on-site.

All facilitation groups should rotate

*A Facilitation Guideline will be prepared and provided by the Assembly Working Group during the planning process for the next Assembly. The Guideline will be shared in advance of Assembly.

Banga Meeting Guidelines

Banga Working Group: Aline (Al-ma’mal), Barto (Ruangrupa), Lauren (VANSA), Reem (DARB 1718), Teesa (32° East) Tony (Casa Tres Patios)

What’s a Banga meeting?

This is proposed to be a Nomadic (or Know-madic) meeting that has its main purpose in care for a certain organisation at a certain moment in time, and knowledge sharing specific to the support of the organization and/or its programme(s). In other words, the Banga is a constructive tool that is both helpful to the organization and the ecosystem. It is where we practice collective study, care and skills sharing.

The Banga meeting results in tooling that is useful to the AC network as well as the group requesting the Banga and their ecosystem.

A Banga Meeting could cover:

Caregiving: advising on a certain issue or project, strengthening and supporting a certain programme, discussing a crisis/emergency
Collective study
Skills sharing in a specific programme or project

A week-long Banga is a good amount of time for intense study and deep-diving. It also potentially puts less pressure on the host when it comes to organization. However, depending on the scale of the need and if the visiting group is small, then more time may be preferred.

Things to consider when organizing a Banga

The following is a list of points to consider, with accompanying questions, that are intended to help the organizing group in the conceptualization and planning of their Banga meeting. In the spirit of tooling and sharing knowledge that is intended to help the AC ecosystem, it is suggested that the answers to these questions be written down in order for the current and future AC partners to understand the questions, issues and processes that led to the Banga meeting, the planning processes that were involved, the activities planned and the tools that were generated. Considerations for a Banga should be made in line with our Ethical Principles—including the value of self-limitation and non-hierarchical self-organization.

The Need

- Why is the Banga important and necessary at this point in the evolution of your group? Your

Lifeline Plan should serve as a reference for establishing the need for the Banga, and your

Lifeline Triangle should help with this thinking process.

- Is a Banga the right tool to meet this need? Have other means been considered? Are there

alternative ways to share knowledge and care-giving than face-to-face?

The Participants

- Which AC members are you inviting?

- Will there be external participants?

- What expected added value are they bringing to the meeting?

- If you do not have a particular person/group in mind to match your need,

look through the AC Resource Map and talk it through with your lifeline triangle.

The Timeline

- Have you communicated to the AC network, through the Tam Tam, about your plan for a Banga?

(Who is coming? When is it happening? Why is it happening?)

- Have you given potential Banga participants enough notice for planning?

- Have you got enough time to work out visa arrangements and other logistics?

(Banga in Lubumbashi took 3 months to plan)

- Will there be a pre-study for the Banga?

The Methodology

- What forms are you going to use to introduce the group to your environment and to the specific

issue/project you’re gathering for?

- What material will you share with the group before the Banga?

- What will the tooling techniques consist of? (based on the Tooling Guidelines)

The Budget

- How will the Banga be funded? (see Administrative Guidelines)

Funds generally come from the collective pot so self-limitation with spending ;)

- Will non-collective pot funds be used? Where will the funds come from? Share for tooling sake!

Post Banga

Share your experience in the next Tam Tam (See Tam Tam guidelines)

Share your tooling (See Tooling guidelines)

This section below is from the Future Plan and speaks to the principles behind a Banga. It served as an important reference for the preparation of these guidelines.

Practical Framework

● Before calling a Banga meeting, AC members should first look at the AC Resource Map to see if the desired support can otherwise be found;

● Partners should also first make a ‘self-diagnosis’ through Study Buddying (interview chains, Skype discussions with AC partners) in order to check if a Banga would be resourceful;

● Banga meetings can also be proposed at the Assembly in order to get collective feedback. During the assembly, a Banga team/committee will be formed, consisting of three AC organizations, in order to decide on which Banga calls to support, based on practical considerations. Decisions will be made in line with our Ethical Principles—including the value of self-limitation and non-hierarchical self-organization. The team will look at whether the meeting should take place with the other AC members and/or whether there is a translocal benefit as it could be held with other local organizations or practitioners. AC will also investigate if the Banga meeting could be of benefit to AC in light of its resource map;

● The organization of a Banga is to be carried out by the host organization, including the travel arrangements;

● Each Banga has a budget of a maximum 8,000 Euro. In case a bigger budget is needed the remainder will need to come from the host or the Collective Pot. (This should be deleted if the text below is correct.)

