When we first launched the EDC in 2021, those of us involved from the beginning leaned into the idea of a collective, deciding that this space ought to be managed by a core circle working in a collaborative and non-hierarchical manner. We decided to call ourselves “curators” with the original meaning of that word in mind, curators as caretakers of a creative space. Museums and cultural spaces have curators, but so do parks and gardens. Think of the EDC as a place to nurture and cultivate together, with such examples in mind.
We are volunteers in this labor, and the EDC depends on the generosity and commitment folks have brought to this role. We’ve been working on an annual cycle from August to July, and while any curator is welcome to remain with the circle as long as they wish, we ask that folks commit with at least a year in mind. Here’s more on the scope of these commitments, a working vision for our role and responsibility that continues to evolve with us.
BASELINE Commitments: We each agree to—
- Attend monthly curator meetings in the second week of each month, and share our updates with the group beforehand if we are unable to attend that month
- Check in on the EDC platform regularly (ideally every couple of days) and respond to curatorial queries and discussions in a timely manner
- Make at least one public post each week on the EDC platform (something simple: a thought, a quote, a photo, an event that caught your eye, a link to something you’re reading, anything that might resonate with the spirit of our space)
- Try to show up for events and gatherings (online or in person)
- Take on one creative commitment over the year
- Take on one caretaking commitment over the year
- Work with the Coordinator in fulfilling our responsibilities
- Complete the Annual EDC Curator Self-Assessment
CREATIVE Commitments:
We each agree to organize at least one program each year, which could involve—
- Creating and moderating a group on the platform
- Facilitating an online or in-person discussion
- Organizing an online or in-person talk or seminar
- Planning an event based outdoors, in nature
- Planning an activist engagement for the collective
- Convening people around a regular theme (like books or food)
- Organizing a “making/doing” workshop
- Hosting a storytelling event or poetry reading
- Developing a collective project on ecological design or life-centered design
CARETAKING Commitments:
The EDC is an emerging community growing by land and by air (and perhaps one day by sea). By land, we mean our local place and roots in Baltimore, the community that sustains us here. By air, we mean the wider and distributed networks embodied in our virtual online platform. As curators, we each agree to support the health and growth of the collective in at least one of these two dimensions:
The Land Collective will work to build and sustain our community here in Baltimore and projects and partnerships between our respective institutions and studios, and the wider world of researchers, creatives, designers, activists, and cultural spaces in the city. This work can involve–
- Developing relationships within key institutions and networks between them
- Pursuing grant opportunities and institutional sponsorships
- Organizing local community-building events
- Encouraging people to join and participate in the collective
- Evolving a vision for this Baltimore foundation of the EDC and strategies to realize that vision
The Air Collective will work to build and sustain the EDC’s broader virtual community and the many smaller communities it encompasses, stewarding our online community platform and the collaborative publication space it represents. This work can involve–
- Monitoring, maintaining, and further improving the online platform
- Working toward its financial sustainability
- Monitoring, moderating, and participating in online exchanges
- Overseeing published content in an editorial capacity
- Developing new avenues for content and conversation on the platform as well as new networks and structures for such exchanges