ANSWER 2 ︎︎︎ For individual artists and arts works interested in publishing their work.
Reporter: Have you noticed these birds flitting about the terminal and the concourses?
Spokesperson: Well it's hard not to, they're kind of all over the place. And we know they're out there. It's a safe bet that most of the airports in the United States face some kind of bird problem inside their facility. There's just too many ways that they can get into the buildings themselves, through jet bridges, loading docks, open doors in the terminals when the passengers are moving in and out. So they've definitely been here for many years.
Reporter: I wonder if they live for very long and what they might eat?
Spokesperson: You know, we're really just not sure. We certainly see them poking around the food courts and near the trash cans. We absolutely discourage employees and passengers from feeding any kind of wildlife. We want to discourage them from being in our facility but they're certainly making the best of their situation.
Spokesperson: Well it's hard not to, they're kind of all over the place. And we know they're out there. It's a safe bet that most of the airports in the United States face some kind of bird problem inside their facility. There's just too many ways that they can get into the buildings themselves, through jet bridges, loading docks, open doors in the terminals when the passengers are moving in and out. So they've definitely been here for many years.
Reporter: I wonder if they live for very long and what they might eat?
Spokesperson: You know, we're really just not sure. We certainly see them poking around the food courts and near the trash cans. We absolutely discourage employees and passengers from feeding any kind of wildlife. We want to discourage them from being in our facility but they're certainly making the best of their situation.
Excerpts from the Colorado Public Radio feature:
DIA Isn’t Sure What To Do About Birds In Its Terminal. — — —
DIA Isn’t Sure What To Do About Birds In Its Terminal. — — —
For the Birds Trapped in Airports is a studio that primarily functions to publish books* in collaboration with arts workers. This studio is structurally designed to foster relationships between peers that are not based in competition, but rather collective support of one another’s well-being.
PUBLISHING STRUCTURE:
Money
Paid out twice per year, all profits from the sales of published work are shared evenly between each publishing cohort—as in, no one makes more money than you, and you don’t make more money than anyone else. Through our studio, it is financially beneficial for each of us to lift up peer collaborators, engage with them in conversation, promote and support their work—just as it would be for them to do so with you. While this is the current structure publishing payouts, it may change if we find more equitable ways to structure it, while taking our limited financial means into consideration.
The creative and physical labor of this studio—a gesture of appreciation and support for the collaborating arts worker(s)—is provided at no cost to collaborators. While each collaborator does not need to pay anything to be published, the expense budget spent by the studio on production must be recouped via product sales or supporting funds (grants, representing gallery support, etc.) before they can begin receiving the equal payouts from the pool of each cohort’s profit funds. This process will be simplified before production begins, to provide a concrete number of how many books must be sold before this shift, as well as a dollar amount, so the collaborator can choose their best way forward.
Even if an artist has not yet published their book, but other members of their cohort have published book where the sales have surpassed the production budget(s), all artists in the cohort will share the payouts from those profiting projects.
Boundaries
Published projects are reviewed by the studio labor team, judged on the basis of if/how the project makes sense for the studio (creatively, physically, financially). A vast majority of the projects happen organically through long-term relationships where mutual trust has been built over time.
Published projects are onboarded collectively in annual cohorts of authors and artists. Each cohort of artists attend an orientation together to introduce themselves, their projects, learn about the studio’s structure and offerings, as well as receive and collectively amend contracts that are agreed upon by the entire cohort.
Project timelines will be based on producing quality products, respecting the creative and physical labor put forth from all parties. Projects will not be rushed for public events or award submission deadlines.
This studio will not be financially supporting established institutions that are structurally white supremacist (majority-white leadership, board, staff, gallery/publishing roster, etc.). This studio will not be financially supporting white arts workers whose work/presence communicates antiracism as optional or not relevant to their life/work.
Any harmful language or action expressed toward any person involved with a project will result in the project being cancelled.
Design
So as not to create false expectations about the publishing process or what is physically possible, the design of each project is led by the studio laborer(s) producing those editions. The global pandemic has provided a great opportunity for monopolies like Amazon to hoard materials like cardboard, allowing billionaires to control new markets, and by consequence of this, cost and access to production materials, such as paper, has changed dramatically.
Design in this studio will be creative and experimental, but realistic to the changing conditions that this industry/world faces.
Content
So as to not to influence or conflict with the intentions of the arts worker(s), any book content is always chosen by the published author(s). They retain all rights to the content at all times.
This studio is interested in publishing people and projects working to restore humanity in themselves, as well as working to support the well-being of their peers.
︎ Publishing for Individual Artists
(applications to be considered for a future publishing cohort)
︎ Commissions + Consultations for Individual Artists
For those interested in collaborating, please read more about the structure of the studio here before you reach out.
