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We work to rebalance
through creativity,
against all odds.
From educators to scientists, policymakers to artists, we give people and organizations a space and platform to innovate and incubate their work, converging people across fields and identities who otherwise may not intersect. As things get more polarized, more reactive, more crisis-filled, fostering diverse creativity across sectors and identities might be the most radical and necessary thing we can do with an uncertain future.
From educators to scientists, policymakers to artists, we give people and organizations a space and platform to innovate and incubate their work, converging people across fields and identities who otherwise may not intersect.
Indigenous Environmental Network
New Economy Coalition Buckminister Fuller Institute
Fibershed Environmental Justice Foundation
Sunrise Movement Centre for Social Innovation
Juliana v. US EPA- Environmental Performance Agency
Honor the Earth Climate Action Network
Winona's Hemp & The Anishinaabe Agricultural Institute
UPROSE Zero Hour Riverkeeper Sane Energy Project
The Center for Artistic Activism DecadesOut
Extinction Rebellion Indigenous Youth Network
Climate Resiliency Toolkit 350.org Greta Thunberg
AECB Cradle to Cradle Biomimicry Institute
Center for Popular Democracy The Land Institute
NACL NRDC Center for Urban Pedagogy
People who
have given:
Jelly Bean Estimate
#342
Ideas
Yes, we have huge visions.
We also have grit, stamina and friends.
INDIGENOUS ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK
CSA 2020- ENVIRONMENT
CURRENT
Responding to Covid-19, 360 Residencies, Creative Insurrections, the CSA and the whatNOWwhat Library
FUTURE
Bringing together thinkers across disciplines and identities to get creative about the future.
PAST
Building up our production chops, multi-medium & multi-faceted events, horizontal curation and an artist residency not just for artists...
It's time we invest in people, ideas & systems with the courage to change.
We figure the best shot we have is to support creative work with as many representations of people & ideas as possible.
To bring people who are emerging, established and on the frontlines of an issue or idea together. People who are creating something beautiful, interesting, provocative or deeply personal. People who are in touch with non-human centered needs. People who disagree. People who are making the leap in their own work, in their own lives, for those around them.
A space to get creative and reimagine. A space to intersect, challenge and check each other.
To support the people, ideas and systems making holes in what is to see what could be.
It's time we invest in people, ideas & systems courageous enough to change.
The stakes have never been so high
We need a space to gather, challenge, expand and create. We need a space to get it together.
Art by Ricardo Levins Morales
TWO YEARS AGO we started our search for a property . . .
Since then we have searched high and low, traversed the Catskills, visited over 15 properties and realized we found what we were looking for right at the start. We wrote the owners a letter and they are excited to have Holes in the Wall Collective call this their home.
A space to support the people, ideas & systems that are here with the courage to change.
It's time we invest in people, ideas & systems that are courageous enough to change.
LITERALLY. SOCIALLY. POLITICALLY.
And for that, we need as much creativity as possible.
Why the C2R2A?
A space for Artists
A space for Educators
A space for Policy makers
A space for economists
A space for Poets
A space for engineers
A space for Film Makers
A space for Designers
A space for physicists
A space for Dancers
A space for scientists
TO HOLD SPACE FOR THE WORK ALREADY BEING DONE & THE WORK YET TO COME
There is already so much amazing work being done. But people need time, space and resources away from their context. And they need to be in creative convergence with people that don’t think like, look like or do what they do. The Center is a place where ideas can take root and where creativity has room to grow legs and be accountable to itself and others. To build & experiment with ideas and systems to support life better than it’s being supported now. Like regenerative agriculture, circular design, horizontal education, equitable algorithms...
DIVERSITY OF
HUMANITY
DIVERSITY OF
NATURE
By housing our Center in a rural context close to New York City, we will actively incorporate the intelligence that is nurtured by a diversity of nature and a diversity of human-centered culture. Especially with many of our participants coming from city contexts, we feel the importance of seeking bridges, learning, and understanding context to and from both city centered and rural cultures. The proximity to a diversity of wilderness and non-human centered spaces is a crucial component to engage participants with the natural world, holistic perspectives and whole-system solutions.
A THRIVING ECOSYSTEM
The future site for the Center is in the Catskill Region of New York. Because of the NYC watershed, the Catskills remain some of the most protected land in New York State and the country. The ability to grow food, have access to clean potable water and the chance to learn from natural ecosystems will be more and more important in the years to come. In addition, a thriving ecosystem includes regenerative energy, integrative infrastructure and a space designed for dynamic interaction and convergence.
