Have more questions? Here are our Frequently Asked Questions:
- I’ve looked through your website, and still don’t get what you all do…
- We do a lot! Our work looks like anything from designing a yoga training manual, developing an exhibit on the legacies of the Central City neighborhood that hosts weekly events, throwing a block party, facilitating placemaking activities, and working on a campus Master Plan. Our members bring a wide variety of skills to the table, and we tap whatever is needed to complete high-quality work. If you think we might be able to support your project, reach out at _____ and let’s talk or make an appointment to come visit!some text
- Maybe a plain language rewording of what’s in the overview, with hyperlinks to examples of work?
- Make an appointment to visit!
- I’d love to work with you all. How can I do that?
- Use our submission form on the website, or feel free to send us an email or ping on our Social Media. We’re excited to hear what you’re thinking and figure out how we might help.some text
- Submission form on website
- Reach out by email or social media
- I don’t have much/any funding for this idea – can we still work together?
- Definitely still reach out via our form, email or social media and we can think through some possibilities together. Our payment structure includes a community rate so that we are able to work on projects that are especially meaningful to us even when there is a small budget. We also do some pro bono work when funding and capacity allows. It’s also possible that there could be funding possibilities that we can point you towards to support the project.
- I’d like to join the co-op. Is that possible?
- While we are still working on our official member onboarding process, we are always interested in meeting new prospective members. We encourage you to show up to events we’re a part of us to better get to know us and our work. We look forward to seeing you there!
- What are all the shapes and colors on the website about?
- We’re so glad you asked…(brand guide)
- We’re so glad you asked! You’ll find three core shapes on this site that map to core practices we carry throughout our work:some text
- Gear - for the deep learning we do about the different parts of the projects we take on. We learn from each other and we stay curious and seek to learn more about the context around us.
- Bowl - showing the importance of connection. We connect across disciplines. We work collaboratively, amongst Civic Studio members and with our partners. Often, there are also bowls of food as part of our work, as we like to bring people together to share ideas and build together over a meal.
- Pencil - emphasizes our interest in making and creating. Working with us often involves sketching, “I wonder if..’s” as we explore possibilities, and tapping creative resources to bring a project to fruition. We create to challenge injustice - we try to push beyond what is in the usual scope of solutions.
- You’ll find that these shapes are combined to create new shapes, too - these values thread throughout our work, no matter the shape it takes. These shapes show up in bold and bright colors…
- What is a worker co-op?
- A worker co-op shares ownership and leadership of an organization amongst its members. For Civic Studio to be a co-op means that we’ve established a governance system for ourselves that requires us to share in responsibilities, leadership and organization of this entity. If we have a profit at the end of the year, it is equally split among members, if we a have a loss, we split this among ourselves, as well. For us, the co-op model is one that challenges the default capitalist and hierarchical models that tend to promote or replicate inequitable and harmful systems. We’re grateful for the support from Cooperation New Orleans and Olivia Woolham that helped us establish ourselves as a co-op.
