Mission
The Collective manifests a mosaic of artistic identity, comprising authentic and underrecognized voices in arts and culture. It is an alternative space for diverse artists to think critically, creatively, and collaboratively about systemic issues in art and society. The Collective is a safe and equitable community in which we celebrate the vibrant exchange of ideas and the radical reimagining of our disciplines. We at the Collective strive to challenge the status quo of “success,” and engage with the global complexity of the art we make and the lives of the people who make it. The Collective explores and validates the infinite ways in which artists experience meaning and find fulfillment.
In this space, each unique and emerging voice is vital not only for the equity of our art but for the liberation, well-being, and economic emancipation of its practitioners.
Thoughts on diversity
Efforts to “diversify” artistic disciplines must transcend representation and performative activism. We at The Collective are critical of the fact that diversity is so often pursued as an institutional asset or as a token method to right social wrongs. We acknowledge that this approach perpetuates and reinforces the exact power structures that made diversification necessary. Thus, appropriate allyship requires that we take diversity as a way of life — not ancillary to engaged art-making but completely essential.
When elitism, exceptionalism, and exclusion are woven into the fibers of artistic systems and institutions, changes in content, though undeniably important, are not enough to enact systemic change. To truly decolonize, we need a revolution in form. We believe that today’s artists must be more than entrepreneurs, activists, or strong creators with transferable skills — we must be agents of change, working together to reimagine the structure and character of our fields by critically engaging their histories, global essence, and changing positions in society.
Art is, and always has been, human experience. Human experience is inherently diverse. Thus, art is incomprehensive unless all avenues are explored. To live a full artistic life, especially in our increasingly global society, we must hold diversity — of people, phenomenologies, and lifeways — not as adjacent to our art-making but as its framework and guiding force.
Mosaic concept
Mosaics exist only through the coalescence of a myriad of diverse elements — each tiny, imperfect, natural piece distinct and indispensable to the brilliant, spectacular whole. Paradoxically, a mosaic’s beauty is revealed not only through the sum but the autonomy of its parts.
Correlatively, at The Collective, we prize divergent and underrepresented voices; true systemic change happens when the minority voice leads and progresses the larger societal conversation. It is together, through the sum of our individual autonomies and agencies, that we can forge a brighter mosaic — a collective work with revolutionary potential.
The collective “product“
Pressure to produce is endemic in our society and in our fields. Rampant creation and productivity for productivity’s sake inevitably leaves us oversaturated with content and activity, mentally and emotionally fatigued, and perpetually feeling behind, inferior or even worthless, forever “not doing enough.” What is more, this obsession with accomplishment rushes us through our work, distorting our capacity to think critically about what we do and why we do it. The Collective is different. Our communal product is the thinking we do together, the inspiration and enrichment it brings to our lives and our community, and the new paradigm through which we approach our creative work.
The Collective’s primary medium is the written word. This approach, less tailored to our digital age, is inherently more time-consuming. We believe that an emphasis on the written word will empower us to reflect, express, and be present to think. And furthermore, in our “academic-ish” quarterly publication, monthly newsletters, and community gatherings, we seek to champion each writer’s unique personality, expressive voice, and writing style.
Foundations
As two flutists and close friends, we (Dani and Elisa) began collaborating on the idea of The Collective in Spring 2021 because of our dissatisfaction with systemic dysfunction and with the shortcomings in both institutional and individual responses to broad societal issues. We truly feel that what is missing in our society is a focus on critical thinking. Even in our field of music, many major institutions and leading figures have fallen short of critically considering systemic issues. In such an environment, the work and ideas of critical and non-mainstream musicians are unfortunately either co-opted by or buried beneath the status quo.
In forming The Collective, we wanted to create a space for critical thinking to thrive, where we can engage in meaningful, intelligent, and transformative conversations about the world and the role of art in our society. If we can provide a place for that kind of discourse and community, not only will artists find more support and meaning in their daily lives and pursuits, but all of us will be empowered to create social and field-wide change.
The Collective is a gathering place for visionary artist-thinkers. Will you be a part of our mosaic?