A SPACE OUTSIDE THE CRISIS, TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE IT NOT START IN THE FIRST PLACE.
When your boat has a leak, all you can do is bail the water out and get to shore. But to see where the leak is, fix it, or build something better, you have to get the boat out of the water. We are all good at reacting to crisis. It’s in our nature, built into our blood. But envisioning new models & better design– is not always possible to focus on, especially when the fire is already raging. We want to be the place where people can leave their context or echo chamber to be nurtured and challenged in order to support a whole system approach to creative problem solving.
And it's going to take everything and everyone.
Even if you aren't the one doing the work, you can still celebrate it, support it & be part of this.
Creativity is a phenomenon whereby something new and somehow valuable is formed (so says Wikipedia). It's a leap, it's making a hole in what is to see what can be.
We think revaluing creative thought & action is essential to rebalancing our planet. Recognizing the work of the educator, the economist, the lawyer, the mother as just as creative as any.
For creatives of all kinds. for artists, for makers, for thinkers and tinkerers, for educators, for activists, for economists, for scientists, for health practitioners, for builders, for system designers, for musicians, for theorists, for painters, for theologians, for historians, for poets, for pedagogues, for politicians, for soothsayers, for the fool and the mime, for party planners and event producers, for actors, for puppets, for coders, for developers, for strategists, for researchers, for fabricators, for garment makers, for engineers, for physicists, for cultural practitioners, for computational strategists, for mathematicians, for dreamers, for geologists, for astrologists, for astronomers, for playwrights, for film-makers, for writers, for animators, for inventors, for designers, for farmers, for pathologists, for nutritionists, for social workers, for soil builders, for lawyers, for builders, for architects, for landscapers, for curriculum builders, for factory workers, for interventionists, for conversationalists, for abolitionists, for powerhouses, for water protectors, for domestic workers, for union builders, for questioners, for journalists, for bloggers, for online starlets & twitter fiends, for meditators, for permaculturalists, for arborists, for animal whisperers, for husbandrists, for chefs, for plumbers, for electricians, for roofers, for energy consultants, for juvenile delinquent officers, for policy makers, for shelter volunteers & soup kitchen managers, for housing activists, for public advocates, for judges, for bankers, for advertisers, for campaign managers, for accountants, for janitors, for detectives, for seers, for bodhisattvas, for movement organizers, for mothers, for fathers, for the nonbinary, for our ancestors, for the future generations, for all of us. For creatives of all kinds. for artists, for makers, for thinkers and tinkerers, for educators, for activists, for economists, for scientists, for health practitioners, for builders, for system designers, for musicians, for theorists, for painters, for theologians, for historians, for poets, for pedagogues, for politicians, for soothsayers, for the fool and the mime, for party planners and event producers, for actors, for puppets, for coders, for developers, for strategists, for researchers, for fabricators, for garment makers, for engineers, for physicists, for cultural practitioners, for computational strategists, for mathematicians, for dreamers, for geologists, for astrologists, for astronomers, for playwrights, for film-makers, for writers, for animators, for inventors, for designers, for farmers, for pathologists, for nutritionists, for social workers, for soil builders, for lawyers, for builders, for architects, for landscapers, for curriculum builders, for factory workers, for interventionists, for conversationalists, for abolitionists, for powerhouses, for water protectors, for domestic workers, for union builders, for questioners, for journalists, for bloggers, for online starlets & twitter fiends, for meditators, for permaculturalists, for arborists, for animal whisperers, for husbandrists, for chefs, for plumbers, for electricians, for roofers, for energy consultants, for juvenile delinquent officers, for policy makers, for shelter volunteers & soup kitchen managers, for housing activists, for public advocates, for judges, for bankers, for advertisers, for campaign managers, for accountants, for janitors, for detectives, for seers, for bodhisattvas, for movement organizers, for mothers, for fathers, for the nonbinary, for our ancestors, for the future generations, for all of us. For creatives.
Holes in the Wall Collective gives time & space across fields and identities to incubate and intersect.
Because the world is out of balance.
Fresh Kills Park Staten Island •360 Residency Program.
People already doing the work.
Intersect
Challenge
Nurture
-field
-perspective
Returning to the work, more balanced.
Multi
-identity
Check
HWC
-generation
Balance
NOT FOR SALE
Holiday Party
A celebration challenging all of us to bring what we are proud to give.
