Help Shoe Bones transition into an artist cooperative
Donation protected
We are raising funds for the future of the Shoe Bones Collective, a local queer artist community in Salem, Massachusetts. Shoe Bones started as a gallery run by a single owner, but we're hoping to shift to a community run cooperative. Our goals are to: foster community, provide space for people to work on creative projects as well as an inventory to do so, hold events, build a leftist library, workshops and movie screenings, and provide a safe space for queer folks in the north-shore and beyond.
- foster community: over the course of nearly two years, Shoe Bones has successfully garnered a close-knit community of like-minded artists and friends in a time when third spaces and in-person friendships are harder to come by than ever before. Every gallery opening, screening, or workshop has a consistent group of familiar faces that's always welcoming new growth from within the queer community. Many Shoe Bones regulars have found cherished friends and artist connections by attending drawing groups in particular, which is a small weekly event where anyone can come and draw, paint, sculpt, sew, ect. and socialize.
- provide creative space: We hope in the coming year shoe bones members can utilize the space of Shoe Bones itself to work on their own creative projects in a safe, open environment as a sort of soft-workshop/studio space.
- hold events: Shoe Bones is no stranger to social gatherings, and we aim to expand on that with inclusive events for things like trans day of visibility, autistic open floor nights, and so much more.
- workshops: In the past, Shoe Bones has held artist-run workshops in various subjects like zine-making and shirt customizing. Utilizing a diverse collective with different skill sets like our own, we could run art workshops in countless mediums in a fun, community space!
- movie screenings: Many Shoe Bones regulars and prospective collective members have passion for film; whether producing their own, or appreciating the works of others. Shoe Bones is equipped with a projector and screen and has proven to be a cozy, immersive space for watching music videos, movies and shorts in the past.
- provide a safe space: Shoe Bones is for the outsiders, queers, neurodiverse, and creative-minded. In a climate of increasing intolerance and bigotry against communities like ours, we seek to foster safety at Shoe Bones Collective above all else. We will achieve this through care and accountability, and careful consideration of who enters our doors.
- provide an inventory of tools: We aim to garner an inventory of art supplies and tools for community use. We'd love to make the space better suited for creating projects by providing access to tools and materials needed for working. We hope to make largely inaccessible projects like bookbinding and 3D printing available to community members as well as other tools of production.
- Leftist library: In the coming years, we hope to collect various works of leftist literature and study materials for easy access to political, philosophical, and social knowledge within our community.
Over the years of shoe bones' operation as a gallery, we've come to grow a close-knit community of like-minded creatives through activities like weekly drawing groups, as well as gallery openings and events. What makes Shoe Bones so important to so many folks are the people it's made up of, and we hope to keep growing in the coming years.
Organizer
Reese Graves
Organizer
Salem, MA