Each Banga budget is a maximum of 8,000 Euros, which will be used to cover all of the costs of the Banga meeting. These funds come from the Collective Pot of the host organization, or the organization that is calling for the Banga. If the costs of the Banga exceed the 8,000 Euros the host organization will have the choice of either paying the difference from its own funds (not the collective pot funds) or requesting permission from Attaya to use funds from the Collective Savings. (This needs to be verified.)

Guide for 5 year lifeline

ARTS COLLABORATORY | GUIDE FOR 5 YEAR LIFELINE

Stop Surviving and Start Living (Together).

Dear Friends. This is simply a guideline to support the making of your Lifeline Plans. Treat it as a Counter-instruction-manual-form!

SHORT GUIDE (Full guide from next page)

Define your Struggle

Define what you want to focus on and what you want to change, within and outwith of your organisation.

2. Portrait your Ecosystem (formally known as Resource Map)

Illustrate, draw and un/map your Resources, relations and position in your ecosystem.
Your resources might be positive or negative. Eg. Political and geographical situation. People, places, products, knowledge, the time you have or don’t have.

3. Imagine, Plan and Write your Life, Time and Story

Narrate the next 5 years of what you want and need to do in relation to your struggle, ecosystem and Arts Collaboratory. And how will you sustain what you do?
Relate this story to your self-portrait. How will the your Portrait change over the 5 years? How might your Struggles change?

4. Write a Financial Storybook

How will you use (spend/invest) money? How will you save money? How will you make money? And how will you share or not need money?

External “DEAD” Line for 12 Organisations to submit a first draft:

8th November 2015 (to receive funds by January 2016)

External “DEAD” Line for 12 Organisations to submit a first draft:

9th January 2016 (to receive funds by March 2016)

Internal Life-Line: After Study Buddying with each other we can submit our final Life-Line Plan on: 1st April 2016

LONGER GUIDE

1. Define your Struggle

Define what you want to focus on, to change, inside and outside of your organisation. Focus does not mean you have to exclude other concerns but that you address things from your focal point. At best, it can enable you to work less and more sharply.

Here is a proposed exercise with the members of your organisation for identifying and focusing on your Struggles.

1) Define the Struggles that your organization wants to address (what do you want to change in your ecosystem). Define the social / cultural / artistic / political / economic changes that you are committed to.

2) Make a priority list to focus on a few Struggles, based on the desires and capacity of the members in your organisation. Elaborate on these chosen Struggles.

3) Reflect on who else in your environment is working on these Struggles and how you relate to that. Would you like to sharpen / shift your focus in relation to that? Where can you inter-relate more?

4) Reflect on your priority list. Consider the strategic benefits and difficulties of your focus:

Where, how and why does “art“( radical imagination, creative, aesthetic…) work in this context for the concerns we have (our struggles)? Why do we do things with/through art? Why not just a social movement, activism, lobby and/or politics?

After defining your struggles, you can start to build your Self-Portrait of your ecosystem (formerly known as Resource Map)

2. Portrait your Ecosystem

Create a portrait of your organization and its ecosystem. This portrait gives your position and relations in the ecosystem that you belong to. Consider all your tangible and intangible resources that contribute to a well being of the ecosystem. It also reflects the effect you are having in your community and the way you are affected by your context. This portrait can become our common, open resource / tool which we share beyond our own organisation and Arts Collaboratory.

The portrait has no template or form. You draw freely. The most interesting aspect of this portrait is the creative and imaginative approach that each organization can have for creating it. (Please note: Consider that this ecosystem would be in constant transformation as your Lifeline continues and the portrait therefore needs to be updated constantly).

Our ecosystems can be made of the following: Please feel free to add other kind of resources. For the elaboration of these, see the bottom of this Guide.

Composition of living organization;

Ethos philosophy of organization and the (co) management principle (vision?);

Capacities, skills and experiences;

People / communities around you;

Different types of relation;

Knowledge;

“Financial” Resources;

Media Resources;

Physical Resources;

Influences Tools.

3. Imagine, Write and Plan your Life, Time and Story

Now that we have five years financial security and a network of critical friends, we can do a deep exercise of pushing boundaries of imagination. We can think in long-term investments. We can plan projects and ideas that can make a radical change in our organizations and a radical change in our ecosystem. We may allow ourselves to leave way for the habits of programming and producing we are familiar with.

The Life-Time-Story tells: What and where will you be in five years? What are your dreams and desires? WHAT, HOW, WHEN and with WHOM are you going to do it? How do you push a change in your organization and ecosystem’s portrait?

