metasofa artists community

design and proposal for support of transcendent creativity

cultural diversity with spiritual consciousness is essential - welcoming each other with respect, kindness, learning and understanding.  this also includes people of all ages and abilities, and of any economic status.

living and working together in community is a spiritual practice, where co-operation means with each other... and with guidance from each person's inspiration (co-operation with spirit, as any artist knows), and then also verified by consensus among members of the community.  depending on viewpoint, there are no leaders, or everyone is a co-leader.

each person's time is equally valuable, by definition.  maximum 'free' time for healing & creative work.  minimal overhead of all types, including community meetings & chores.

ecological appropriate technology, and 'off the grid' independence from conventional 'resources'  (conventional 'energy', 'food', 'money', and 'health-care', drugs, tv, bulldozers, guns, other pollution, poisons, addictions... also see mga wildlife refuge)

proposed resident population of 10 to 50, including students, with additional capacity for hundreds of visitors during public events.  if the community grows larger than this, it can be divided into smaller communities (details by consensus)... non-resident membership is limited by the size of the universe.

proposed community resources, projects, businesses
[community.gif 7k map]

theatre & art gallery
- public music / dance / other events by community residents & students
- movie theatre - showing of archival film video etc  (see transcendent movies)
- computer game workshops & sessions, local and internet
- rehearsal space for community residents & students

restaurant & bakery
- it's 'the restaurant at the center of the universe' (when you are here!)
- organic vegetarian restaurant (during public events)
- community kitchen & dining hall (weekdays :)
- sourdough bread bakery for the restaurant (& maybe world distribution)
- food & nutrition workshops, restaurant & bakery work  (see food workshops)

greenhouse & garden
- year-round organic 'kitchen garden' for the restaurant
- gardening & agriculture workshops & projects

housing & gardens around the community
- housing for residents, students, & guests
- gardens & other project spaces for residents & students
- parking & camping facilities for visitors & public events

from an economic perspective, the community is a project of the community itself.  every contributor to this project is considered a lifetime member, each with a permanent account remembering forever, in detail, all contributions of any form or size.

by definition, contributions must be voluntary, and needed & accepted by the community (by consensus)... labor for chores & projects, money for tools & materials, teaching for & tuition from workshops, work for & income from the restaurant+theatre and other projects & business, donations from subscribers...

members who obviously (by some consensus of the membership) are supportive of the community are welcome anytime as guests, and (with more consensus) to become boarding students or permanent residents of the community whenever they like (and if there are teachers and places to reside :)

proposed experiential 'non-school'

providing an open educational environment for residents, students, and visitors.  workshops and collaborative project teams led by community residents and visiting teachers in their various fields of expertise...  (also see metasofa workshops)

music dance theatre etc
- rehearsals & performances in the theatre
- workshops & projects, consulting & services

media-art production
- audio / video / web / digital media
- computer games and other software
- workshops & projects, consulting & publishing

ecological & appropriate technology
- system design, housing, agriculture, solar power
- human-powered vehicles, backyard agriculture, personal robotics, etc
- workshops & experimental projects, consulting & services

holistic health
- nutrition, yoga's, meditation, bioenergetics, co-counseling, etc
- study & support groups for residents & students
- workshops & support groups, consulting & services

where are we now ?

we have many years of experience facilitating the artists workshops in people's homes and working on other collaborative projects, along with lots of informal education and experience living in various shared houses and intentional communities...

at this point, the metasofa artists community is just a very good idea.  we are in search of land or an existing land-trust to join, wanting to be both rural and urban, and we need more members and participation in development of community resources.

if you're interested, please don't be shy!  we need you to join in and help us materialize!  realization of this community will depend on a wide range of contributions, both ideal and material, from all community members...

metasofa artists community

also see  -  metasofa  -  contact  -  news  -  workshops  -  invitation  -  on ic.org