Spring Project Update
June 2023 Workgroup Update
Collaboration, Retreat, and Moving Forward
Our workgroup recently met for an in-person retreat at Peter's lovely farmhouse on the Kennebec River. We had a wonderful time making connections with each other and discussing ways to bring our dream of a creative live/work community into the real world.
Together we watched a video tour of EcoVillage at Ithaca, that a network member sent in as a resource. Workgroup member, Bri also shared a virtual village made using 3D design software and you can watch that video here! To see more content from our retreat check us out on Facebook and Instagram.
So where are we in our planning process anyway?
Phase 1: Exploration
Introducing Community Office Hours (Tuesdays in June 2023)
As a workgroup, we are currently spread out across Maine, but we want to engage with our growing community network, so we are hosting weekly open Office Hours online every Tuesday in June at 6:15pm, starting 6/6. During this time, one or more of us will be available to answer questions and discuss ideas with anyone who would like to engage more in the exploration of this project vision. You can feel free to share anything such as your burning questions, thoughts on potential locations, and any connections or resources you think will be helpful.
...share any questions, thoughts on potential locations, and connections or resources you think will be helpful.
Our goal for these community Office Hours is to build our ecosystem, and we hope that this Zoom-based opportunity will lead to other group gatherings like in-person discussions, and eventually art exhibits/fundraisers and collaborative small projects that further develop our common goals. You can add our June Office Hours to your personal calendar through this link. You will find the zoom link in the calendar event description when you add it. No need to register. Just add the calendar link and you'll be reminded via an emailed auto-notification to join us (1 day before and again 1 hr before).
We have also been doing a lot of research and learning, including connecting with many local, regional, and national organizations. Through this general outreach, we are in the process of learning where we have the strongest initial connections and opportunities. To build a shared knowledge base, we are compiling a list of the organizations, resources, and training our team has explored and will post more of this information to our website as things develop. Two of the workgroup members are enrolled in cooperative development training programs.
CFNE fellowship - Desi is currently enrolled in this three-year program. CFNE has partnered with Host Sites across the Northeast to hire, train, and mentor cooperative developers during this fellowship.
Cooperative Development Institute (CDI) - also a New England based non-profit. Karolyn is part of the first cohort of their Cooperative Development Training Program which is a year long commitment that provides professional skill building for establishing cooperative businesses.
2023 Principle Six Conference - We had members Desi and Kar attend this amazing event on April 8th and you can learn more by reviewing the conference itinerary.
Stay curious
We have had 60+ people fill out our initial survey sharing their skills, interest, and ideas. Thank you! There's a lot of synergy and talent in this growing network and we're excited to bring more of you into this project through our June Office Hours and future events.
A second survey is in the works, which will go beyond the initial interest survey and give us a more in-depth look at the problems many of us face in regards to attainable creative live/work opportunities in Maine. We're also hoping to create a vision packet that will go along with our next survey as a way for people to get to know the proposal better and give feedback towards creating a more in-depth vision proposal.
We've updated our GoFundMe campaign to reflect the current needs for funding. Any amount helps! For instance, we're now looking into our pre-development funding options and a facilitator/mentor type of person or group.
Lastly, the workgroup plans to tour BioHome3d at the UMaine Advanced Structures and Composites Center in Orono this summer. We're excited to do that and we'll share what we learn!
If you have anything to add to these conversations or would like to help with the next survey, please contact us or come to our open office hours. Thank you for your support and interest in our project!
In the spirit of cooperation,
Brianne, Desiree, Karolyn, and Peter
[Email us: MaineArtistsCohousing@gmail.com]
Upcoming Events:
**Click here to add June Office Hours to your personal calendar (works better on a computer). Zoom link is in the calendar event. Interested community members may come to any or all of these.
June 6th | 6:15pm - Community Office Hours
June 13th | 6:15pm - Community Office Hours
June 20th | 6:15pm - Community Office Hours
June 27th | 6:15pm - Community Office Hours