Inspiring Questions for your Imagination and Writing of our Life Time Stories:

How can exchanges and encounters with other members of your eco system help you to achieve your dreams and desires?
How do you influence AC, as an ecosystem, now and in 5 years? And vice versa, how does AC influence you?
What is your function for your ‘satellites’, other communities, organizations and artists, outside of your organization?
How do you draw the borderline of AC? What will happen to this edge in the next five years?
How do you sustain and expand your connection to AC’s ethical principles?
How much can your organization contribute in Care Time and Study Time to the AC Ecosystem?
How are you going to use Banga, Assembly, and Study Buddy as an important process while making Lifeline Plan?
How long do you think your organization will last or need to last?
When will you be ready to leave AC’s funding (still remaining in the network)?

4. Write a Financial Storybook

How will you spend/invest, save, make and even, make away, with money?

Align your Financial Storybook with your Life-Time-Story, Portrait and AC Ethical Principles.

Create a Financial Storybook which:

Covers a period of 5 years;
Indicates the total budget - expense and income - of your organization (money from AC, from other donors, earned money, donations, etc) for the 5 years;
Indicates the annual division of it;
Indicates how you envisage to spend the amount you get from AC as a basic income for your organization (as it is now: 50,000 Euro a year);
Indicates how you plan to use money you get from AC for the collective AC activities such as Banga, Assembly, Communication, Collective Saving Pot, and Time Strike and the unforeseen (in 2016 it is 20,000 Euro)
Indicates vision and plan on: Spending, Saving, Sharing, Investing and Generating Money;

Some core concepts - Self-Limitation, Radical Imagination, Transparency, Solidarity, Trust, Mutualism in our Ethical Principles in forms of questions are following:

Do you need the full core funds (50,000 Euro) each year?
Can you contribute some of these funds to the AC Collective Saving Pot?
Are there times when you need more money and other times not?
Can we share our budgets with all AC partners, artists and other cultural organisations?

Form of the Financial Storybook

The financial storybook can take any form. It can be intertwined into the Life-Time-Story directly or it can be a separate excel sheet. It can be a pie chart. What it needs to show is how, and how much, money will be spent, saved, shared, invested and generated over the next five years.

Scribbles for elaborating our ecosystems

Composition of living organization

organization structure/relation

family map

family tree

organigram/organisational chart? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organizational_chart

for example:

9 members

artistic director/ management & communication/ secretary / board

director / project & infrastructure / project & community…

but also: where is your artistic director: At the root of your organizational three or at the top branch?

Ethos philosophy of organization and the (co) management principle (vision?);

Values / organisational characteristics / Philosophy / habits

Capacities, skills and experiences;

unlearning - Curating - thinking - cooking - fundraising - energy production - talking - curating - listening - imagining - studying - organizational - lobbying - advising - critical thinking - writing - inventing- connecting - consolidating

(influential power/ privilege?)

for example:

cooking vegan

facilitating group works

translating from xxx to xxx

producing public art projects

negotiating with political institution

fundraising in European context

People / communities around you;

Different types of relation;

Communities we live in, environment of our organizations, organizations we work with / Affinity groups / networks / collectives / movements / institutions / individuals / governments / business / universities / Communities affected by your activities / Co-workers from different spheres of knowledge (not only art) / Communities or organizations you want to work with / public /audience.

Knowledge:

Interest of the organization for developing projects

lines of thinking , areas you're always working with.

Types of works you are doing

for example:

urbanism in Indonesia

anarchist history in spain

feminist “intersectionality”

new materialism

“critical management”

“Financial” Resources:

Money (currency?) / Membership structures / methodologies for fundraising / alternative currencies / business support system / Cooperative models / Financial and informal system based on solidarity / alternative fundraising system / Corps / Shops / savings / Endowment / Shares

Trade economy/immaterial supports / Funding network / Funding individuals / Loans/credit

average annual income?

funders (organization, individual, networks)

other income sources

financial strateg

Media Resources:

Radio station- Media website - Magazine - TV channel - Newspaper

Physical Resources:

Spaces: what kind of space ? (office residency ,sleeping, library, kitchen , meeting)

rented space? - Space that you own?- Equipments (production mediums) - Shop - Art collection - Access to spaces

Influential Tool (existing tools you are using) :

Inspirational reference

books / organizations / social movements / historical process / people / films / traditions /theory

for example:

Collective Mapping Manual : http://www.iconoclasistas.net/post/manual-de-mapeo-colectivo-en-pdf/

Google drive (?)

AC Presentation

AC Presentation - Guidelines Document

Tony Evanko, Casa Tres Patios; direccion@casatrespatios.org

OVERVIEW

The presentation of the Arts Collaboratory is a component that is related to both the mediums of communication; Web Site and AC Tam Tam, the fundraising group, the documentation group and to the ways in which the AC network is presented to the world.

The image at the right was produced in the AC Assembly in Kyrgyzstan in June of 2016.

