Feel-good Label or Radical Challenge to the Status Quo
Handwork being a Co-Op might sound like a feel-good label, but what does it really mean to be an Artist Cooperative that is owned, operated, and staffed by its members? The history of cooperatives is rooted in a tradition that remains truly radical even today. They are in fact, a fundamental challenge to the status quo. The philosophical underpinnings of this self-governance structure stretch back centuries, grounded in ideals of mutual aid, economic justice, true democratic participation, even anarchism emphasizing nonhierarchical structures. The story of cooperatives is one of people reclaiming their agency from systems of exploitation while building a new paradigm.
"The philosophical underpinnings of this self-governance structure stretch back centuries, grounded in ideals of mutual aid, economic justice, true democratic participation, even anarchism emphasizing nonhierarchical structures."
Early Roots: Mutual Aid and Self Determination
While Handwork was founded in 1976 the concept of formal cooperatives as we recognize them today was already over two centuries old at that time. The Free African Society was founded in 1787 by Richard Allen and Absalom Jones in Philadelphia and was among the first Black mutual aid societies of its kind in the post-Revolutionary War era. Allen and Jones acted to address religious segregation and the pressing need for collective support by providing assistance to freed Black people needing housing and employment, financial aid, and spiritual guidance laying the foundation for the first independent Black churches. This powerful example of African American self-determination and community care directly connects to the fight for Civil Rights that spanned from the 19th-century abolitionist movement into 20th-century Black liberation.
Working Class Cooperatives and Immigrant Solidarity
When society failed them, people time and again have organized within their communities to change their circumstances. In 1844 the Rochdale Pioneers, 28 working-class men (mostly weavers), opened a cooperative store in response to exploitation by employers and merchants in the wake of the Industrial Revolution. Their store was democratically run, ethically sourced, and shared profits among members, offering a powerful alternative to the dominant capitalist model. Their success sparked a wave of cooperatives across England and beyond, giving workers greater control over their economic lives. Similarly in the early 1900s, worker co-ops and ethnic mutual aid societies flourished in U.S. cities, especially among Jewish, Italian, and Finnish immigrants who faced challenges integrating into the dominant culture.
"Their store was democratically run, ethically sourced, and shared profits among members, offering a powerful alternative to the dominant capitalist model."
The Counterculture Era
By the 1960s and 70s, a wave of interest in cooperatives and mutual aid started to gain popularity particularly among white Americans disillusioned by capitalism, the military and agricultural industrial complex, and social conformity. With the Black Civil Rights movement finally gaining visibility in the mainstream cultural conversation, the Vietnam War, and a rising environmental consciousness, people were hungry for new ways of living. The group of artists that founded Handwork were a part of this wave of food co-ops (shoutout to the Ithaca’s Greenstar Co-op founded in 1971), intentional communities, and grassroots organizations that emerged across the country during this time.
Cooperation Across Movements: From Music to Food Sovereignty
Cooperatives during this era and since have never been confined to one type of labor or struggle. Other notable examples include Olivia Records founded in 1973 in Washington D.C. by ten radical lesbian feminists. This cooperative created a groundbreaking space for women and lesbian artists in a music industry that largely ignored them. Or the Intertribal Agriculture Council founded in 1987 which is a Native-led non-profit supporting tribal food sovereignty. This organization continues a deep-rooted Indigenous tradition of communal land tenure and collective resource stewardship, practices that long predate Western concepts of cooperative ownership. These examples demonstrate how this orientation toward cooperation and community care can be applied to many areas of life, from land and food to health care, education, and art.
"This organization continues a deep-rooted Indigenous tradition of communal land tenure and collective resource stewardship, practices that long predate Western concepts of cooperative ownership."
Where We are Today
Here at Handwork our mission as a co-op is about recognizing the realities of our economic landscape and how it is often very challenging for artists. Galleries, publishers, and studios may exploit the artist's work, reap most of the profit, and often take full control over how that work is used or reproduced. On the other hand, artists working completely solo face the daunting task of becoming their own marketer, distributor, accountant, and customer service rep all while trying to preserve time and energy for the creative work itself. Handwork’s cooperative model is about sharing the load of bringing our work to the world. Through this we can create more space for what matters most to us - exploring our creative expression.
