VINEGAR

Description

Vinegar’s organizational and budgetary structure engages an important conversation about value, labor, economics, and art. Artists are often underpaid for their work, and civic funding for the arts is dwindling. Many artists must sacrifice their creative work in order to survive or vice-versa, despite the fact that most urban development and renewal efforts boast the arts as an engine for economic growth. Vinegar sees the value of supporting individual artists to pursue their vision and reach their full potential; we offer support by paying artists a fair wage for their work and by providing other resources and services to boost their careers. We hope that our practices will set an example for other organizations, businesses, and individuals, which will result in a gradual improvement in the pay and working conditions of artists in Birmingham and elsewhere. Outside of volunteerism and community service, no artist-no person-should be required to work for free.