A non-transactional hubaloo to end the year
Why a creative residency
and not a creative commune
Because when there is a leak in the boat, all you can do is bail out the water and get to shore. . . but then you have to get the boat out of water to fix the leak or build a better boat. AND then... you have to get back in the water.
That's why we support creativity as one of the best ways to remediate, restore & rebalance the future.
We give TIME & SPACE to people who are engaging creatively within their fields to INCUBATE & INTERSECT.
We do this through our residency PROGRAMS, social messaging CAMPAIGNS, and multi-disciplinary EVENTS.
Holes in the Wall Collective
has directly served over
4,000 PEOPLE, partnering with
over 50 ORGANIZATIONS
and collaborating artists
along the way.
CREATIVE RESIDENCIES. EVENTS. PUBLIC CAMPAIGNS.
The interactions and solitude at Holes in the Wall residency came at a pivotal moment in my curatorial career and had shaped not only the project I was working on but every project since.
Nicole Soukoup
assistant curator of contemporary art, MIA
6 years in the city. 3 years on the land. 140+ Creative Residents. 30+ Events. 10 states & 5 countries. 4,000+ people.
We don't just do one thing. On purpose.
6 years in the city. 3 years on the land. 140+ Creative Residents. 30+ Events. 10 states & 5 countries. 4,000+ people.
The interactions and solitude at Holes in the Wall residency came at a pivotal moment in my curatorial career and had shaped not only the project I was working on but every project since.
Nicole Soukoup
assistant curator of contemporary art, MIA
We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.
- Mileva Marić
My residency at the Holes in the Wall farm challenged me to think about politics as a bodily action and something we feel in our movements, hear with our ears or even eat...
Ben Duvall, 2016 resident • Exercises in Democratic Undemocracies
THE FUTURE IS MADE
BY
As artists, we are used to DOING A LOT WITH A LITTLE.
We are used to being uncomfortable, trying something new, forming new connections, building unlikely partnerships. But to solve what’s ahead and acknowledge how we got here, we are going to need more than artists to take the creative leap. We are going to need educators and scientists and advocates and mothers and lawyers and students...
Are you afraid of the future
We are.
?
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete”.
-Buckminster Fuller
disciplines
art, music, film, writing, performance, education, policy, technology, science, social activism, health, economy . . .
& identities
race, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion,
cultural context, specialization . . .
Our work spans across
And it's going to take everything and everyone.
Even if you aren't the one doing the work, you can still celebrate it, support it & be part of this.
SATURDAYS
COMMUNITY
EVENTS
future
SURVIVAL
KIT
EAT HERE
We are a ...
CONNECTOR
We connect people & ideas.
CONTAINER
CATALYST
We spark creativity.
EVERYONE and EVERYTHING
is part of the environment.
You are not separate from the world you live in.
It's your environment. Which includes air, water, and the ground beneath you. Which is why although we are not a traditional environmental
organization we are still an environmental organization.
Meaning we are interested in people and the places they are in, ideas and the ecosystems they thrive in. New innovations and old wisdom.
Holes in the Wall Collective supports creative practice in all fields and expands our definition of a creative to those working in science, policy, economics, mathematics, education, health, research, activism, pedagogy, technology, people who don't fall into any of those categories... and more. We invite people across disciplines, identities & generations to engage with their practice and share collective space.
We believe that the environment isn't separate from us
and never has been. And if we are going to deal
with climate change, we have to change the climate.
In all ways, simultaneously.
Bringing artists, scientists, economists, ecologists, health practitioners, educators, technologists, researchers, historians, designers, farmers, makers and... into collective space - for residencies, for fellowships, for workshops & programing, for events, for shows, for unexpected engagements & creative problem solving.
IDEAs
are
everywhere
We don't think we have the answers but we know we can hold space for them. Giving dedicated time and
space to make something better.
From the late great Pete Seeger...
‘Imagine a big seesaw. One end of the seesaw is on the ground because it has a big basket half full of rocks in it. The other end of the seesaw is up in the air because it’s got a basket one-quarter full of sand. Some of us have teaspoons, and we are trying to fill it up.
‘Most people are scoffing at us. They say: “People like you have been trying for thousands of years, but it is leaking out of that basket as fast as you are putting it in.”
‘Our answer is that we are getting more people with teaspoons every day. And we believe that one of these days or years – who knows – that basket of sand is going to be so full that you are going to see that whole seesaw going “Zoop!” in the other direction. Then people are going to say, “How did it happen so suddenly?” And we answer: “Us and our little teaspoons over thousands of years.”’