It shows 3 points, which are listed below with comments or clarifications in parenthesis:

Modes of Presentations or media in which the AC will appear.
1. AC TamTam
2. Website
3. Graphic Design
4. Publications
5. Manuals
6. Videos / YouTube
7. Fundraising
8. Introductory Letters
9. Briefs
10. Blurbs (press)
Audiences for presentations
1. To itself (internal)
2. To interested parties (visitors to web page)
3. To funders (potential and existing)
4. To general public
5. To state parties (institutions)
6. To inter-governmental organizations (UNESCO, EU, etc.)
Questions (to be resolved either through the guidelines that will be produced in this document or that need to be addressed by other working groups or the AC Assembly.)
1. Do we think of processing levels of presentation across the AC system?
  1. Local, Regional, Global (Is the presentation the same on all levels?
2. Content management? Standardising of Content? (Should the content regarding the AC be standardized? What is the key information? Who will develop it? Coordinate with Documentation Group)
3. Who presents in person? (Who are the spokespersons? Everyone in AC?)
  1. Guidelines should address the ethics of fundraising (what are our ethics about fundraising?) + fundraising (what should be presented to funders? Is the presentation of AC the presentation of the AC Network as an entity comprised of individual initiatives that form a group whose sum is greater than any individual group?) + present.

GUIDELINES

The presentation of the Arts Collaboratory is the presentation of the totality of the ecosystem including the history of the AC, a description of the range of interests, projects and accomplishments that is represented by work of the groups in the network. (This strategy should be coordinated with the Fundraising Group. The word network may be changed depending upon the conclusions of the Legal Entity group and the decisions of the AC regarding the organizational structure.)
The content of the presentation of the Arts Collaboratory should be standardized and consistent and carry the same core message at the local, regional and national levels.
1. Details may deleted or emphasized depending on the purpose of the presentation.
The presentation of the Arts Collaboratory should be integrated into other media platforms in which the individual initiatives are also included. (Tam, Tam and Web Page)
The shorter or longer presentations of the AC should be developed considering different possible modes of presentation including, but not limited to the following:
1. AC TamTam
2. Website
3. Graphic Design
4. Publications
5. Manuals
6. Videos / YouTube
7. Fundraising
8. Introductory Letters
9. Briefs
10. Blurbs (press releases)
When writing the content of the presentation of the Arts Collaboratory the different possible audiences should be taken into consideration. Some of the possible audiences are the following:
1. To itself (internal)
2. To interested parties (visitors to web page)
3. To funders (potential and existing)
4. To general public
5. To state parties (institutions)
6. To inter-governmental organizations (UNESCO, EU, etc.)
A system for translation and style checking should be implemented for the development of the content of the presentation.
1. The native speakers of French, Spanish and English in the AC Ecosystem should be considered for these tasks. If they are not available, outside translators and style checkers may be employed.
2. It may be a good idea to set up network of ‘Study Buddy Writers’
As presentation opportunities arise for international and transnational organizations the spokesperson(s) should be selected by the AC Group. (to be coordinated with Fundraising Group).
Each organization in the AC ecosystem should have the right to use the AC presentation materials to promote the work of their organization while respecting the AC family principles and ethics.
Costs for participating in presentations, if they require travel and lodging etc., that will benefit the entire AC ecosystem should be assumed by the ecosystem. (The form of payment and this idea in general has not yet been approved by the assembly.)

Resource map

RESOURCE MAP - Experimental Tooling Project - Why-How-When

Ana, Hama and Dominique

What is Resource Map ETP?

RESOURCE MAP is an experimental tooling project to research and develop an active and ever changing tool and space to map, bring together, archive and activate our common resources.

How should our Resource Map be and become?

a map that informs us in a simple visual way what is where, within each organization and the general network
an active tool available not only within the AC Network, but to the affinity network that we build daily in our ecosystems.
a map that contains in itself tangible and intangible resources, bringing to the common: ideas, tools, thoughts and knowledge in a decentralized way
a way to voice particular needs within each organization opening the possibilities for collaboration
an extension of AC as a potentiality for learning, for devising and imagining ways of being and resisting, for artistic practices and for the understanding of our ecosystems etc.
an imaginative platform that takes into account the complexity of our network and entanglement as a resource in itself.
an online tool where each organization, group, ETP, triangle etc can (and should!) directly upload information and keep an updated map of the resources they have to share.
an open source tool.

An approach to think about our Resource Map

Drawing from the ethical principles of the AC network, we should be critical about the limitations of our resources but also about the potential they reach when they are shared and brought to the commons.

