OurSpace/Creative Exchange stems from the idea of the Potlatch, a public ritual/festival/feast involving a gift exchange practiced by some indigenous cultures. Potlatch was a community celebration of important events, but also a redistribution and reciprocity of wealth. Once banned by Canadian and US governments, it was considered a wasteful and unproductive custom, not associated with “civilized” values. As artists and community activists, we wish to reconsider this custom as an antidote to the Internet-based virtual exchanges and market-driven connections so abundant today. It is our belief that real objects exchanged in a real space, in a real community, can initiate real connections between people and communities.

BRING IN SOMETHING SMALL, SOMETHING YOU CREATED,
SOMETHING FOUND, SOMETHING MEANINGFUL.- TRADE IT

Our Space/Creative Exchange is a component of the art exhibit
Voices: Mapping the Hood - 2009 at Art Produce Gallery, and Common Space, City College Gallery 2016

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