It's going to take all of us,
every bit counts.
&
It's going to take immense creativity to change course . . . and call us crazy, but we believe that collectively we can do it.
Why us, you ask
?
Because we feel we have to.
And we belive we can help make it better.
IT'S HARD TO DO THINGS IN THIS STATE...
NATURE IS GIVING IT BACK TO US...
THE DEATH STAR... (MAN UNCHECKED)
THE PROPHETS HAVE ALREADY WARNED US...
because all the
work is already being done...
It just needs time & Space.
For creatives of all kinds. for artists, for makers, for thinkers and tinkerers, for educators, for activists, for economists, for scientists, for health practitioners, for builders, for system designers, for musicians, for theorists, for painters, for theologians, for historians, for poets, for pedagogues, for politicians, for soothsayers, for the fool and the mime, for party planners and event producers, for actors, for puppets, for coders, for developers, for strategists, for researchers, for fabricators, for garment makers, for engineers, for physicists, for cultural practitioners, for computational strategists, for mathematicians, for dreamers, for geologists, for astrologists, for astronomers, for playwrights, for film-makers, for writers, for animators, for inventors, for designers, for farmers, for pathologists, for nutritionists, for social workers, for soil builders, for lawyers, for builders, for architects, for landscapers, for curriculum builders, for factory workers, for interventionists, for conversationalists, for abolitionists, for powerhouses, for water protectors, for domestic workers, for union builders, for questioners, for journalists, for bloggers, for online starlets & twitter fiends, for meditators, for permaculturalists, for arborists, for animal whisperers, for husbandrists, for chefs, for plumbers, for electricians, for roofers, for energy consultants, for juvenile delinquent officers, for policy makers, for shelter volunteers & soup kitchen managers, for housing activists, for public advocates, for judges, for bankers, for advertisers, for campaign managers, for accountants, for janitors, for detectives, for seers, for bodhisattvas, for movement organizers, for mothers, for fathers, for the nonbinary, for our ancestors, for the future generations, for all of us. For creatives of all kinds. for artists, for makers, for thinkers and tinkerers, for educators, for activists, for economists, for scientists, for health practitioners, for builders, for system designers, for musicians, for theorists, for painters, for theologians, for historians, for poets, for pedagogues, for politicians, for soothsayers, for the fool and the mime, for party planners and event producers, for actors, for puppets, for coders, for developers, for strategists, for researchers, for fabricators, for garment makers, for engineers, for physicists, for cultural practitioners, for computational strategists, for mathematicians, for dreamers, for geologists, for astrologists, for astronomers, for playwrights, for film-makers, for writers, for animators, for inventors, for designers, for farmers, for pathologists, for nutritionists, for social workers, for soil builders, for lawyers, for builders, for architects, for landscapers, for curriculum builders, for factory workers, for interventionists, for conversationalists, for abolitionists, for powerhouses, for water protectors, for domestic workers, for union builders, for questioners, for journalists, for bloggers, for online starlets & twitter fiends, for meditators, for permaculturalists, for arborists, for animal whisperers, for husbandrists, for chefs, for plumbers, for electricians, for roofers, for energy consultants, for juvenile delinquent officers, for policy makers, for shelter volunteers & soup kitchen managers, for housing activists, for public advocates, for judges, for bankers, for advertisers, for campaign managers, for accountants, for janitors, for detectives, for seers, for bodhisattvas, for movement organizers, for mothers, for fathers, for the nonbinary, for our ancestors, for the future generations, for all of us. For creatives of all kinds. for artists, for makers, for thinkers and tinkerers, for educators, for activists, for economists, for scientists, for health practitioners, for builders, for system designers, for musicians, for theorists, for painters, for theologians, for historians, for poets, for pedagogues, for politicians, for soothsayers, for the fool and the mime, for party planners and event producers, for actors, for puppets, for coders, for developers, for strategists, for researchers, for fabricators, for garment makers, for engineers, for physicists, for cultural practitioners, for computational strategists, for mathematicians, for dreamers, for geologists, for astrologists, for astronomers, for playwrights, for film-makers, for writers, for animators, for inventors, for designers, for farmers, for pathologists, for nutritionists, for social workers, for soil builders, for lawyers, for builders, for architects, for landscapers, for curriculum builders, for factory workers, for interventionists, for conversationalists, for abolitionists, for powerhouses, for water protectors, for domestic workers, for union builders, for questioners, for journalists, for bloggers, for online starlets & twitter fiends, for