Join us for ‘Hey Friend, I’ve Been Thinking About Money…’ with Maya Vivas and Ariel Collier.

Maya and Ariel will open an invitational conversation on arts and economics. Without claiming expertise, they approach the discussion with curiosity, care, and a desire to imagine possible interventions to today’s economic crisis. Guided by a series of questions, they will invite participants to reflect on communal financial practices such as mutual aid, doughnut economics, and everyday goodwill. Together, they will also explore how these ideas relate to the pressures and realities artists face under neoliberalism, from unstable income to navigating a market-driven system, as well as the tension between practical constraints and creative ambition.

This event is free to attend and will be held at Auto Italia. To book, please register here, or contact info@artworkassociation.org

Ariel Collier (she/they/we/our) is an accomplished international multimedia artist and curator originally from South Florida, currently based in London. Collier’s work challenges alienation and estrangement, using multiple mediums (such as textile, poetry and photography) and socially engaged practices to shift global understandings of black queer culture towards our inner worlds, reflections and interconnections. Collier’s work invites the public to get to know her intimately and her way of using art as a tool to heal and build community. She invites us to be honest about our desire for connection and to then do something about it. Collier is the founder of Home Studio, a nomadic space dedicated to the promotion, empowerment and development of queer and trans global majority artists by hosting workshops, CRITS, making sessions and exhibitions.

Maya Vivas is a multidisciplinary artist working in a variety of mediums such as ceramic, performance, painting, social practice and installation. Maya has exhibited work, spoken on panels and hosted workshops throughout the United States including venues and institutions such as Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, The National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, Louisiana State University and Yale. Vivas is also co-founder of Ori Gallery; An art space in Portland Oregon prioritizing Queer and Trans artists of Color. And director of Board of Arts; an application management software for the arts.