The Misfits Garage Fundraiser

We are bringing radically inclusive mutated vehicles to playa this year!

Who We Are:

We are the Misfits Garage; a Burning Man Mutant Vehicle support camp. We are a community of People from the Global Majority who are committed to Radical Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (R.I.D.E.) because our experiences have taught us that you never know what connects people together. We are visionaries, builders, and creators. Our mutated vehicles are The Salon, Little Cranes, and The Juke Joint. Each of our vehicles has a different purpose in their mission to support the liberation of the marginalized people on our team. We are creating them as a labor of love meant to be a source of liberation for all people.

The purpose of the Misfits Garage is to initiate magical moments through radical self expression, radical inclusion, and communal effort. As a camp, we support individuals who have a particular desire to gain skills in designing, building, and performing on Mutant Vehicles.

This campaign is the first phase of our fundraiser. Your generous donation will help pay for building supplies, insurance and other expenses to get all of our vehicles running for Burning Man and local Bay Area events.

Crowdfunding Goal:

Our goal is to raise $15,000 (of the total $30,000 needed) through crowdfunding. We greatly need your support and every dollar we raise will go directly to the build of our vehicles. Those who are interested in contributing larger amounts can contact us or our fiscal sponsor directly. Your donations will be tax-deductible through the support of our fiscal sponsor.

About Our Mutated Vehicles:

The Juke Joint

The Juke Joint is first and foremost a safe space for Black people to experience happiness and comfort, lay their burdens down, create great music, dance, and be in fellowship with each other. Post-slavery, White people in the South passed laws making it illegal for Black people to socialize with White people. We created Juke Joints to celebrate Black Joy and revel in the magic of being who we are.

The Juke Joint is a radically inclusive space for all people, and we desire that everyone walks away free and liberated upon visiting and interacting with us. We built The Juke Joint for Burning Man 2022 but, tragically, the engine died on the way up to the playa. This year we are rebuilding the engine and adding surprise flourishes to delight young and old alike.

Your donation will help The Juke Joint with:

Little Cranes

Little Cranes is a mutated bike created so that mobility challenged people can increase their independence and have a fun way of biking to explore the playa and other community outdoor events. It is a tandem electric-assist quadricycle that can carry four people.

Little Cranes was originally created in Oakland and brought to Burning Man for many years as 'The Cloud Car.' The vehicle has fallen into disrepair over the last several years and requires major upgrades to get it working again. The creator has gifted it to us in the hopes that we can spend the time and money to renovate and improve it.

We are dedicating Little Cranes to Mike Hatt and Zulu Heru.

Mike Hatt is our Audio Engineer and is fully blind. Visually impaired riders may find liberation in peddling Little Cranes while being co-piloted with a sighted partner to participate in outdoor community events like the monthly East Bay bike party. Mike speaks fondly of operating a crane as a significant experience.

Zulu Heru is one of our talented artists and also a 2023 Burning Man Honoraria recipient for his installation "Farmer the Rigger." Zulu is a crane operator by profession and an inspiration to our team. We would like to honor his influence on us in the artistic features of Little Cranes.

Your donation will help Little Cranes with:

The Salon

For Black women, hair salons and beauty supply stores are unique in that they're one of the few spaces where their beauty needs aren’t an afterthought. They are sanctuary spaces because Black women can let their hair down without judgment, fellowship with each other, and build community all while being pampered; allowing them to have the freedom to be their true selves while getting a fresh look.

The Salon pays homage to Black women first because they are overlooked, underrepresented, or excluded by the larger beauty community. On playa, The Salon will be a stationary art piece because we want Black women to feel seen and catered to when they experience it. Outside of Burning Man we will use The Salon in community events such as parades, regionals, and other activities.

Your donation will help The Salon with:

Risks and Challenges

If we don't raise our goal amount, we will not be able to bring all of our vehicles to Burning Man 2023. Our base vehicles are older models and we will have our vehicles professionally inspected before our adventure to Black Rock City!

The Misfits Garage is a team of experienced mechanics and Mutant Vehicle builders who are great at sourcing parts and materials to keep our costs as low as possible. Most of our camp and various other friends have spent many hundreds of hours on our builds, and many have developed skills in welding, carpentry, and automotive maintenance. However, we have a lot of work to do, and The Misfits Garage needs these funds in order to complete our builds in time for the burn this year.

Other Ways You Can Help

We are hosting work parties throughout the summer. If you live in the Bay Area and want to be part of The Misfits Garage come help us! You can also tell a friend, tell your mom, and share our project on your Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and in your community. We look forward to hearing from you! Please contribute what you can to our project, and come ride out with us on the Playa!

THANK YOU!