meditators, for permaculturalists, for arborists, for animal whisperers, for husbandrists, for chefs, for plumbers, for electricians, for roofers, for energy consultants, for juvenile delinquent officers, for policy makers, for shelter volunteers & soup kitchen managers, for housing activists, for public advocates, for judges, for bankers, for advertisers, for campaign managers, for accountants, for janitors, for detectives, for seers, for bodhisattvas, for movement organizers, for mothers, for fathers, for the nonbinary, for our ancestors, for the future generations, for all of us. For creatives of all kinds. for artists, for makers, for thinkers and tinkerers, for educators, for activists, for economists, for scientists, for health practitioners, for builders, for system designers, for musicians, for theorists, for painters, for theologians, for historians, for poets, for pedagogues, for politicians, for soothsayers, for the fool and the mime, for party planners and event producers, for actors, for puppets, for coders, for developers, for strategists, for researchers, for fabricators, for garment makers, for engineers, for physicists, for cultural practitioners, for computational strategists, for mathematicians, for dreamers, for geologists, for astrologists, for astronomers, for playwrights, for film-makers, for writers, for animators, for inventors, for designers, for farmers, for pathologists, for nutritionists, for social workers, for soil builders, for lawyers, for builders, for architects, for landscapers, for curriculum builders, for factory workers, for interventionists, for conversationalists, for abolitionists, for powerhouses, for water protectors, for domestic workers, for union builders, for questioners, for journalists, for bloggers, for online starlets & twitter fiends, for meditators, for permaculturalists, for arborists, for animal whisperers, for husbandrists, for chefs, for plumbers, for electricians, for roofers, for energy consultants, for juvenile delinquent officers, for policy makers, for shelter volunteers & soup kitchen managers, for housing activists, for public advocates, for judges, for bankers, for advertisers, for campaign managers, for accountants, for janitors, for detectives, for seers, for bodhisattvas, for movement organizers, for mothers, for fathers, for the nonbinary, for our ancestors, for the future generations, for all of us. For creatives of all kinds. for artists, for makers, for thinkers and tinkerers, for educators, for activists, for economists, for scientists, for health practitioners, for builders, for system designers, for musicians, for theorists, for painters, for theologians, for historians, for poets, for pedagogues, for politicians, for soothsayers, for the fool and the mime, for party planners and event producers, for actors, for puppets, for coders, for developers, for strategists, for researchers, for fabricators, for garment makers, for engineers, for physicists, for cultural practitioners, for computational strategists, for mathematicians, for dreamers, for geologists, for astrologists, for astronomers, for playwrights, for film-makers, for writers, for animators, for inventors, for designers, for farmers, for pathologists, for nutritionists, for social workers, for soil builders, for lawyers, for builders, for architects, for landscapers, for curriculum builders, for factory workers, for interventionists, for conversationalists, for abolitionists, for powerhouses, for water protectors, for domestic workers, for union builders, for questioners, for journalists, for bloggers, for online starlets & twitter fiends, for meditators, for permaculturalists, for arborists, for animal whisperers, for husbandrists, for chefs, for plumbers, for electricians, for roofers, for energy consultants, for juvenile delinquent officers, for policy makers, for shelter volunteers & soup kitchen managers, for housing activists, for public advocates, for judges, for bankers, for advertisers, for campaign managers, for accountants, for janitors, for detectives, for seers, for bodhisattvas, for movement organizers, for mothers, for fathers, for the nonbinary, for our ancestors, for the future generations, for all of us.
TO MAKE HOLES
IN THE WALL...
Yes. We have huge visions.
But for anyone who thinks we are too optimistic,
too ambitious, too idealistic...
We'd rather risk that than being deemed
status quo, business as usual or uninspired.
And meanwhile, we'll keep bringing people
and ideas together, sparking radical optimism, and working toward building a center for creative research, reflection & action, especially with your help.
Huge visions always have big obstacles and take many hands.
Huge visions always have big obstacles
We also have current programs & happenings throughout NYC that can use every penny and high-five.
For anyone who thinks we are too optimistic, too ambitious, too idealistic...
We'd rather risk that than being deemed status quo, business as usual & resigned
.get it together.
PEOPLE IDEAS MATERIALS
We don't think we have the answers but we know we can hold space for them.
Why us, you ask
?
Because we are both good at and in need of the very thing we are doing. And we still somehow believe in the possibility of something better. Against all odds.
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