Future guidelines will be developed on ways to recognize, organize and share the information related to the resources that exist and are being built within:

each organization
triangles
working groups
experimental tooling projects
bangas
AC Assembly
collaborative projects

In mapping our resources we should address how / when / under which conditions we can share the resources among the AC members but also how to be OPEN to the “outside”, to the imaginary, potential and invisible collective of free radicals around the AC network.

As well as our resources we should also map our struggles and our needs. These will enrich the resource map as they would allow the network to recognize possible links, connections and mutual affectation through commoning.

During Assembly we recognized a list of big ideas to collectively develop as exercises for tooling, fun(d)raising, etc. These ideas are part of our map of desires and possibilities to construct and signify through the collective work. For example the AC Art Gallery...

As an Experimental Tooling Project we propose to develop it in two stages:

STAGE 1- Resource Map 1.0

3 months / END OF OCTOBER

In this first stage we would

address the issue on how to get the knowledge of our common resources shared as soon as possible and do it in a basic and simple format
start the research on more complex systems of archiving info, sharing and activating resources.

How and What:

Study Group (3 members) to deeply research and collectively study existing archives and sharing networks, meet with developers and try to find the kind of platform best suited to AC Resource Map needs.
Work with Documentation Group and with Website Group to address overlaps, clarify tasks and find a way to make sure all systems work together.
Define basic guidelines and organization system for the Resource Map
Design and conceptualize a survey to map each organization’s actual resources and also to gather feedback on the way we are thinking about resources.
Gather, process and share the information of this initial survey as a first step towards the Resource Map.

STAGE 2 - Resource Map 2.0

6-12 months (?)

This second stage will be dedicated fully to the tooling of the tool for sharing the tools!

It will require, but not limited to:

Study Group (same 3 members) - bring the research to concrete proposals about possible tools - maps and platforms- to share and access resources or info about them
Review the classification system, categories or specificities and refine all this based on organization’s feedback from survey.
Work in conjunction with programmer and designer to fully develop whatever tools we come up with
Test and adjust
Create a Guidelines for self-maintenance

Once we have a tool, a working tool, there would have to be an ongoing commitment from all AC members to upload and to keep information on resources up to date.

NEEDS

It would be great to have one to two more people join this ETP!
Contact info on hacker friends, developers or gurus of information with affinity to AC principles Anyone in the network that we can ring for advice ?

TIMELINE

BUDGET

(Work in Progress)

INITIAL REFERENCES FOR STUDY

Some of the references we have been looking into are:

Feedback welcome!!

Tam-tam

TAM-TAM GUIDELINES

What is TAM TAM? TAM-TAM is one of our internal communication tools/mechanisms for accountability, update and sharing of important, relevant and synthesized information with the rest of the AC network about ongoing of AC processes.

Who is sharing in TAM-TAM?

All the activities and working groups (temporary and permanent)

TAM-TAM content/structure format

TAM-TAM will be set up on as a provisional platform until AC internal website is ready. For the first editions, information will be collected through the Google Drive and set up by TAM TAM working group for delivery. (see procedure description below).

IMPORTANT: TAM TAM is proposed to work as a platform within the AC internal website area. We have been in conversations with Website WG, and this process of re-adjusting and programming will take some time. So TAM TAM has decided to set up a provisional platform for the first editions, until the new website is ready. Guidelines will be updated and shared when this is ready.

TAM TAM TEAM + TASKS:

Teesa: In charge of call for contributions and reminders
Andrés and Platohedro (Lina+Luci): In charge of proofreading final content. Checking if there is any content missing. / Also Andres contribution with template design /visual identity.
Dani: In charge of setting up TAM TAM on platform and distribution to all AC mailing list.

Financial resources

We are as of right now working with an online platform. In the future we will be discussing this with Website working group.

Proposal for centralizing the information for TAM-TAM

We have created a shared folder containing subfolders with the name of each working group. Each working group will be responsible of generating the content they want to share with AC network. We have also created a subfolder for each triangle, so that each one can upload important information they wish to share (text, images).

In the future when temporary groups dissolve we will only have sub-folders for the permanent groups and activities, in agreeance with what was discussed during the assembly.

FOLDERS:

Working Plan

TAM-TAM will be delivered every 3 months.

(September 30th 2016, December 31 2016, March 31 2017 and June 30 2017)

IMPORTANT: As soon as all the guidelines arrive from their working group we will complete this document with more accurate content suggestions for each working group and activity.

Content can be uploaded anytime in between editions. TAM TAM will make contact with each working group through email two times to remind everyone of delivery dates.

FIRST REMINDER: A first reminder will be sent by Teesa via email a month before TAM TAM delivery date. Ideally each working group can chose one person from their group to be the contact between TAM TAM and their group.

The first reminder of the call for contributions for the first edition on the AC general list will be August 30th 2016.

