This time we sit down with Jam Jessie Allison, Maddison Colvin, Andrew Douglas Campbell, and JoJo Ruby, of Tropical Contemporary, to talk about life after grad school, and what it means to be part of a collective that puts on exhibitions and art events right here in Eugene, OR.
Tropical was founded in 2015 by a group of graduates from the University of Oregon MFA program in Art. Everyone in this conversation had their particular reasons for joining the group, and we hear about their journeys through and following grad school, as well as the alternative route of a self-taught artist. They bring up the hidden assumptions of privilege in being expected to go to New York or LA after graduation and roll the dice, shoot for the stars, instead of finding a way to keep making work by staying put, banding together and supporting each other.
In the beginning Tropical had shows in garages and living rooms, and their first show was Teenybopper. They got connected with Isaac Marquez, director of Cultural Services in the City of Eugene and had a show in a rental truck downtown called Deals, Deals, Deals!, which led to an opportunity for a permanent space where they implemented a membership structure as a way to pay for the space. More recently they organized the project Narrowly Mended, a public craftivism event included in Utopian Visions Art Fair/TBA festival in Portland.
As a volunteer-based operation with no sponsors and no board, where everyone chips in so that it does’t feel like a big burden to anyone, they are able to separate the financial aspects of running the space from programming. Not having to make money on shows means that aesthetic choices are not made based on an economic model. They value risk-taking, using what you have to create what you want and need, and being flexible with responsibilities so that it is sustainable to maintain while having a life outside of the work of the collective.
We talk about organizational models and arguments against acquiring nonprofit status. They have received funding from the Precipice Fund from Portland Institute for Contemporary Art (PICA), which is geared toward more loosely structured initiatives, as well as city grants for projects and public programming, like Draw a Drag Queen, where it becomes more important to keep track of metrics such as active engagement.
Tropical Contemporary has a Patreon account where you can contribute to paying their rent, if you wish.
Links:
Tropical Contemporary
Teenybopper
Deals, Deals, Deals!
Narrowly Mended
Utopian Visions Art Fair / TBA Festival
Precipice Fund
Draw a Drag Queen
The Farce Family
Tropical Contemporary Patreon
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