EVENTS
TLDR:
Where: Secret Sister in South Park
When: August 20 from 5-8 pm
What is this event?
This is a no-money-allowed art exchange where local artists and community members trade their art for art, goods, or services based on mutual value—not price tags. Think of it as an art gallery where haircuts, handmade pottery, legal advice, or even a home-cooked meal could be your currency.
How does it work?
📅 Phase 1: Browse & Bid (5:00 PM – 7:00 PM)
Artists display their work, each with a "bid box."
Attendees explore the art and place secret offers—anything from another artwork to a skill or service (e.g., "I’ll trade a tattoo or two for your painting").
💬 Phase 2: Negotiate & Trade (7:00 PM – 8:00 PM)
Artists review bids and start one-on-one negotiations.
If both agree on a fair exchange, the trade happens!
If no deal feels right, the artist keeps their piece—no pressure.
What can I trade?
✅ Art (your own or collected pieces)
✅ Services (massages, classes, help in the garden, etc.)
✅ Goods (handmade crafts, store-bought items, etc.)
✅ Experiences (a home-cooked meal, a 3 hour fishing excursion on your boat, etc.)
🚫 What’s NOT allowed?
Cash, gift cards, or anything tied to monetary value (gold, crypto, etc.).
Why a barter system?
🔹 Valuing creative labor beyond money – money is not sexy. Community and mutual-aid/trade are sexy.
🔹 Making art more accessible – Artwork is valuable, and money isn't the only thing worth trading it for.
🔹 Empowering artists & community – Your skills have value, even if they’re not "for sale."
FAQs
❓ What if my offer gets rejected?
No worries! It’s all part of the experiment—try another trade or connect with the artist for future exchanges.
❓ Do artists set minimum bids?
Nope! It’s up to both of you to decide what’s fair.
❓ Can I donate instead of trading?
Yes! If you love an artist’s work and want to support them without something in exchange, cash donations are welcome (just not as a "bid").
Join us for a night of creativity, community, and redefining value!
What’s the long version?
What is it?
This event is an opportunity for local artists to bring a piece of their work in to trade for other art or services from their local community. It is an exercise in trust and community building, in placing value on our own work and the work of others, and practicing negotiations.
How does it work?
We will have the art pieces on display at Secret Sister in South Park. The event will be open to the public and publicly advertised.
From 5-7, attendees will have the opportunity to walk around, view the art, and chat with the artists. Once everyone has decided which pieces they would like to acquire, they can then place "bids" on their work by depositing a concealed offer into the artist's collection box. Bids consist of other artworks around the room brought by other participating artists or other goods or services brought by art appreciators. *The only goods not accepted are money, gift cards, or other items whose value is inextricably tied to currency such as precious metals or jewels being used as currency. Think "Buy-Nothing" group rules, except exchanges are the idea.
What kinds of goods or services can be offered in exchange for the art pieces?
Many of the artists will have a list of goods or services they are actively seeking and will therefore be more likely to accept listed next to their "bids box." For example, haircuts, therapy sessions, legal counsel, etc. Attendees are welcome to offer services not listed if they think the artist might value them but maybe hasn't considered them yet. They will be encouraged to have a conversation, get to know each other, and see what they can agree on.
From 7-8, the artists will kick off negotiations with folks who offered the best bids on their piece. At 8:00, all negotiations will be closed, and the art will come down.
What happens if the art piece, good, or service the artist is interested in accepting has already been promised to someone else?
If it is an art piece or a tangible good that has already been claimed, then that artist needs to find someone else to do business with. Which means that the artists should have a backup offer or offers in mind. If it is a service being offered that the provider has already agreed to give to someone else, the artist can ask if the service provider is willing to provide that service to them in addition to the person who has already accepted that service.
Wouldn't that mean that the service provider could potentially leave with more than one art piece?
If they have the capacity and willingness to provide their services to more than one artist, then that is exactly what that means.
Will the artists provide a general price range for the piece they are offering?
No. The artist knows the value of their own work and will only accept offers they believe to be fair. And the bidder knows how much the art piece would be worth to them and would offer what they believe the piece would be worth to them.
Are donations welcome?
Yes, and this is the only appropriate use of currency in this event, besides purchasing food and drink at the establishment. Cash donations are encouraged. Do you like the work that the artist does, but you don't necessarily need a physical piece of art in return? Nice! Show your appreciation! Drop some cash in that box!
Wait, what's really going on here?
Honestly? So much. We are practicing giving value to art and artists. We are practicing decentralizing money in economy. We are practicing vulnerability by offering our skills and services for trade for something we see value in and risking hearing "no." We are practicing saying "no" to offers that don't feel equitable. We are practicing finding the value in the skills and things we already have to offer.
It is important that the monetary value of any art, goods or services is NOT stated at any point. The point is to be able to identify the value of your own offerings compared to the offerings being considered for trade. The point is to do a trade based on what it's worth to YOU and the person you're negotiating with.