SECOND REMINDER: The second and final reminder of the call for contributions will be sent by Teesa 2 weeks before TAM TAM delivery date.

The second reminder of the call for contributions for the first edition on the AC general list will be September 19th 2016.

CONTENT FOR TAM TAM

Each working group will be responsible of generating a document with their attached images/graphics and/or links to information already online. Therefore TAM TAM thinks each working group should have autonomy on what they want to share with everyone. So we decided we would give everyone some very basic guidelines on how or what content to share.

Keep it nice and simple: TAM TAM will be delivered every 3 months so maybe working groups will have a LOT of information to share. Try to keep it simple and straightforward, don't be afraid of using bullet points. We want information to be concise so it's easy to read.

Think outside of the box: Don't be afraid to share pictures, audio or videos of your process. Also links to videos, music or other documents.

Have fun: This is the way we stay in touch with each other. So try and make this an easygoing process. Think of it as sending out an email to your friends to tell them what's up with your life. Keep it cool and casual.

CONTENT STRUCTURE:

The structure of the FINAL content each working group uploads to their folder on Google Drive should be the following:

1. Title: Please be clear and concise.
2. Topic: Add the name of your activity or working group. Example: #Banga #Fundraising
3. Cover image: Suggest an outstanding image to accompany your publication.
4. Synapse: All posts must have a short text description of 550 characters maximum (including spaces). Please be clear and concise in your description.This will be in english ONLY.
5. Full content: You can use other creative formats like images, video, and audio are welcomed, following this:
  - Images: Images must uploaded in jpg and compressed (no more than 350 kb per image)

- Video and audio: This information should be shared from links from other platforms such as youtube, vimeo, soundcloud, archive.org, etc. In case you want to keep your content private/only for AC members, some of this platforms allow the private use with password (like vimeo). In this case, please remember to also share the password to access the content.

IMPORTANT: (Please follow each working group guidelines for preparing your material related to triangles, financial, etc.)

Length

Texts: We don’t suggest a max of words.
Images: 1 to 3 images. Only JPG. compressed (no more than 350 kb per image)
Audio/videos: As links.

Document extensions

Texts: Editable version (google docs)
Images: JPG. compressed (no more than 350 kb per image)
Videos/audios: they must be previously online, share the link

Languages/translations

The content should be sent in english, but ideally published in 3 languages (English, Spanish, French). Working groups are responsible for providing their content in English and at least one more language.

Work in progress

WORK IN PROGRESS

In case anyone is interested in following this process we have added the links to the documents we have been working on since we came back from the assembly:

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/0B1dvlBDD00WpTFZUN1hNRHJCblk

Idea for internal AC platform

The current website hosting runs with a CMS (Content Management System) that all the organizations already know and have access to publish news in the AC website. We also have a tutorial for publishing on the current AC website.

For the internal platform, a simple way could be to generate a folder inside the hosting where we can install and configure the same CMS, with the same users database, for facilitate the use of it, and the access will be restricted in the home page (front end), this means to see the content you have to login and use each organization password.

This option allows to maintain the current styles (CSS) and plugins of the “public” CMS for publication and content visualization.

Consultation on Legal Entity options – from Alejandra Montiel

Dear Paula,

Thanks for the meeting we had this weekend as well as for the information you have provided. As discussed, the group of organizations we discussed (the Group) is interested in exploring possible legal organization options that would consider the diversity of the members of the Group in order to keep operating as a sole Group and face the upcoming changes in investment, funds, operation, self-sustainability, etc.

A preliminary and very basic analysis shows the following:

Merge possibility

This would imply creating a new entity by merging all the existent members of the Group.
This is simply not feasible due to the current conditions of the members, which are all dully organized and registered in their correspondent jurisdictions.
It is almost impossible to find a jurisdiction in the world that would allow such a large merge of organizations with such diverse legal back ground.
In my opinion, this is simply not feasible.

New organization

The members could serve as founders or shareholders or a new organization to be created (the Neworg)
Said Neworg would possibly need to be created in a so called tax haven, which allows for easier conditions for founders of such diverse origin, v.g, BBVI, Delaware, Nebraska, etc, just to mention some in the American continent.
Even if this was possible it would be necessary to obtain and secure the legal documents from all members, apostille and legalized these documents in order to have then create a Neworg as founders and/or shareholders
Once created, the Neworg would possible require a director, administrative staff and there is a risk that a new level of bureaucracy and thus expense would be created.
The main question here is: does the Group really need a new entity and all the expenses associated to is creation and maintenance?

A new idea

Let’s look at the EU from a bird’s eye perspective:

It is a supranational organization composed by different countries, with their own regulations, identity and conditions.
Its motto: United in Diversity
The members have agreed to abide by a common document or constitution, approved according to the methods established by the legislation of each country.
In those cases in which the country’s legislation does not allow them to accept all the conditions, exceptions are made, v.g. the English case, in which monetary integration has not occurred.
Its main goals are integration and multinational cooperation.
The EU is not registered in any world registry. Nonetheless, due to its organization and the behavior of its members, it is acknowledged world wide as a valid counterpart, with cooperation offices and embassies.
It follows, in general terms, the concept of confederation or federation.
It’s modus operandi is defined as follows:

“through common policies regarding different fields of action”

“In order to achieve common goals, the members appoint the Union several attributions, powers or competence and the Union exercises a common or share sovereign authority”

It has an internal system based on the representative democracy regime and 7 main institutions:

European Parliament.
European Council- in charge of general political orientation and appointment of representatives before third parties.
Council.
European Commission
Justice Tribunal
Accountability Tribunal
European Central Bank

There are as well many sub committees or smaller institutions for specific activities.
Although the origin EU dates back from the end of the IIWW, it is not an original ideal. The British had already developed something similar through not as complicated through the concept of the Commonwealth for all countries which once were British colonies.

So, let’s explore the possibility of creating our very own version of the UE. How shall we call it? Arts Union? Commonwealth of Arts? International Arts Collective? Global Arts Community? Shall we let the advertisers, marketing people or best yet, the members decide?

Why does it seem to be a good idea?

The Group members are already dully organized in their own countries.
The Group already has drafted its basic document of principles (a constitution if you will), approved by all members according to its own internal regulation.
The Group has a clear vision of activity distribution, which coincidentally includes seven different areas.
Each section could issue the Group regulation for its area considering the wellbeing and needs of the organization and submit it to the comments, observations and approval of the rest of the members.
The Group already has ample experience on negotiating and agreeing on documents across the borders.
The Group requires a supranational form of organization, based on self-regulation, and based on integration, collaboration, diversity and unity concepts.
The Group is not looking form complicated national changes such as change of currency, strong economical adjustments, customs regulations, common air space, common criminal regulation- which should make it easier. Also, any elections of representatives would be easier among 25 members as compared to 500 million (approx.) citizens.
The Group could allow for exceptions in the memberships or level of memberships according to its need.
It may require additional bureaucracy, just as the EU does, but not new organization
The head of the organization could rotate every X time.
It is a flexible organization form.
Keeping the reasonable distance and concept-wise, the UE scheme and the direction the Group has taken is very similar.

So, just do it!

Not yet. In my opinion, it is worth exploring.

It must have cons, right?

Yes and this is something that must be studied.

For instance, one non-legal question is how would such an organization be received by world funds that may provide further funding for self-sustainability projects? Maybe they will give it only to an individual member, but then the member could distribute or contribute the amount received to the Group’s finance. Maybe some funds would be willing to provide funding to strengthen this type of organization.

I’ll be more than willing to discuss this in further detail with you or the members of the Group if necessary.

Thanks for the opportunity to participate in this. I love the idea.

Alejandra

Website Guidelines

Website Guidelines (Provisional)

Working Group: Barto, Ferdi (part-time), and Yolande (full time members); Wok The Rock (Designer); Thijs Gadiot (Programmer)

Recap

Our website is a repository for almost all of the material that we garner in AC as well as the “face” to the outside world.

When collecting feedback about the website the then communication group found that most are in favor of a relatively straightforward website that communicates and represents the current self-organized structure of AC. To that end, a mere update and not total re-design of the website seems sufficient, also complying with to our principle of self-sustainability, given the funds and labor that has been poured into the AC website already.

The updated website will focus on streamlining existing content, representing the new AC structure and centralizing AC communication whereby TAM TAM’s (the AC internal Newsletter) infrastructure will be annexed to the website along with Documentation WG as we are looking to share storage or sever space. That said, is important to view Website alongside TAM TAM and Documentation – their working groups are intertwined and have a habitual working process – as they are part of one AC communication organ after all.

The below guideline will serve more as an overview of the work to come, and suggested a production timeline. Once the website is settled a second guideline or user’s manual for the website will follow.

NEW website working fields

1. About

2. Organization

Profiles

3. News

4. Tools

*Established with Tooling WG

5. Resource Map

*Established with Tooling WG

6. Shop

*Tooled Material & Books sold through here

7. Info

*info@asrtscollaboratory.com

1.1 Video (by Al Maamal)

1.2 Intro

- History

- Mission

By Presentation WG

1.3 Future Plan

- Ethical Principles

1.4 Associate Partners

By DOEN

2.1 Individual statement with Lifelines

3.1 Facebook (no twitter or Instagram)

Maintained by Social media Working Group

4.1 Triangle Working groups

4.2 Triangle

4.3 Assembly

4.4 Banga

4.5 Books

4.6 Projects

- Schoolab

- Territories

- Here & Now

- Minga

5.1 Resources to be shared outside of AC network

6.1 Books & Merch.

7.1 Admin forward queries to the respective WGs

7.2 Message on how to join and what we are missing

Details:

0. A digitizing organigram, introduced by the Meta working group, will be translated by the website designer Wok The Rock and will be the new homepage of the website!

1.1 Format of the Video should be established with Website Working Group (WWG), see production outline below.

And update to our current introduction (including our 1.2 history, mission and presentation) will be led by Presentation WG is to be approved by all members before update

1.3 Similarly, the update to the Future Plan (including our Ethical Principles) will be led by its working group. The suggestion it to also make our common language and ethical principles available besides the Future Plan as to make our mission more transparent

1.4 The list of AC Associate Partners can be also be updated, with the help of DOEN.

2.1 Each AC member may choose to update representation (traditionally the mission statement) to reflect our AC common language. Our suggestion is not to reproduce generic text but share a ±100-word blurb as a form of self-representation that speaks to the core of your organization (radical imagination!)

This text could be including formative books, encounters, travels, films. etc. The text should come together with a complimentary. This will be published together with the Lifelines on the website.

3.1 In line with the communication’s survey findings during the assembly in Kyrgyzstan, AC will suspend its Twitter and Instagram accounts (Casco will take care of this) and its Facebook account will be maintained by its Working Group (Social Media WG). The Facebook newsfeed will no longer occur on the homepage of the website but will be tucked away and serve as the News update for the outside world.

4. Herein is one of the most complex parts of the website as we never managed to have the tooling workshop during assembly thus WWG’s proposal is to touch base with the Tooling WG and develop an interface for this part of the website together.

5. Similarly the resources section of the website is to be workshopped with the Resource WG in order to co-develop an Interface.

6. The shop will host any on sale merchandise and publications.

Here the proposal is not to have a centralized shop that will need administrative maintenance but to organize it such that each the producer(s) of each item are also responsible for its sale. For example, the Territories publications will be shown on the AC website and their sales directed to the Territory WG members (Art Group 705, Centre Soleil d'Afrique, Cráter Invertido, Doual’art, Más Arte Más Acción, and VANSA) to sell.

Territory is then responsible for collecting the profits for our common pot.

7. The info. account will be maintained by an administrator who is in charge of forwarding emails to the correct Working Group

8. A donate account will be made available, in collaboration with the Financial WG

Loose Production Schedule

SEP 2016: Website WG gets in touch with all contributing Working Droups, and establishes necessities to out forward in the design brief

OCT 2016:

- Website WG consolidates design update brief with TAM TAM and Documentation for the designer and programmer

- Fine tune brief with designer and programmer, and get a quote for costs

NOV 2016:

- Content production by working group

- Workshop the Tooling and Resources part of the website with WGs

- Design update from designer due

DEC 2016: Content production by working group

JAN 2017: All website material due

FEB 2017: Design & Programming

MAR 2017: Design & Programming

APR 2017: Editing, tweaking

MAY 2017: Website launch

The budget can only be determined once we get a quote from the

programmer and designer in October 2016.

See Unresolved Question. ↑
Based on comments by Abdallah Salisu, April 2017. ↑
Comment by Stefano Harney and Tonika Sealy after meeting in Utrecht, June 2015. ↑
Comment by Stefano Harney and Tonika Sealy after meeting in Utrecht, June 2015. ↑
Based on comment by Abdallah Silesu, April 2017 ↑
Based on comment by Abdallah Silesu, April 2017. ↑
The basis of this text was taken from the Arts Collaboratory website and was modified based on the activities that occurred before and after the Assembly in Kyrgyzstan. ↑
Comment by Stefano Harney and Tonika Sealy after meeting in Utrecht, June 2015. ↑
Comment by Stefano Harney and Tonika Sealy after meeting in Utrecht, June 2015. ↑
ibid.. ↑
Based on a comment by Abdallah Salisu, April 2017. ↑
This was taken from Attaya’s guidelines. ↑
AC aims to challenge traditional notions of “funder” / “grantees”. Here the term is used to refer to traditional system and how it is still impacting AC but aimed to be in practice challenged ↑
One of the founding organizations of the original AC and an organization that has already achieved a certain level of economic self-sustainability, they do not maintain one of the collective pots therefore the number of organizations differs from the number of organizations listed in the introduction. ↑
Addition from the comments of independent reviewer Penny Travlou, 2016. ↑
Ibid. ↑